The Honorble Frank Smith invites you to attend a reception and candlelight vigil at the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum in honor of the 150th Anniversary of DC Emancipation Day.
The Government Printing Office (GPO) is displaying a copy of an original printed preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1862, GPO printed the preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation in general orders format issued as an order from President Lincoln in his role as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. GPO printed 15,000 copies for the War Department, which were distributed to military commanders and their troops and diplomats in foreign countries.
Mayor Vincent C. Gray will hold a swearing-in of new and reappointed Commissioners at the first meeting of the Commission on African Affairs in 2012. Additionally, OAA will highlight prior achievements and goals for the coming year. Don't miss this chance to meet your commissioners and official representatives!
Register to attend here: http://oaa-coaa.eventbrite.com/
Congressman Lewis will discuss his involvement in the civil rights movement of the 1950's and '60's, its relevance to present day and where we are now as a culture. The event will also feature, inspirational entertainment, a showing of the short documentary, "John Lewis - An American Hero," a discussion between Denise Rolark and Congressman Lewis, and presaentation of the Washington Informer Humanitarian Award.
Mr. Johnny Branes, Executrive Director Emeritus of the American Civil Liberties Union in the Nation's Capital and Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University, will discuss the emancipation of slaves in Washington, DC, the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Dr. Amensen, Professor of History at the George Washington University, will discuss issues of race, labor, politics, and civil rights of the period as it relates to African Americans.
Come by the Historical Society of Washington's (HSW) home at the Carnegie Library to view a display of highlights from local church collections and HSW's collection including several pieces from the Kiplinger Washington Collection. Selected pieces include: a copy of "Lincoln's Emancipation Draft" from NYAPC; HSW List of Emancipated Persons; and a Kiplinger Collection "antislavery broadside.
Timothy J. Dennee, independent historian, and architectural historian with the DC Historic Preservation Office, discusses the origin of the cemetery and its earliest section, which contains the graves of Civil War soldiers and civilians, black and white. The presentation concentrates on the origins of the majority of the burials, African American freedpeople who were mostly short-term residents of Washington.
On Monday, April 16, at 1 p.m., the Capitol Visitor Center presents a very special Exhibition Hall talk in recognition of D.C. Emancipation Day. Join Damini Davis, Archivist at the National Archives, as he talks about the District of Columbia Emancipation Act passed by Congress and signed by President Abraham Lincoln on April 16, 1862. Meet at the entrance to Exhibition Hall of the Visitor Center's lower leel for this 15 -minute program. No reservations or passes required.
Howard University Professor of History, Dr. Elizabeth Clark-Lewis will present an overview of the movement to end enslavement in Washington, DC from 1800 to 1865. Part of the Howard University Lecture Series.