On April 16, 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the DC Compensated Emancipation Act abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia. The act, passed nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation, made 3,100 District residents the “First Freed” by the federal government.

Commemorate this occasion at DC I AM: An Emancipation Day Celebration, a festival blending history, community, and the arts:

• Opening Ceremony featuring the Cadet Corps of the African American Civil War Museum and commemorative readings of the Emancipation Act from area youth (10am)

• Get your creative juices flowing with art and writing activities based on true stories of newly freed DC residents and past Emancipation Day parades

• Take in the talents of Farafina Kan – West African Percussion Orchestra, Sonya Renee – Performance Poet, and Rachel Crouch – Visual Artist on the outdoor Walmart Cultural Stage

• Tour the exhibition America I AM: The African American Imprint with Radio One DJs

• Watch a screening of the one-hour documentary Enslavement to Emancipation (Noon)

• Get an in-depth understanding of the day’s history with Exploring Emancipation, a panel discussion featuring noted scholars Kate Masur (Professor of History, Northwestern University) and Elizabeth Clark-Lewis (Professor of History, Public History Program Director, Howard University). The panel is co-presented with President Lincoln’s Cottage and will be moderated by the former director of the Moorland-Spingarn Center, Dr. Thomas Battle. (1pm)

• Enjoy gospel performances from the Greater Mount Calvary Men of Valor Choir (3pm) and the Washington Performing Arts Society Children of the Gospel Choir (3:30pm)

• Attend family workshops (kids age 7+) from The Pearl Coalition (11am, 3pm) and the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (1pm). Advance registration is required. To register email NatGeoMuseum[at]ngs.org with your name, child’s name and age, and which workshop you would like to attend.

• Converse with the Elizabeth Keckly (confidante to Mrs. Lincoln), Dr. Rebecca Crumpler (the first African American woman doctor), and other influential women as portrayed by the ladies of FREED (Female Re-Enactors of Distinction)

• Learn about DC’s rich African American heritage with community partners African American Civil War Museum, the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, The Pearl Coalition, and President Lincoln’s Cottage.

• Win exhibition tickets and other prizes, take your photo with figures from history, purchase food from some of DC’s popular food trucks, and lots more!

Free parking available on-site.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition America I AM: The African American Imprint

To learn more about the DC Emancipation Act, click here

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