Tallahassee celebrates Emancipation Day with bells, dramatic reading

Special to the Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read
Hundreds of Tallahassee locals gather at the Knott House Museum on May 20 to celebrate the emancipation declared in 1865. Locals enjoyed a reading from Dr. Larry Rivers for the keynote speech. Other festivities such as catered food and free admission to local museums was accompanied by the reading and reenactment of the emancipation proclamation.
Hundreds of Tallahassee locals gather at the Knott House Museum on May 20 to celebrate the emancipation declared in 1865. Locals enjoyed a reading from Dr. Larry Rivers for the keynote speech. Other festivities such as catered food and free admission to local museums was accompanied by the reading and reenactment of the emancipation proclamation.

The City of Tallahassee recognizes May 20 as Florida's Emancipation Day, and throughout the month, there are many ways for residents to commemorate this pivotal moment and learn.

The 20th of May - Emancipation in Florida programs, presented by the Knott House Museum and the City's John G. Riley Center/Museum, include a variety of free events:

Monday, May 20

Students from Bethel Christian Academy and Kingdom of Life Preparatory Academy lay red carnations by gravestones in the Old City Cemetery during an Emancipation Day Commemoration hosted by the John G. Riley Museum Thursday, May 20, 2021.
Students from Bethel Christian Academy and Kingdom of Life Preparatory Academy lay red carnations by gravestones in the Old City Cemetery during an Emancipation Day Commemoration hosted by the John G. Riley Museum Thursday, May 20, 2021.

10 a.m. - John G. Riley Center/Museum Civil War Commemorative Service at Old City Cemetery, 400 W. Park Ave. Local schoolkids and the public will decorate the graves of Black Civil War soldiers.

11 a.m. - Church bells in Tallahassee will ring for two minutes to celebrate Florida's Emancipation Day.

Hundreds of Tallahassee locals gather at the Knott House Museum on May 20 to celebrate the emancipation declared in 1865. Locals enjoyed a reading from Dr. Larry Rivers for the keynote speech. Other festivities such as catered food and free admission to local museums was accompanied by the reading and reenactment of the emancipation proclamation.
Hundreds of Tallahassee locals gather at the Knott House Museum on May 20 to celebrate the emancipation declared in 1865. Locals enjoyed a reading from Dr. Larry Rivers for the keynote speech. Other festivities such as catered food and free admission to local museums was accompanied by the reading and reenactment of the emancipation proclamation.

11:30 a.m. - Dramatic reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on the steps of the Knott House Museum, 301 E. Park Avenue. In the place where the Emancipation Proclamation was first read in Florida, this year's program features Reginald Ellis, Ph.D., Provost Professor at Florida A&M University, and the Mina String Quartet from the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.

Free lunch and family-friendly activities will follow across the street in Lewis Park.

On May 20, 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation was first read on the steps of the Knott House by General Edward McCook. That was when the enslaved in Florida learned they were free – two years after the document was issued by President Abraham Lincoln.

The Tallahassee City Commission approved May 20 as a paid holiday for City employees in November 2020. This year's Emancipation Day holiday falls on a Monday, so it will be observed by the City on Monday, May 20. Visit Talgov.com for information about City service schedule impacts.

For more information about these and other Emancipation Day events, visit 20thofMay.com or call the City's John G. Riley Center/Museum at 850-891-3560.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee celebrates Emancipation Day with bells, dramatic reading