While Juneteenth has recently gained more national notoriety as the day the final announcement in Texas was made to free the last slaves in the nation, politicians, civil rights leaders and history buffs want statewide recognition of a date more important to Florida’s history: May 20.
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Juneteenth when Emancipation Day is celebrated nationally is taking a back seat in Florida to May 20, the day the Emancipation Proclamation was first read in Tallahassee.
To honor the occasion, The Village Square, Leon County and the Tallahassee Democrat are partnering to reintroduce the importance of Florida s Emancipation Day during the annual Created Equal event.
Florida Emancipation Day celebrates the day Union troops declared the Emancipation Proclamation effective across the state, thus signaling the freedom of enslaved people specifically across Florida.
Though state statutes still recognize June 19 the official day of emancipation, historians have been advocating for May 20 to become the day recognized across Florida. Proponents say they simply want to be true to the day emancipation occurred in Florida and be specific to local history.
About Town The Gainesville Sun
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