Around two thousand people gathered at Kanawha Plaza in Downtown Richmond this past Saturday, ready to take on either 6.19 or 16.19 kilometers (3 or 10 miles, respectively), with Djimon Hounsou leading the way. Organized by the Oscar-nominated actor's Djimon Hounsou Foundation, the event, Run Richmond 16.19, is a run/walk series designed to highlight historical sites in Richmond, where the first slave ship is believed to have docked in 1619.
At a pre-race event the night before, Hounsou, visibly moved, shared what his organization hopes the race series does for those taking part: "It is for us to acknowledge who we are as people and the tremendous contribution we’ve given to this country." He paused before adding, "I’m an emotional kind of person so it takes me there. I just want us to have a moment of reflection that addresses the 400 years of Black history."
The pre-race event, called Time to Heal, was a big part of this "moment of reflection." The community-driven event occurred at the Main Street Station in Shockoe Bottom, once the second-largest slave market in America. It included a Yoruba-influenced libation ceremony, to honor the dead and pay tribute to the memory of enslaved people, led by the Elegba Folklore Society, as well as a meditation and performances by Drums No Guns, The Well Collective and the Community Healing Network.
For Hounsou, the event is the chance to bring together people in healing and reconciliation, while sharing knowledge about events that once took place in the area. As he toldOkayAfrica, “I thought, if we could [come together] in a place where some of our ancestors were lynched, if we come together like that regularly, we'll change the course of what took place there."
Future runs are being planned for two other locations, Liverpool in the U.K. and Ouidah, in Hounsou’s home country. Each city features artist Stephen Broadbent’s Reconciliation Triangle, which, when connected, forms the Triangle of Hope — promoting forgiveness through acknowledgment and using reconciliation and justice to shape a new future.
Photo by Jesse A. Peters, Backlight.
- Djimon Hounsou Is Set To Star in Paramount Thriller 'A Quiet Place Part II' ›
- Yemi Alade Enlists Djimon Hounsou for New Music Video 'Remind You' ›
- Djimon Hounsou: Hollywood’s Unsung Hero ›
