The Emancipation Proclamation, a document issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, led to the end of slavery in the United States as it declared the slaves in the rebelling states to be "forever free." The significance of freedom to the four million black slaves of the South cannot be overstated or even truly appreciated within our present day sensibilities. This document served as a critical component in the African Americans' odyssey from bondage to the full realization of their rights as American citizens. The issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation set into motion a series of events that led to the adoption of the 13th Amendment, the Constitutional addition which ended slavery in all parts of the United States on December 12, 1865. Before the end of the Civil War, the proclamation also permitted the use of Negroes in the Union military, an allowance that proved to be pivotal in the Union victory.

Few Americans have any real knowledge of the Emancipation Proclamation. Some people are familiar with the term, but they have little understanding of the historical facts that make it an important part of our history. It is rare to find anyone who knows the day when Lincoln issued the Proclamation. The date of the Emancipation Proclamation is buried in the history books, and in spite of its great historical significance, it is given no official recognition. The war that was fought over the issue of slavery cost the lives of more than 550,000 Americans, more deaths than in all the other conflicts in our country's history combined. Given that most
Americans agree that the existence of slavery is perhaps the fountainhead of social injustice in our country, how have we allowed ourselves, individually and collectively, to forget or dismiss the momentous date that abolished "the peculiar institution" of slavery?

Historically, Negroes have observed the freedom of their people on a variety of dates, depending on local history and customs. The "Juneteenth" (June 19) celebration that originated in Texas is probably the most notable of these dates, but assorted dates in April, May, August, and September have been used for freedom celebrations. In recent times these observances have become less frequent, and little attention has been given to the importance that the newly freed Negro gave to this moment in history. Perhaps one of the reasons that these observances have failed to remain a part of the African American culture is the confusion over the actual date when Lincoln freed the slaves in the south. The various dates of observation have defused the public's attention and removed a focus on the importance of emancipation. It is tragic that we have allowed the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation to be trivialized. In 1863 Frederick Douglass called January 1 "the most memorable day in American Annals." He went on to say, "The fourth of July was great, but the first of January, when we consider it in all its relations and bearings is incomparably greater."

It is our goal to give Americans all over this country the opportunity to participate in a celebration that relates to an awareness of the past with the spirit of redemption. On January 1st we will gather together. We will walk, talk, sing, dance, eat, and rejoice. We will pay homage to the people who dedicated themselves to the work of freeing the slaves and show reverence for the twenty eight-million blacks who lived and died as slaves. These observances can be the beginning of a movement to continue the celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, and they should be used as a platform to educate all people about the day in our history when everyone, black and white alike, was emancipated from the evils of slavery.

Forever Free January 1, 1863

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