A4 The Afro-American April 26, 2025 - May 2, 2025
Washingtonians unite for D.C. Emancipation Day Parade By D. Kevin McNeir
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housands gathered at Freedom Plaza on April 13 to celebrate D.C. Emancipation Day with a vibrant parade, live entertainment and fireworks. The day marked the 20th anniversary of its official designation as a public holiday. The event commemorated the abolition of slavery in D.C. in 1862 and served as a powerful reminder of the ongoing fight for racial equality, community unity and D.C. statehood. Credit: AFRO photos / D. Kevin McNeir
A parade isn’t a parade without a talented drumline.
Daisha Singletary (left) and Lauryn Turnage enjoy the festivities.
Flags representing D.C. residents from Caribbean nations fly high on D.C. Emancipation Day, April 13.
Grammy-nominated recording artist Raheem DeVaughn speaks with press before taking to the stage.
Gal pals Mercedes Beverly (left), of Charles County, Md., and Gwendolyn Horton, of Northwest Washington, D.C., say they come out to enjoy the music of Raheem DeVaughn, Chante Moore, and their favorite, Anthony Hamilton.
Native Washingtonian Charlene Louis, along with “Butterbean,” her six-month-old dog, says she didn’t learn about Emancipation Day in school. Now that she knows the history, she comes out every year and spreads the word.
Washington, D.C.’s proud and growing Hispanic community continues to make its presence known each year during D.C. Emancipation Day.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and her team are among the first participants in the parade on DC Emancipation Day 2025.
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