By Roger Jimenez, Interning Correspondent for The Apopka Voice
Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson and the City Council presented a proclamation officially recognizing May 20th as Florida Emancipation Day during the May 7th Apopka City Council meeting. Pastor Hezekiah Bradford accepted the proclamation on behalf of Pastor Richard King, President of the South Apopka Ministerial Alliance.
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“We gladly appreciate all that you do within our city and our community,” Bradford said. “As the vice president, in the absence of Pastor Richard King (South Apopka Ministerial Alliance), we gladly accept this proclamation and we will continue to work in our community to make where we live a better place for all who live here. We serve with the honor and the gratitude of our members. Again, we thank the City of Apopka for all that you do because we all are in this together.”
Florida Emancipation Day celebration in Apopka on May 20th.
The proclamation outlines the historical significance of Florida Emancipation Day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the state. While President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, and it took effect on January 1, 1863, news of emancipation did not immediately reach all areas of the South.
It was not until May 20th, 1865, that Union General Edward M. McCook announced the end of slavery from the steps of the Knott House in Tallahassee, effectively freeing enslaved people in Florida. This occurred 11 days after the official end of the Civil War and more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was first issued. Because of this, many Floridians observe May 20th as the true date of emancipation in the state.
The proclamation also acknowledges Juneteenth, observed on June 19th, which marks the date when federal authorities arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to inform enslaved people that they were free. While Juneteenth has become a widely celebrated federal holiday, Florida’s Emancipation Day remains a significant and unique historical milestone within the state.
As stated in the proclamation, the City of Apopka “opposes and rejects any form of oppression and supports residents and organizations working to achieve genuine equality and protection of human rights for everyone.”
In closing, Nelson read: “The city council commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery and recognizes the significant contributions of African-Americans in this state and our nation. And whereas we gather here today on May 7, 2025, at City Council to honor Emancipation Day—therefore I, Bryan Nelson, Mayor of the City of Apopka, do hereby recognize May 20 as Florida Emancipation Day in the City of Apopka and encourage all citizens to recognize and honor this day.”
