151th Anniversary of D.C. Emancipation, April 16

April 16 is Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia. D.C. government offices, public schools and libraries will be closed. Except for rush hour rules, parking restrictions will be suspended. Since 2005, it has been an official holiday in Washington, D.C.

Signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862 ended slavery in Washington, D.C. It freed 3,100 individuals and reimbursed those who had legally owned them. The law went into effect nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation.

April 16 is a day for celebration and reflection with a parade, concert, workshops and fireworks. For more details, visit Emancipation.dc.gov/events

Selected Events for April 16

Emancipation Day Prayer Breakfast

== 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, the Willard Hotel — Prayer Breakfast in commemoration of the 151st anniversary of the signing of the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862.
Contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Workshops

== 1:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, John A. Wilson District Building. For details, contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Book Discussion

== 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Carnegie Library, 801 K St., NW, Mount Vernon Square. Join the Historical Society for the debut of a new book, “A Guide to Civil War Washington, D.C.: The Capital of the Union,” by Lucinda Prout Janke. The first such guide issued in over a decade, it provides a new look at significant historical sites and a concise history of the city’s Civil War years. Janke will discuss the emancipation’s effects on the city’s demographics and how the law got its own local holiday. Members of the Historical Society are also invited to afternoon refreshments and continued discussion following the book talk. Please RSVP to info@historydc.org. If you are not already a member, you may join online or call 202-249-3952 for more information.

Emancipation Day Parade

== 11 a.m., Emancipation Day Parade, Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, from 4th Street to 14th Street. Join UFCW Local 400, FAITH Strategies, AFL-CIO, Ward 4 THRIVES, FORWARD, DC Jobs with JUSTICE, RESPECT DC.org., other labor organizations, and Community Leaders for the DC Emancipation Day parade. The parade will start at 11 am, beginning at 4th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW and end at Freedom Plaza/14th Street, NW. Email: SupportLRA2013@outlook.com

‘Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North’

== 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., 1644 31st Street, NW, Tudor Place Historic House and Garden. In this Emmy-nominated, award-winning documentary, filmmaker Katrina Browne discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. With nine relatives, Browne retraced the “Triangle Trade” that enriched her forebears, uncovering the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery and gaining new perspective on the racial divide. In the 150 years since emancipation and 50 since the March on Washington, most white people have foresworn overt racism. But what unfinished business remains, what inequities persist and what kinds of racial baggage do many of us carry? The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and aired on PBS nationwide. Film Screening will be followed by discussion with director/producer Katrina Browne.
Contact: Talia Mosconi — 202-965-0400.

Emancipation Day Workshops

== 1:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, John A. Wilson District Building. For details, contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Concert

== 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 14th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Freedom Plaza. Emancipation Day concert featuring grammy award winning artist Kirk Franklin. Contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Fireworks

== 8:30 p.m., 14th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Freedom Plaza. Emancipation Day fireworks display. Contact: James Brown — jbrown@dccouncil.us — 202-724-8174

Emancipation Day Ringing of the Congress Bells (Friday)

== 6:45 p.m., Friday, April 19, 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, the Old Post Office Building. The Washington Ringing Society, led by Ringing Master Quilla Roth, will perform a ringing of the Congress Bells in the Old Post Office Tower in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the dedication of these bells and to commemorate the 151st anniversary of DC Emancipation Day. The Society will be performing a “quarter peal,” a form of scientific or change ringing where the ringers are guided from permutation to permutation by following a specific algorithm. The performance should take about an hour and is a phenomenal treat. Those wanting to listen to the performance will find the bells are generally easiest to hear on 12th Street across from the Old Post Office building, where the sound of the bells seems to bounce nicely off the Ariel Rios building.
Contact: Quilla Roth — qroth@verizon.net — 202-244-1658