“Seeing the horror, inhumanity and cruelty of slavery first-hand was a profoundly transformative and humbling experience,” said Speaker Pelosi.  “Solemnly, we walked through the ‘Door of No Return,’ reentering with a renewed sense of purpose to confront injustice, cruelty and oppression.  While today was a reminder of a dark time in our history, it was also a beautiful recognition of the resilience, renewal and strength of Africans and African-Americans.  We took comfort in walking through the ‘Door of Return’ in ‘The Year of Return.’”

At Elmina Castle, Paramount Chief Nana Kwadwo Conduah VI welcomed the delegation back home to Africa in a traditional ceremony.  Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass offered the “amanee,” the delegation’s statement of purpose: to observe the longstanding bilateral relations between Ghana and the U.S. and honor the millions of Africans sent through the middle passage and later enslaved throughout the Americas after arriving in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619.

Later in the day, Cape Coast Paramount Chief Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II welcomed the delegation to Emintsimadze Palace and Obama Hall.  Congressman John Lewis, legendary civil rights leader and icon of the Congress, offered the amanee.  Congressman Lewis shared the moving story of the impact of Ghana’s quest for independence and democracy on the civil rights movement in the United States.

Tomorrow, Speaker Pelosi will address Ghana’s Parliament observing the 400th Anniversary of the First Enslaved Africans Landing in America.