Emancipation Day Tradition Revived In Bed Stuy

Features | Jul 6, 2010

Nearly two centuries ago, freed slaves in New York started a tradition of celebrating independence day on the day after the national holiday -- on the 5th of July.

This weekend, the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn revived the African-American tradition of "Emancipation Day" with a special lineup of lectures, films, and music by musician Cody ChesnuTT.

Weeksville sits on the historical site of one of the first post-Civil War African-American communities in New York.

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