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. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe celebrate this day to remember the ancestors and what they did to get to Freedom Day,\u201d Larry Rivers said. He serves as a history professor at Florida A&M University, and was the keynote speaker for Wednesday\u2019s ceremony. <\/p>\n
The ceremony included student performances by the Brownsville Preparatory Institute and a selection of \u201cAmerica the Beautiful\u201d by Christopher White. <\/p>\n
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\u201cMay 20 is a part of our history and we must talk about all parts of our history. Not one history over another history,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cThis country is diverse, so we must teach it from a diverse perspective.\u201d <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids are learning from us, and just to have them out here today, they will never forget this,\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cThis is really important that we remember and we do not forget the reading and what Abraham Lincoln did to free us.\u201d <\/p>\n
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