Know Your Heritage. Know Your Story.

Culture, Health, Education, and Wealth

Founder Greetings

The African American Heritage Association of Virginia (AAHA! Virginia), founded in 2002, enlightens and builds enduring alliances critical to untangle topical issues and foster solutions impacting African Americans. We work to build sustainable generational wealth and community equity. AAHA! Virginia welcomes you as a partner in social justice that spurs wealth creation within African American and indigenous communities globally. As a member, explore the Anthony Johnson Virtual Community Economic Network (VCEN) - a Community Building Initiative.

Change never comes without sacrifice. So, ask yourself, "Why should I change?" Now, look into the eyes of your children, your grandchildren, or even the children of others, you’ll find your answer. Because the future belongs to them.

Let us hear from you.

W. Kent Ruffin, Founder, AAHA! Virginia

AAHA! Virginia

The African American Heritage Association of Virginia (AAHA! Virginia) is a 501(c)(3 organization

Who is committed to chronicling African American heritage equitably, truthfully, and accurately. AAHA VA provides a pathway for scholars, researchers, and community voices to engage with the topics, subjects, and disciplines that shape African American culture and heritage.

Rooted in the rich oral traditions of African American griots—storytellers who chronicled the struggles, achievements, and cultural resilience of African people from servitude to freedom and prosperity in Virginia and beyond—AAHA! Virginia honors the understanding that to know African American history is to acknowledge its profound contributions to American history. Despite gaps or omissions in historical records, the sacrifices of time, lives, and human capital made by African Americans are undeniable and foundational to our shared story.

Through the AAHA website, scholars, intellectuals, and community members now have an accessible platform to share their research, reflections, and creative expressions with a broad audience. AAHA VA’s quarterly event series—Arrival, First Harvest Feast-Homecoming, Remembrance-Commemoration, and Surrender-Jubilation—furthers these conversations, offering intergenerational opportunities for dialogue about the many facets of the African Diaspora and the diverse dimensions of its people, culture, and heritage. These events provide meaningful outreach and community engagement, creating space for social gathering, education, and celebration.

AAHA! Virginia also supports future generations through scholarships and grants dedicated to research on the impact of culture, health, education, and wealth on African American life. Our programs, essays, destination travel experiences, and curated cultural narratives offer a historical roadmap that contextualizes the African American journey through time, blending historical perspectives with personal stories that illuminate a triumphant progression to the present.

Through this work, we strive to engender and anchor descendants of the African Diaspora with a permanent sense of sustainable cultural belonging, empowering individuals and communities to connect with, celebrate, and preserve their rich heritage for generations to come.

What We Do

Preserve, chronicle , and commemorate African American heritage through the following initiatives:

Cultural Events and Programs – Hosting a quarterly event series—Arrival, First Harvest-Homecoming, Remembrance, and Surrender-Jubilation—to foster intergenerational dialogue and celebrate the richness of African American culture.

Educational Publications and Experiences – Offering essays, eBooks, curated travel, and destination experiences that present African American history as a journey through time, blending historical context with personal narratives.

Accessible Online Platform – Creating a digital forum for scholars, researchers, and community members to share ideas, research, and creative expressions about African American heritage.

Equitable, Truthful Storytelling – Researching and sharing African American history with accuracy and integrity, rooted in the oral traditions of African American griots.

Scholar and Community Support – Providing scholarships and grants for research on the intersections of culture, health, education, and wealth in African American life.

Affiliate Cultural Marketplace – Participating in affiliate programs to connect audiences with curated cultural products that support AAHA Virginia’s mission.

Through these initiatives, we strive to ensure that descendants of the African Diaspora are anchored with a sustainable, lasting sense of cultural belonging, empowering communities to know, honor, and share their stories.

 

AAHA! Virginia participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission if you purchase an item featured on our site.