The African American Research Library and Cultural Center. Photo by David. I. Muir (Island Syndicate)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Broward County Commissioner Hazelle P. Rogers, the African American Research Library and Cultural Center and Island SPACE Caribbean Museum will host Emancipation Day: Freedom Across the Caribbean. This is a free community celebration recognizing freedom, heritage and Caribbean culture. It will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale.
The family-friendly event, sponsored in part by Becker & Poliakoff, will feature Caribbean consuls general, elected officials, performers, educators, authors and community members. It will include an afternoon of music, storytelling, hands-on activities, food and public conversation.
Presented with Rogers, who has helped champion Caribbean heritage and independence celebrations in South Florida for more than two decades, the program brings together two cultural institutions. These two have deep ties to Black history, Caribbean identity and community education.
Programming highlights
Programming will include performances and oral histories by the Jamaica Folk Revue, a steel pan session and lesson with Mello Groove Steel Orchestra, children’s story time with authors and mask making. In addition, there will be craft activities, informational displays and an Emancipation exhibit hosted by Island SPACE Caribbean Museum.
Food trucks will be on site. Organizers said the event is designed for families, seniors, students, community groups and culture lovers. The activities are intended to make the history accessible to young audiences.
The closing program will feature an Emancipation panel with Caribbean consuls general. Gillian M. Smart, CEO of TheSmartGroup Corp. and Cane Radio, will moderate the discussion. In addition, she will present a short film on emancipation from the main stage.
Cultural presentations will include Haitian educator and spoken-word artist Mecca, also known as Grimo, and a performance by the Trinidad and Tobago Emancipation Group of Florida, coordinated by Alicia Williams. Moreover, live performances throughout the day will represent Jamaica, The Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Haiti and Trinidad.
Why Emancipation Day Matters
Observed Aug. 1 in many Anglo-Caribbean countries, Emancipation Day marks the end of chattel slavery across the British Empire following the Slavery Abolition Act. For Caribbean communities, the day is a time to remember those who endured slavery. It is also a time to honor those who fought for freedom and recognize the societies built in its aftermath.
The program also will recognize Haiti’s place as the first free Black republic in the Western Hemisphere and Juneteenth’s importance to the African American community. As the nation approaches America 250, organizers said the event offers a local, family-centered way to examine freedom. This is done through the connected stories of migration, struggle, nation-building and community life.
“This celebration is about making history accessible,” Rogers said. “Guests can move from children’s story time to a steel pan lesson, from an exhibit to a conversation with Caribbean leaders. It is education in motion, built for the whole community.”
Free and open to the public
Emancipation Day: Freedom Across the Caribbean is free and open to the public. Advance registration is encouraged at islandspacefl.org/EmancipationDay26.
Event details
What: Emancipation Day: Freedom Across the Caribbean
When: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026
Where: African American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
Presented by: Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, African American Research Library and Cultural Center and Broward County Commissioner Hazelle P. Rogers
Admission: Free and open to the public
Registration: islandspacefl.org/EmancipationDay26