The Emancipation Proclamation is a centerpiece of the First Family’s Seder at the White House. Devra Ferst calls it a potent reminder of the shared bond between Jews and black Americans.
Congregants at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church cried out in testimony, prayer and song at a New Year’s Eve service recalling the vigils held by blacks 150 years ago as they awaited President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The star of next week’s 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation will be the document itself, which Washington’s National Archives is set to display for three days starting on Sunday in a rare showing.