June 2025, New York, NY…, Juneteenth, which is celebrated every year on June 19th, marks a pivotal moment in American History – the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally received word of their emancipation, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed. It is a celebration of freedom,…
Christmas, Kwanzaa, and additional holiday traditions that may be rooted in the Black Community play a significant role within our culture. On the night of December 31, 1862, enslaved and free African Americans gathered, many in secret, to ring in the new year and await news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. Just a…
November 2024, New York, NY…, On September 28, 2024, the Women’s Home & Overseas Missionary Society (WH&OMS) and Stewardess Board held its 2nd Annual Candlelight Banquet honoring longevity members and four generational families of Mother A.M.E. Zion Church. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned my family, the Chappelle’s, whose church roots were planted at…
Frederick Douglass. Sojourner Truth. Harriet Tubman. James Walker Hood. These are just some of the heroes and heroines of the faith who paved the path of faith and freedom in the nation and through the Zion Church. They understood Jesus when he said that he was “anointed to proclaim good news to the poor ……
It is important to understand that there is a vital connection between the understanding and celebration of our emancipation and our psyche. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed and put into effect in 1863. However, it was not fully implemented across the nation, especially in those areas that remained under Confederate control, until much later. As…