Second Baptist Church celebrates Freedom's Eve tribstar.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tribstar.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
NEW ALBANY – The joyous sounds of singing filled Second Baptist Church on Sunday morning, a far cry from the secrecy enslaved people had to keep when celebrating the first
The tradition of Watch Night services in the United States dates back to Dec. 31, 1862, during the Civil War. Many Black Americans gathered in churches and other venues that evening, waiting for President Abraham Lincoln to sign the Emancipation Proclamation into law. That momentous evening is still being observed each New Year’s Eve, in services at many multiracial and predominantly Black churches across the country. As currently observed, the services commemorate not only freedom from slavery, but also celebrate the importance of faith, community and perseverance.