Eighth of August marks the day that slaves in western Kentucky and Tennessee learned of their freedom in the 1860s. To commemorate the occasion folks got to take a glimpse into local Black history at Friday’s annual 8th of August Emancipation Celebration.
The Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County and the Hopkinsville-Christian County Human Rights Commission partnered to host the celebration at the Pennyroyal Area Museum.
To kick off the day, Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight read a proclamation recognizing the holiday and also talked about its origin. He says Tennessee Military Governor and future U.S. President Andrew Johnson freed his slaves on August 8, 1863 which led to the development of the celebration.
For the past couple years, August 8 landed in the middle of the work week which led to the celebrations being hosted during the weekend, but this year they celebrated on the actual holiday and Museums Executive Director Alissa Keller says it makes the celebration feel more special.
At the celebration, attendees received presentations about local Black figures such as bell hooks, Ted Poston and Bettiola Fortson and went on bus tours traveling to locations significant to Hopkinsville’s Black history. Keller says Black history exhibits are always on display at the museum, but on Friday she says attendees could also flip through old Attucks High School yearbooks and their African American Funeral Program Collection which are typically in storage.
The bus tours were hosted in partnership with Visit Hopkinsville and Keller says it tour follows the route of the African American History Cell Phone Tour. Keller says the tour took guests to see Virginia Street Baptist Church, Attucks High School, the College of the Bible, the old natatorium and much more.
The celebration’s first presentation was by local eighth grade student Jéan Massie who read the Emancipation Proclamation which was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863 and declared that all slaves were free.
Keller says all history is important and Black history should not be put in a box, because that history continues to impact today’s society and culture.
To learn more about events coming to the museum visit museumsofhopkinsville.org.
