James Gray was accompanied to this meeting by President João Lourenço, the United States ambassador to Angola, Tulinabo Mushingi, and some members of the Tucker family, who are returning to the country to visit their ancestral land.
The Tuckers are North-American descendants of Angolans from the province of Malanje and were the first slaves to arrive on North American soil. The family has been in Luanda since Friday, from where they will depart for Malanje, passing through the city of Ndalatando, in the province of Cuanza-Norte, to visit monuments and historical sites.
In Luanda, the Tucker family, who have been visiting the country frequently since 2022, visited the Anthropology Museum, the streets of Flores, Mercadores, the former Mission and Largo do Baleizão, as well as the Museum of the Armed Forces, where they learned about the colonial process and the National Liberation Struggle.
The family's first visit to Angola in 2022 was made by a delegation of 19 members. The Tuckers' visit to the country came after meeting with President João Lourenço during a working visit to Washington in September 2021, when the Angolan statesman invited the family to visit Angola to share their experience with the National Archives, universities and communities.
On one of their trips to the country, the family mobilized 60 tourists, including two junior basketball teams, to learn about local roots and exchange experiences about the sport with Angolans. As the owner of the William Tucker 1624 Society, she is responsible for research into the life of William Tucker and his descendants.
