Emancipation Day: A Brief History
To many, January 1 is celebrated as #newyearsday2024 , but in the African American community this day is also known as #EmancipationDay, as it marks the effective date of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 1863 document that freed all enslaved people in states that were still in rebellion against the United States in the Civil War.
Macon was no exception to this tradition. A perusal of local newspapers reveals that the celebration was a popular one for the local African American community. Emancipation Day Celebrations were held at locations ranging from the City Auditorium to local churches like A.M.E. church on Cotton Avenue, to the City Auditorium. The programs featured music, prayer, and readings, such as renditions of the Emancipation Proclamation, and culminated with an address, usually by an esteemed member of. the community or a special out-of-town guests. In 1899, the guest speaker was none other than Booker T. Washington, the famed leader of Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University.
Parades were also popular. In 1909, the Douglass Emancipation Society used the occasion to collect funds for a library. Military companies such as the Bibb County Blues, the Lincoln Light Guard, and Sandy Lockhart’s group, as well as schools, and other societies, participated in the parades.
