Crowd turns out for Emancipation Proclamation reenactment

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer

A crowd of about 200 people assembled in Lewis Park, adjacent to the Knott House, waiting for a reenactment of one of the most important days to Blacks who lived in Tallahassee more than 150 years ago.

The Knott House is the venue where Gen. Edward McCook read the Emancipation Proclamation on May 20, 1865, declaring that slaves in Florida were free. With members of the 2nd Infantry Regiment United States Colored Troops Living History Association standing in front of him, Brian Bibeau reenacted McCook’s reading of the proclamation.

But the story didn’t end there, as there were some slave owners who were aligned with the Confederates that refused to adhere to the message that McCook brought from former President Abraham Lincoln. The reenactment took place on the steps of the same building at the intersection of Park Avenue and Calhoun Street.

More than a century after the proclamation was read, the day is still being celebrated across Florida. Last Friday was one of those days and FAMU history professor Larry Rivers delivered a rousing speech to mark the occasion.

“This is a significant day,” Rivers said, his voice ringing loudly over the public address system. “Yes, May 20 1865 is a very important day in the history of Florida and in the history of America.

“May 20, 1865 is the day some 157 years ago that freedom cried. No not a crying of sadness. No not a crying of sorrow, but a crying of delight. A crying of happiness, a crying of freedom. Yes, crying of joy by the ancestors that they were now free human beings.”

Twice during his speech Rivers was interrupted by lengthy applauds. One of those came when he explained the difference between May 20 and the celebration of Juneteenth, which marks June 19 when slaves in Texas got word of their emancipation.

Juneteenth was recently declared a national holiday, but it hasn’t settled the question of which of the two days is right to celebrate. Rivers offered a suggestion.

“The only way to really clear this up is for each state to respect the day that the Emancipation Proclamation was read in their respective state,” he said.

The celebration featured members of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra’s string section performing “Lift every voice and sing,” which is better known as the Black national anthem.

The ceremony closed with and Capital Battery Drumline performing in the nearby park. 

By many historians’ account, slaves were jubilant across Tallahassee as word of the Emancipation Proclamation spread. 

“This was a day that they absolutely understood that they were respected as human beings,” Rivers said in an interview before his speech. “This was a day that they could begin to exercise certain freedom to be able to go where they wanted (and) to be able to buy their own land.”

Emancipation Day has become so significant that in 2020, the city commission passed a resolution to make May 20 a paid holiday for city workers. 

“I’m proud that my colleagues on the city commission agreed that we should take this day as a city holiday,” said Mayor John Dailey. “Everybody should take a step back and observe May 20 as Emancipation Day and truly celebrate the history.”