JEFFERSON COUNTY, FL — Jefferson County communities are preparing to mark May 20th, Emancipation Day, a date with deep roots in Florida history.
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On May 20th, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was formally announced, officially ending slavery in Florida. That declaration came two full years after Lincoln first issued it and 11 days after the Civil War ended.
Jefferson County, with its agricultural economy built on enslaved labor, felt that announcement directly. Community Friends of Jefferson County, Incorporated, was founded by people who grew up celebrating May 20th in the 1950s, with the mission of keeping those traditions alive.
The president of Community Friends of Jefferson County, Incorporated, Franklin Brooks, reflected on what the moment of emancipation means to him.
"It does for me, it brings chills to your body to learn you were a slave and then somebody come to tell you that you're free, and all you've ever known your entire life is freedom, even though that freedom that they say you've got you still had a lot of hassle and stuff to go through but imagine that you are free," Brooks said.
Brooks also spoke about how the celebration has been passed down through generations.
"They celebrated my parents and some other folks in Jefferson County they celebrated the 20th of May that was an annual event for them they really loved it after the kids got out of school, they would get out, and some of the churches would just have a good old time," Brooks said.
This year's celebration is set for Wednesday at Old Howard Academy, one of Monticello's only schools for Black children during segregation, now being restored as a community landmark. Neighbors will come together sharing fellowship, food, and Emancipation Day favorites like jelly cakes, tea cakes, and lemonade.
May 20th is also recognized as a public-school holiday for Jefferson County students, faculty, and staff.
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