Festivities set to mark Emancipation Proclamation's 150th anniversary

CINCINNATI - A celebration marking the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation will be held Jan. 1 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Local African-American churches, religious organizations and civic leaders will gather at the center for an event entitled, “From Faith to Freedom: What is our Rock?”

The program will remember the religious, political and cultural importance of the annual observance of Watch Night and the Emancipation Proclamation, including the role African-American churches played in establishing a sense of freedom in one’s identity.

John Wesley, a founder of Methodism, began Watch Night in Europe in the early 1700s, as a way for Christians to reaffirm their beliefs annually.

The first Watch Night in the United States was held in 1784. In 1863, Watch Night merged with a celebration of freedom for Africans in America, which took place in black churches in the North, slave streets on plantations in the South and the parade ground of the First South Carolina African Troops in Beaufort, S.C.

The Freedom Center’s event will include dance and musical performances, prayer, speakers and a call to action.

Speakers will include the Revs. Peterson Mingo, Leslie Jones, Orlando Yates, Geraldine White, Jermaine Armour and others. Also, Freedom center historian Carl Westmoreland will make a presentation.

Activites will be held New Year’s Day beginning at 10 a.m.

The event is free and open to the general public. Also, the Freedom Center will be open with paid admission.

For more information, call (513) 333-7594.