Emancipation Day is an annual holiday in Washington, D.C., celebrated on April 16th. The holiday commemorates President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Act, which officially ended slavery, in Washington, D.C., on April 16, 1862. Three years later, after the Civil War ended and the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution officially abolished slavery nationwide in 1865, African Americans in the District began observing April 16th as a holiday. While not a federal holiday, it affects the entire country because it can sometimes affect tax filing deadlines. Many states also celebrate their own freedom holidays, which fall on different dates. The District of Columbia Emancipation Act freed approximately 3,000 slaves, provided payments of up to $100 to those who emigrated from the United States, and compensated former slaveholders in the Union for up to $300. Most government offices and institutions in Washington, D.C., are closed on Emancipation Day. This holiday is celebrated annually in many ways, including parades, events, concerts, awareness walks, speeches and addresses about civil rights and equality, performances, fireworks displays, and other festivities.

Event suggestions:
• Mapping Emancipation history through artefacts, timelines, and dialogue
• Exploring historical milestones through guided community memory circles
• Creating heritage displays honouring civic resilience and identity