City of Tallahassee Invites Residents to Celebrate Emancipation Day

Community Events Scheduled May 13-20

May 11, 2023

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, includes a variety of free events:

Saturday, May 13

• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - "Walk Through Living History" at Speed-Spencer-Stephens Park, 1907 Saxon Street. This living history celebration and commemoration of the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in the State of Florida is a family-friendly event for all ages.

Thursday, May 18

• 2:30 p.m. - Watching for Freedom 2023: 20th of May Culture Keeper Honorees at Parkview at Cascades, 414 E. Bloxham Street. This event will recognize 12 individuals whose leadership and advocacy has sustained, preserved and validated Florida's emancipation history and culture in North Florida.

Friday, May 19

• 7-11 p.m. - Freedom's Eve Emancipation Concert at The Adderley Amphitheater in Cascades Park, 1001 S. Gadsden Street. This impressive three-part performance will feature music by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Tallahassee Symphony Jazz Orchestra and Tallahassee Nights Live.

Saturday, May 20

• 9 a.m. - Church bells in Tallahassee will ring for two minutes to celebrate Florida's Emancipation Day.
• 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.
• 11:30 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 John Anderson as Frederick Douglass 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. Since this year's holiday falls on a Saturday, it will be observed by the City on Friday, May 19. Visit Talgov.com for information about City service schedule impacts due to the holiday.

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.