TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Hundreds of people celebrated Emancipation Day in Tallahassee on Wednesday with a formal ceremony and reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, as signed by President Abraham Lincoln.
“We celebrate this day to remember the ancestors and what they did to get to Freedom Day,” Larry Rivers said. He serves as a history professor at Florida A&M University, and was the keynote speaker for Wednesday’s ceremony.
The ceremony included student performances by the Brownsville Preparatory Institute and a selection of “America the Beautiful” by Christopher White.
More Tallahassee news:
“May 20 is a part of our history and we must talk about all parts of our history. Not one history over another history,” Rivers said. “This country is diverse, so we must teach it from a diverse perspective.”
The ceremony included a reenactment of the proclamation reading, as it was done by General Edward McCook on May 20, 1865 on the steps of the Knott House.
Ulysses Lawrence was among the hundreds of people attending Wednesday. He said he appreciates seeing younger kids take part in the celebration for Emancipation Day.
“The kids are learning from us, and just to have them out here today, they will never forget this,” Lawrence said. “This is really important that we remember and we do not forget the reading and what Abraham Lincoln did to free us.”
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.
Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.