ROANOKE, Va. – The New Year also marks an important day in history. It’s the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation being signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln, also known as the day slaves were legally freed.
The Roanoke branch of the NAACP held a Jubilee Day event to commemorate the occasion.
“We’re celebrating the fact that slaves were legally free, however, we want to talk about the fact that there’s still much work that needs to be done,” said Annette Lewis, Total Action for Progress President and CEO.
Lewis was the featured speaker at the Jubilee Day program. She plans to retire later this year.
As she steps down, she looks forward to seeing Roanoke’s youth step up and continue to fight for civil rights.
“We will not have the leaders that we have today and that we had in the past,” Lewis said. “So, we need to create leaders and the NAACP Youth Council is doing just that.”
NAACP President Dr. Brenda Hale hosts Jubilee Day year after year hoping to reflect on accomplishments and look forward to plans and goals, like fighting against the city’s gun violence.
“This will be our fourth Groceries not Guns, and it will be our seventh drive-thru voter registration because an important election is coming up in 2024,” Dr. Hale said.
But Dr. Hale said to move forward you can never forget the past.
“You need to know where you came from, and you need to know the course of history and how things have changed,” Dr. Hale said.