NAACP and Freemasons hold Jubilee Day Celebration

Members of the NAACP and Freemasons traveled from throughout the state to unite on New Year’s Day and celebrate the 151st anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Gathering at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Milford, leaders of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization and Prince Hall Grand Lodge officers honored the freedom fighters who came before them and encouraged the next generation of social justice soldiers to carry on the rich legacy of activism.

The event featured music, speeches, prayers of thanksgiving, a memorial service, and a reading of Lincoln’s historic document.

Keynote speaker the Rev. Doctor Warren A. Rhodes shares a moment with NAACP youth leaders Jayla Curry-Smith, 11, and Danesha Russ, 19.