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Honoring Our History: Florida's Emancipation Day

Learn about the history and significance of Florida Emancipation Day with educators from the Museum of Florida History. Attendees will discover Emancipation Day’s important connection to local historical sites like the Knott House, Union Bank, and John G. Riley House, and get details about upcoming Emancipation Day celebrations and how you can partake in all the festivities.

Emancipation was proclaimed in Tallahassee-Leon County on May 20, 1865, eleven days after the end of the American Civil War and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed those enslaved in Southern states. One hundred and fifty-five years later, in 2020, Leon County became the first county in Florida to officially recognize Florida’s Emancipation Day as a County holiday through a unanimous vote of the Leon County Board of County Commissioners.

Date:
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Time:
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Time Zone:
Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
Location:
Leon County Main Library
Audience:
  Adults     Older Adults  
Categories:
  Emancipation Day