First Freed, Last Free

From the National Archives:

"On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia. Passage of this act came 9 months before President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation. The act brought to conclusion decades of agitation aimed at ending what antislavery advocates called 'the national shame' of slavery in the nation's capital."

"Celebration of the Abolition of Slavery in the District of Columbia for Colored People in Washington, April 19, 1866"
Wood engraving from a sketch by F. Dielman
in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.

More than 140 years later, the Stand Up for Democracy in DC Coalition is presenting a reenactment of the chain-breaking ceremony of enslaved persons. The public is invited to participate on Wednesday, April 16, at noon in Freedom Plaza. Call 202/232-2500, ext. 2, for more information.

At 7 p.m., author Elizabeth Clark-Lewis will be joined by other scholars to discuss "First Freed: Washington, D.C., in the Emancipation Era". The authors forum and book signing takes place in the Ring Auditorium of the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street, SW. Admission is free, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are recommended. Call 202/610-3371 for more information.

Sankofa, a West African Adinkra symbol
meaning, "Learn from the past."

And on Thursday, April 17, at 7 p.m. the Washington Ringing Society and the National Park Service will present a bell ringing at the Old Post Office Tower, 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in honor of the emancipation of DC's 3,100 former enslaved persons.