by Gloria Walters-Flowers
The Maryland Emancipation Day program was a success. Despite the unusually warm November day, over 50 people chose to head inside. The well-attended event held at the Community Center on Saturday afternoon, November 5, was hosted by the Greenbelt Black History and Culture Committee. From the opening call-and-response of the drum to the stories of brave men and women as told by the female re-enactors, for the audience it was like taking a step back in time.
Mayor Emmett Jordan presented a proclamation to the committee. Councilmember Ric Gordon also gave remarks. Dr. Frank Smith, executive director of the African American Civil War Museum in Washington, D.C., shared stories of the 200,000 brave African American men who served in the Civil War.
The members of FREED, the Female Re-Enactors of Distinction, decked out in their 19th-century attire, enthralled the audience with real-life experiences of the past. They brought to life stories of lesser-known heroines of the Civil War and shared insightful glimpses into their lives.
The story of Charlotte Scott, portrayed and elegantly told by Marcia E. Cole, gave the audience a peek into Scott’s life and generosity. She was the first donor to contribute to the Emancipation statue, Freedom’s Memorial, located in Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C. The soulful rendition of the old spiritual hymn, Over My Head, filled the air as Lucy Ann and Dabney Walker, Union spies, made an entrance to share her story. Portrayed by Annette Blake, Lucy shared the heroic actions of Charlotte and her husband as they developed and used an ingenious secret code to benefit the Union Army.
For more on the FREED group and the stories they brought to life on Saturday see Sununu Bah’s article.
The event proved to be an inspirational and educational way to acknowledge and honor not only the official date of freedom for the enslaved in the state of Maryland but also to learn about another brave slice of the American pie.
Gloria Walters-Flowers recently graduated from the News Review’s Citizen Writers Class. Congratulations on her debut appearance in the newspaper.
