Celebrating Black History Month: Emancipation Day in Richmond

If you haven’t made Shorpy one of your web favorites, what are you waiting for? Here is a great black and white photo of Richmond, VA where “negroes” celebrated Emancipation day, which, when this photo was taken, marked the 40th anniversary of the destruction of the CSA capitol by the Northern forces.

NEGROES’ DAY CELEBRATED.
Inauguration of Colored President Part of the Ceremony.

Richmond, Va., April 3 — Thousands of Negroes observed Emancipation Day in Virginia to-day. The occasion resulted in an outpouring of the race never before equaled, armed with miniature United States flags and attended by brass bands.

In addition, there was a unique feature to-night, the inauguration of a colored President. At True Reformers’ Hall the interior of the White House was reproduced, and all the ceremonies incident to the induction of a Chief Magistrate into office were gone through with.

To-day was also the fortieth anniversary of the evacuation of Richmond by the Confederate forces and the partial destruction of the city by fire. (Washington Post, April 4, 1905.)

Also celebrating this moment in time was Doctor William Brant and his friend, John Long, who were the first documented “whites totally annoyed by not getting the memo that there was a black celebration” taking place.

Such annoyance is often repeated in modern times when white families go to the park to play on the playground only to discover 300 members of the Greene family monopolizing the equipment, the bathrooms and the public grills.