Through its cultural programs the City of Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department (PBCAD) works to celebrate the convergence of art, culture and history all year long. PBCAD has celebrated Juneteenth and Caribbean Heritage Month’s since June 2020 with a range of virtual and in person events ranging from story time and conversations to concerts and performance.
Browsing: 1865
On “Freedom’s Eve,” or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. At the stroke of midnight, prayers were answered as all enslaved people in Confederate States were declared legally free. Union soldiers, many of whom were black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom in Confederate States. Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation end slavery throughout the United States.