STORYTELLINGStorytelling is the traditional art of historical preservation and education.
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INTERACTIVE ARTVisual Arts - Performing Arts - Heritage Arts - Spoken Word. These are ways to express what freedom means to us all.
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HISTORYAmerica survives a dark period in our history and emerges stronger than ever.
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HISTORY OF EMANCIPATION IN FLORIDA

May 20th
In today’s world, news of a single event can be transmitted across the planet in seconds. This was not the case in April 1865 as the Civil War was coming to an end. In the war-torn South, news traveled slowly, often by word of mouth, and the details sometimes were incorrect or contradictory. Also, noted by Clifton Lewis, Historian of the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, is the fact that due to the refusal of slave holders to acknowledge Abraham Lincoln as their President, slaves were not released upon the signing of the Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Neither the end of the war nor the end of slavery was absolutely confirmed until Union troops arrived in each locality to receive the surrender of their Confederate counterparts. This process happened in stages, with areas farther west learning the news weeks after the folks closer to the east coast. READ MORE HERE
Reprinted from “Emancipation in Florida." Compiled by Mary Cathrin May for Althemese Barnes Director of the John G. Riley Foundation Tallahassee, Florida. September 20, 2020
In today’s world, news of a single event can be transmitted across the planet in seconds. This was not the case in April 1865 as the Civil War was coming to an end. In the war-torn South, news traveled slowly, often by word of mouth, and the details sometimes were incorrect or contradictory. Also, noted by Clifton Lewis, Historian of the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, is the fact that due to the refusal of slave holders to acknowledge Abraham Lincoln as their President, slaves were not released upon the signing of the Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Neither the end of the war nor the end of slavery was absolutely confirmed until Union troops arrived in each locality to receive the surrender of their Confederate counterparts. This process happened in stages, with areas farther west learning the news weeks after the folks closer to the east coast. READ MORE HERE
Reprinted from “Emancipation in Florida." Compiled by Mary Cathrin May for Althemese Barnes Director of the John G. Riley Foundation Tallahassee, Florida. September 20, 2020

Juneteenth Blues Concert
RESERVE YOUR SEATS NOW
June 19, 2021, 8PM
Since the age of six, Pat Cohen was surrounded by music, played and sung by family members. Her first professional engagement came while she was in college, when she sung at a local club. “They loved me, and the rest is history because I’ve been singing the Blues ever since,” Cohen said. For years, she sang in New Orleans venues, including the House of Blues, until Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home and she relocated to North Carolina. Join us at the Arts Garage for the soulful sounds of Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen. After the show, Mother Blues will be joined onstage by Dr. Joan Cartwright (40 year Jazz and Blues veteran) who will lead the performer in a “talk back” with the audience.
RESERVE YOUR SEATS NOW
June 19, 2021, 8PM
Since the age of six, Pat Cohen was surrounded by music, played and sung by family members. Her first professional engagement came while she was in college, when she sung at a local club. “They loved me, and the rest is history because I’ve been singing the Blues ever since,” Cohen said. For years, she sang in New Orleans venues, including the House of Blues, until Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home and she relocated to North Carolina. Join us at the Arts Garage for the soulful sounds of Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen. After the show, Mother Blues will be joined onstage by Dr. Joan Cartwright (40 year Jazz and Blues veteran) who will lead the performer in a “talk back” with the audience.

Virtual Florida Events and Resources Commemorating Emancipation. #stufftodoinflorida
May 1–31: State Library of Florida
Emancipation and Reconstruction in Florida resources at https://dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/research/explore-our-resources/florida-history-culture-and-heritage/emancipation/
May 13, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.: The Grove Museum
Virtual Facebook Live Tour focusing on the role of enslaved artisans and craftspeople in building the Call-Collins House, nineteenth-century construction techniques, and historic preservation approaches that highlight African American contributions to Tallahassee's built environment in the territorial period. https://www.facebook.com/events/141806481162492.
May 20, 9:30 a.m.: 2nd Infantry USCT Living History Association
John G. Riley Museum’s Commemoration at the Old City Cemetery includes prayer, reading of litany, decoration of graves, gun salute, and a performance of Taps to honor the resting place of the Union soldiers. In-person registration available at www.eventbrite.com/e/may-20th-emancipation-day-celebration-offreedom-tickets-150262287547. Virtual event accessible at https://www.the2ndusctlha.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/2nd-Infantry-USCT-Tallahassee-237924226253516
May 20, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 Noon: Florida Department of State and John G. Riley Museum
Virtual 20th of May—Emancipation in Florida celebration featuring a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, speeches, and freedom drumming is presented at www.20thofMay.com and www.facebook.com/KnottHouseMuseum. No registration required.
May 20, 1:00 p.m.: Florida A&M University Black Archives
Virtual exhibition opening, The 19th Century Black Church Project (Hunter Hill Collection) Call 850.599.3020 for more information.
May 20, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.: The Grove Museum
Virtual Nature Walk at The Grove Museum—Emancipation in Florida. Tour focuses on researching and interpreting historical landscapes connected to the intertwined histories of slavery and freedom in the Tallahassee Red Hills:
https://www.facebook.com/events/912415266201645.
May 20, 6:30 p.m.: Leon County Government, The Village Square, Tallahassee Museum
Created Equal: Stretching Toward Freedom, A Conversation about Florida Emancipation Day; register for virtual program at https://tlh.villagesquare.us/
Speakers Ms. Althemese Barnes, Dr. Larry Rivers, and Dr. Paul Ortiz.
VIEW MORE EVENTS HERE
May 1–31: State Library of Florida
Emancipation and Reconstruction in Florida resources at https://dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/research/explore-our-resources/florida-history-culture-and-heritage/emancipation/
May 13, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.: The Grove Museum
Virtual Facebook Live Tour focusing on the role of enslaved artisans and craftspeople in building the Call-Collins House, nineteenth-century construction techniques, and historic preservation approaches that highlight African American contributions to Tallahassee's built environment in the territorial period. https://www.facebook.com/events/141806481162492.
May 20, 9:30 a.m.: 2nd Infantry USCT Living History Association
John G. Riley Museum’s Commemoration at the Old City Cemetery includes prayer, reading of litany, decoration of graves, gun salute, and a performance of Taps to honor the resting place of the Union soldiers. In-person registration available at www.eventbrite.com/e/may-20th-emancipation-day-celebration-offreedom-tickets-150262287547. Virtual event accessible at https://www.the2ndusctlha.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/2nd-Infantry-USCT-Tallahassee-237924226253516
May 20, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 Noon: Florida Department of State and John G. Riley Museum
Virtual 20th of May—Emancipation in Florida celebration featuring a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, speeches, and freedom drumming is presented at www.20thofMay.com and www.facebook.com/KnottHouseMuseum. No registration required.
May 20, 1:00 p.m.: Florida A&M University Black Archives
Virtual exhibition opening, The 19th Century Black Church Project (Hunter Hill Collection) Call 850.599.3020 for more information.
May 20, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.: The Grove Museum
Virtual Nature Walk at The Grove Museum—Emancipation in Florida. Tour focuses on researching and interpreting historical landscapes connected to the intertwined histories of slavery and freedom in the Tallahassee Red Hills:
https://www.facebook.com/events/912415266201645.
May 20, 6:30 p.m.: Leon County Government, The Village Square, Tallahassee Museum
Created Equal: Stretching Toward Freedom, A Conversation about Florida Emancipation Day; register for virtual program at https://tlh.villagesquare.us/
Speakers Ms. Althemese Barnes, Dr. Larry Rivers, and Dr. Paul Ortiz.
VIEW MORE EVENTS HERE