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8th of August Emancipation Celebration
August 8 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Free
The Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County and the Hopkinsville Human Rights Commission invite you to celebrate the 8th of August on Friday, August 8, 2025 from 10:00am-4:00pm at the Pennyroyal Area Museum. This year will be the fifth year that the organizations have partnered to bring this celebration to the community.
Historically, portions of western Kentucky and central Tennessee have centered annual homecomings and celebrations of emancipation around the 8th of August. Although the origins as to why this date was chosen vary, festivities have been held around this date since the late 1800s. Community celebrations in the region often included the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, a well-known speaker, a parade, and baseball games.
The day will feature an official proclamation honoring Emancipation Day, special historic readings, activities for children, genealogy information, and more.
Schedule for the day:
- 10:00am: Welcome
- 10:08am: Proclamation
- 10:28am: African American History Bus Tour
- 10:48am: Emancipation Proclamation
- 11:18am: Bettiola Fortson poem
- 11:48am: bell hooks reading
- 12:08pm: African American History Bus Tour
- 12:28pm: Jourdan Anderson letter
- 12:58pm: Ted Poston reading
- 1:38pm: bell hooks reading
- 2:08pm: Bettiola Fortson poem
- 2:28pm: African American History Bus Tour