Fort Myers celebrates Florida’s Emancipation Day at Clemente Park

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Saturday, Fort Myers residents gathered at Roberto Clemente Park to celebrate Florida’s Emancipation Day.

On May 20, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was announced in Florida’s capitol, shortly after the Civil War ended. The proclamation freed all slaves in Confederate states, including Florida, that were rebelling against the Union.

Although the proclamation was signed two years earlier in 1863, news traveled slow, and enslaved people were not freed until Union soldiers came to each area to receive the surrender of Confederate soldiers.

In Tallahassee, Union Brigadier General Edward M. McCook announced the proclamation on the steps of what is now the historic Knott House Museum.

Here in Fort Myers, The Lee County Black History Society celebrated Emancipation Day with a special program, “The Women of 1865 and Thereafter.”

Guests heard from speakers about civil rights activists before and after Florida’s emancipation.

Entertainment from Karlus Trapp included a special performance showcasing the history of Black music in America.

The event leads up to Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

Florida’s Emancipation Day was also celebrated in Tallahassee at the Knott House Museum.