Raleigh commemorates Emancipation Day with educational events at Pope House Museum

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- After gaining federal recognition, many became familiar with Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the day slaves in Texas were freed.

But, in North Carolina, Emancipation Day is celebrated on January 1st. In Raleigh on Saturday, it was a chance to showcase important history.

Steve Thomas is an example of practice makes perfect. He is a re-enactor who plays the fife.

"I like to say the fife is like Othello you know, it takes a moment to learn, a lifetime to master. I'm constantly learning new things," he said.

With learning comes teaching. He says even after being a re-enactor for twenty years, there aren't many Black re-enactors.

"A lot of people don't understand the history that we're talking about," Thomas said. "A lot of people assume that we're just talking about slaves and being enslaved, which is part of it. But there's much more to the story."

He was part of a group at the historic Raleigh Pope House Museum -- the home of the first African-American man to run for mayor of a Southern capital during the Jim Crow Era.

This weekend, the story was brought to life, recognizing the Emancipation Proclamation, which announced the end of slavery in 1863.

"It's a proud history. And we played a strategic role in what this what this city is about, what the state is about," State Representative Nasif Majeed said.

For Majeed, it's personal. Growing up in Raleigh, he says one of his ancestors was threatened when he ran for office.

"And so it's an amazing history. And I don't think he would ever even thought of that happening at that time. And he was a slave too," he said.

It's something the city of Raleigh hopes to promote with year-round exhibits in the Pope House Museum.

"The city of Raleigh has been a great steward of black history in Raleigh," said Ernest Dollar, who is with the City of Raleigh Museum. "They've donated a lot of money, time and effort to sort of tell these stories, to bring them out of the fog of the past."

Lessons from the past, and teaching the future.

"The more we all know, the more better off we all are," Thomas said.