Photo Courtesy: Eric White, D.C. Public Library

Photographed: Bomani Armah (Hip-Hop Artist and Educator)

Washington, DC -(April 14, 2008)— Emancipation Day is honored as a public holiday in the District of Columbia, commemorating April 16, 1862, the date President Abraham Lincoln freed 3,100 African Americans in Washington. Lincoln signed the law to free slaves in Washington, D.C. nearly nine months before he signed the better-known Emancipation Proclamation, which called for the freeing of slaves in the rebellious South. In addition to parades and speeches, the Humanities Council of Washington, DC wanted to host a unique panel discussion to commemorate the event.

On Monday, April 14 from 12:00-2:00pm, the Humanities Council in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office and Martin Luther King, Jr. Library celebrated Emancipation Day with performances and discussion about the disconnect between the Civil Rights and Hip-Hop generations. The catalyst for this discussion began with a conversation about the pivotal 1968 riots, which occurred during the Civil Rights Movement and how its affects still resonate today. Do young people have a lack of understanding for the struggles of “the civil rights movement” and is their disrespect by the “civil rights generation” towards the struggles of the “hip-hop generation?

(Moderator and Panelists from L to R): Don Murray, HCWDC Chair, Sheryl Denbo, Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, Council Member At-Large Kwame Brown, Hari Jones, African-American Civil War Memorial, and Professor Griff.

Professor Griff wanted to continue the dialogue about Hip-Hop and the Civil Rights Movement. To continue the discussion contact him directly at: DrGCeo@Yahoo.Com

We would like to thank our audience for making this program a huge success!

HISTORY

On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia. Passage of this act came 9 months before President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation. The act brought to conclusion decades of agitation aimed at ending what antislavery advocates called "the national shame" of slavery in the nation's capital. The African American community of Washington, D.C. celebrated Emancipation Day form 1862 until 1900. It was considered more important to the African American community than the 4th of July.

To view the original document and text for the District of Columbia Emancipation Act, click on the National Archives link below:

District of Columbia Emancipation Act

The Council of the District of Columbia unanimously passed legislation establishing April 16th as a private legal holiday in D.C. On March 23, 2000, Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed this legislation into law. More recently, on Tuesday, January 4, 2005, legislation was signed that declared April 16th a public legal holiday in the District.

For a complete schedule of activities for the week of D.C. Emancipation Day, visit the website for the Office of the Secretary, District of Columbia.

Additional Links:

City Museum

H-Net Slavery & Emancipation bibliography

Office of the Secretary, District of Columbia

TELEVISION
Humanities Profiled: “Freedoms, Rights, and Responsibilities” specials

E. Ethelbert Miller, host of “Humanities Profiled,” interviews leading scholars residing here in our capital city to discuss the history and themes within the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Emancipation Proclamation.

These “Humanities Profiled” specials include a visit to the original documents on display the National Archives in Washington, D.C. where Archives curators share their insights about the significance of the documents and their preservation for future generations.

The “Humanities Profiled” specials will air on DC public access television (DCTV) – Comcast Channels 5 and 6; Starpower Channels 10 and 11.

Emancipation Proclamation

Guest: Ira Berlin, Distinguished Professor of History, University of Maryland. Author of Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America, (Harvard University Press, 1998)

Declaration of Independence

Guest: Roger Wilkins, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History and American Culture. Former assistant attorney general under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Author of Jefferson’s Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black Patriotism (Beacon Press, 2002).

Bill of Rights

Guest: E.J. Dionne, Senior Fellow on Governance at the Brooking Institution. Syndicated Columnist for the Washington Post. Author of Why Americans Hate Politics: The Death of the Democratic Process; They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate the Next Political Era (1996); and Stand up Fight Back: Republican Toughs, Democratic Wimps, and Politics of Revenge (2004).

Humanities Council Celebrated Emancipation Day Addresses Cultural Divide. Washington, DC-(March 24, 2008)— Emancipation Day is honored as a public holiday in the District of Columbia, commemorating April 16, 1862, the date President Abraham Lincoln freed 3,100 African Americans in Washington. Lincoln signed the law to free slaves in Washington, D.C. nearly nine months before he signed the better-known Emancipation Proclamation, which called for freeing them in the rebellious South. Besides the parade and speeches, the Humanities Council of Washington, DC wanted to host a unique panel discussion to commemorate the event.