Before the meeting of the Christian Fiscal Court got underway Tuesday morning, a proclamation was read declaring and celebrating August 8 as Emancipation Day.
Here in this part of Kentucky and Tennessee, August 8 is widely recognized as Emancipation Day, as that’s when enslaved people of this region first learned of their freedom in the 1860’s. Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight and Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam read a joint proclamation declaring it Emancipation Day in the county.
Judge Gilliam read that that the day allows the community to see and celebrate how far things have come, while acknowledging that there is still a ways to go.
Human Rights Commission Executive Director Raychel Farmer says they had a great turnout for their Emancipation Day celebration on Sunday, and they hope to keep that going for years to come.
Farmer says unlike other African-American emancipation holidays, the 8th of August specifically applies to African-Americans who have an ancestral lineage in the region. Several local celebrations will be or have been hosted in honor of the day.