When President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, it declared that on Jan. 1, 1863, all slaves in the United States, including the rebellious states opposing the Union in the Civil War, ”shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”

The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free a single slave, but was a turning point in the war. Lincoln had been careful to portray the war as a battle to preserve the Union but it then became a battle for human freedom.

Jubilee Day ’13, presented by the Colorado Springs branch of the NAACP, will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the historic signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

All are welcome at noon Tuesday at Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, 3615 Vickers Drive. Rev. Cleveland A. Thompson, senior pastor of the church, is keynote speaker, with a reception to follow. Music will be provided by the EMBC Mass choir.

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