REMEMBERING the great courage, intellect, strength and wisdom of America's African American founding figures

RECLAIMING the respect and dignity due all members of the human race

REFRAMING America's story to accurately reflect the past and present contributions and influence of African Americans in the formation and advancement of the nation and the world

Remembering the great courage, intellect, strength and wisdom of America's African American founding figures

Reclaiming the respect and dignity due all members of the human race

Reframing America's story to accurately reflect the past and present contributions and influence of African Americans in the formation and advancement of the nation and the world

ABOUT AAH365
African American Heritage 365, (AAH 365), is dedicated to the education, awareness, promotion, preservation and advancement of African American History and culture through school and community programs, special events, projects, scholarship and advocacy. The organization was established in 2004 to help people of all races and ethnicities expand their knowledge of African American History and culture. Its purpose is to highlight the African American story and to demonstrate how African American History IS American History. The goal is to extend cultural awareness beyond the 28 days of February's Black History Month into an everyday awareness that remains year-round … 365.

AAH 365 received its certificate of incorporation in the Commonwealth of Virginia on Dec. 18, 2018. It was certified as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) non profit organization on June 25, 2019.
Countdown to the High School Scholastic Bowl, March 15, 2025!
The next AAH 365 High School Scholastic Bowl will be held on March 15, 2025 at Fort Monroe, VA. Each participating school must submit a 4-person team to compete (any grade) with 2 additional students to serve as alternates. Schools may register online or by mail by TBD. Due to the time and resources required to host this event, a $100.00 registration fee is required. This registration fee is non-refundable after February 14, 2025. 
To register a team to compete in the March 15, 2023 competition, please complete and submit the following form:

Students will study and prepare to compete using “The Handy African American History Answer Book" by Dr. Jessie Carney Smith. Participating schools are required to purchase their own copies. Books can be purchased through one of the following links:

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Significance of Hampton Roads, Virginia
It is the desire of AAH 365 to continually host the annual AAH 365 High School Scholastic Bowl in Hampton, VA. Its historical significance is that in August 1619, the first documented enslaved Africans landed on the coast of what would become Virginia. The expertise, knowledge and skills they brought were key to the early country's survival and evolution.  It is imperative that the names, experiences and labor of these strong and courageous men and women are remembered and respected. Hosting the African American Heritage 365 High School Scholastic Bowl on the grounds where African American history began helps reinforce the fact that African American history isn't a mere chapter in history -- it is  American History.

  • BOARD OF DIRECTORS

    Terry Yates, President

     

    Karen Eure Wilson, Vice President

     

    Lashawn Smith, History/Research/Resource Director

     

    Samuel L. Eure, Jr., Schools and Community Engagement Director


    Kalynne Wilson

     

    Founding Organization:

     

    Langley African American Heritage Council (LAAHC)

     

    LAAHC is a private organization whose members are assigned to Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, VA. Its mission and purpose are to enhance and maintain the camaraderie, esprit de corps, and educate the public on the contributions of African Americans, while promoting a spirit of unity and honor among all individuals at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and in the surrounding community.

  • CORPORATE SPONSORS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS

    Bethel Temple Church

    Fort Monroe Authority

    Hampton Marina Hotel

    Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals, an affiliate chapter of National Association of Black Journalists, Inc.

    Hampton Roads Gazeti

    Hampton Roads Warriors

    Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals, Inc.

    Scripps Howard School of Journalism at Hampton University

    The Miles Agency

LEADING CORPORATE SPONSOR
PREMIERE PARTNERS
________________________
Significance of Hampton Roads, Virginia
It is the desire of AAH 365 to continually host the annual AAH 365 High School Scholastic Bowl in Hampton, VA. Its historical significance is that in August 1619, the first documented enslaved Africans landed on the coast of what would become Virginia. The expertise, knowledge and skills they brought were key to the early country's survival and evolution. It is imperative that the names, experiences and labor of these strong and courageous men and women are remembered and respected. Hosting the African American Heritage 365 High School Scholastic Bowl on the grounds where African American history began helps reinforce the fact that African American history isn't a mere chapter in history -- it is American History.
  • BOARD OF DIRECTORS

    Terry Yates, President

     

    Karen Eure Wilson, Vice President

     

    Lashawn Smith, History/Research/Resource Director

     

    Samuel L. Eure, Jr., Schools and Community Engagement Director


    Kalynne Wilson

     

    Founding Organization:

     

    Langley African American Heritage Council (LAAHC)

     

    LAAHC is a private organization whose members are assigned to Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, VA. Its mission and purpose are to enhance and maintain the camaraderie, esprit de corps, and educate the public on the contributions of African Americans, while promoting a spirit of unity and honor among all individuals at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and in the surrounding community.

  • CORPORATE SPONSORS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS

    Bethel Temple Church

     

    Fort Monroe Authority

     

    Hampton Roads Warriors

     

    Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals, Inc.

     

    Scripps Howard School of Journalism at Hampton University

     

    The Miles Agency

LEADING CORPORATE SPONSOR
PREMIERE PARTNERS

Norview High School from Norfolk, VA. wins its fourth regional championship title during the 2019 AAH365 High School Scholastic Bowl.  


From left to right:  Front row: Karen Eure Wilson, (AAH 365), Lashawn Smith, (AAH 365), Norview High School, (NHS), students: Myles Noel, Christine Ligon, Hameed Ruhan, Nakiah Sharpe, Terry Yates, (AAH 365). Back row starting from left to right: Walther L. Thomas, (NHS Coach), NHS Students:  Alex Axton, Allan Li, and Eric Bazille, Stuart M. Littlejohn, (NHS Coach).

From left to right -- Front row: Secretary Atif Qarni, (Virginia Secretary of Education), Norview High School, (NHS), students: Myles Noel, Christine Ligon, Hameed Ruhan, Nakiah Sharpe. Back row starting from left to right: Walther L. Thomas, (NHS Coach), NHS Students:  Alex Axton, Allan Li, and Eric Bazille, Stuart M. Littlejohn, (NHS Coach).

From left to right -- Karen Eure Wilson, (AAH365), Lashawn Smith, (AAH365), Myles Noel, winner of the Individual Round of the AAH365 High School Scholastic Bowl from NHS, Terry Yates, (AAH365).
Fort Monroe Superintendent Terry Brown welcomes 2019 scholastic bowl attendees as Glenn Oder, Executive Director, Fort Monroe Authority prepares to share the historical significance of Fort Monroe and its current plans to further develop the Fort Monroe National Monument. Hampton Roads was the 2020 host site for the first Virginia state-level AAH365 High School Scholastic Bowl; COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the competition.

Fort Monroe Theatre is the host venue for the AAH365 High School Scholastic Bowl. The theatre was built in 1938 and sits on the location of the first enslaved Africans arrival to the North English Colonies in 1619.

Fort Monroe First Africans Landing Signage. It reads:


"The first documented Africans in Virginia arrived here in August 1619 on the White Lion, an English privateer based in the Netherlands. Colonial officials traded food for the "20 and odd" Africans, who had been captured from a Portuguese slave ship. Among present-day Hampton’s earliest African residents were Anthony and Isabella. Their son, William, was the first child of African ancestry known to have been born in Virginia (ca. 1624). Many of the earliest Africans were held as slaves, but some individuals became free. A legal framework for hereditary, lifelong slavery in Virginia evolved during the 1600s.The United States abolished slavery in 1865."

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