The Pocahontas Foundation held its annual memorial service last Thursday at the Pocahontas Statue and Gardens in Gloucester. This service was held to honor Pocahontas and pay tribute to her life and final resting place on March 21, 1616/17 in Gravesend, England. 

Kenny Richardson of the Pocahontas Foundation gave the introduction thanking and welcoming everyone for coming. He thanked Gary Booker of Booker Maintenance Services, who is also a member of the Lumbee Tribe, for maintaining the grounds along with his crew.

He also pointed out that the Lumbee Tribe flag was flying over head of the Pocahontas Statue and Gardens. Richardson explained the reasoning for why both 1616 and 1617 are used for Pocahontas’s death year. The year 1616 refers to the old-world calendar. When the calendar changed, the year of Pocahontas’s death changed to 1617, but it is still the same date. They are both there for the recognition of different calendars.

The prayer was led by Pastor R.W. Gayle of t...