Watch Night 2023
by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued the executive order declaring enslaved people in the rebelling Confederate States legally free, but the decree wouldn’t take effect until the clock struck midnight at the start of the new year.
On the night of December 31, 1862, enslaved and free African Americans gathered – many of them in secret – to ring in the New Year and await news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. This occasion is known as Watch Night, or “Freedom’s Eve.”
This year, I’ll be joining @brepairers, @NC_PPC, @WSUBC, @ncchurches and more for a Watch Night Service of Lament, Hope, and Call to Action. Mark your calendars and join us in person or online at 6PM.
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