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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2025
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Leon County Event Highlights the Legacy of Florida’s Emancipation Day
| WHO: |
Leon County Government |
| WHAT: |
Honoring Our History: Florida’s Emancipation Day |
| WHEN: |
Wednesday, May 14, from 6-7 p.m. |
| WHERE: |
Leon County Main Library, 200 West Park Ave. |
In celebration of Florida Emancipation Day, join Leon County Government for Honoring Our History: Florida’s Emancipation Day on Wednesday, May 14, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the downtown Main Library, 200 West Park Avenue. This engaging program will explore the origins and legacy of Florida’s Emancipation Day, celebrated each year on May 20.
Educators from the Museum of Florida History will share the local significance of this historic day and its connection to sites such as the Knott House Museum, Union Bank, and John G. Riley House. Attendees will also learn how they can take part in upcoming Emancipation Day celebrations throughout the community.
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. The Proclamation was read by Union General Edward M. McCook from the steps of the Knott House, effectively ending slavery in the state of Florida. In 2020, Leon County became the first in Florida to officially recognize Florida’s Emancipation Day as a County holiday.
This event is free and open to the public.
Residents can learn something new about Florida’s history and the events that shaped our community with thematic book lists, movie watchlists, and other resources from the Leon County Public Library. To learn more, visit LeonCountyFL.gov/EmancipationDay.
For more information, contact Sally Mason, Learning & Workforce Services Manager, at (850) 606-2665 / MasonSa@LeonCountyFL.gov or Leon County Community and Media Relations at (850) 606-5300 / CMR@LeonCountyFL.gov.
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