DeKalb County, GA — The NAACP’s DeKalb County Branch recognizes January 1st as Jubilee Day and will host a program on New Year’s Day at 2 p.m., a press release said.

Jan. 1, 1863, was the official signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. On this day, President Abraham Lincoln signed freedom (on paper) for all Blacks held captive in Southern states, opening the door to greater opportunities and a chance at the “American Dream”. The theme for the program is Radical Peace Through Strategic Justice.

Donna Dees, Jubilee Day Committee Chair, states, “radical and peace are rarely in the same sentence. While we all want peace, we may need to talk about it a little differently and maybe how we go about achieving it. We need to think differently about what justice looks like and the work that we do to achieve it. Our job is to work toward some serious structure to justice to achieve the results. The end result is that there can be no justice without peace.”

This year’s event will feature keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Deborah S. Holloway, Senior Pastor at Ousley United Methodist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., the press release says. This is not only a celebration of Black freedom, but it is also a reminder to continue the fight and encourage people to use their voices and votes to enact the change they need in their communities, the press release says.

The location for the Jubilee Day program is Rainbow Park Baptist Church, 2941 Columbia Drive, Decatur, 30034, where Rev. Dr. Steven N. Dial, Sr. is the Senior Pastor. The event will also be streamed online.

To register for the event, visit www.naacpdekalb.org.

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