Remembrance

“May God forget my people when they forget this day.”

Silas X. Floyd, Augusta, Georgia, January 1, 1909

Never Forget
During the darkest days of Jim Crow segregation, black Americans continued to press for full citizenship. Each Emancipation Day, African Americans organized parades reminding the black community and the entire nation of a commitment that remained unfulfilled. These local celebrations set the stage for the national push for freedom in the 20th century. Modern civil rights activists built upon the legacy of their forebears when they gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. They asked the nation to realize the promises set in motion by the Emancipation Proclamation.

Emancipation Day, Richmond, Virginia, 1905

Emancipation Day, Richmond, Virginia, 1905

Library of Congress

Emancipation Day, Richmond, Virginia, 1888

Emancipation Day, Richmond, Virginia, 1888

Cook Collection, Valentine Richmond History Center

Emancipation Day, Texas, 1904

Emancipation Day, Texas, 1904

PICA 05481, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

Emancipation Day, Texas, around 1900

Emancipation Day, Texas, around 1900

Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library, MSS 281-0040