Fireworks and Extra Tax Time

Unlike most years, tax day is April 18 in 2016. Why did we get three extra days to file this year? The answer is that Friday was the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia. On Saturday there was the annual Emancipation Day parade and fireworks in DC. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not about the Emancipation  Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. Rather, the original Emancipation Day in DC was April 16, 1862 when slavery was finally ended in the nation's capital, a full year into the Civil War. It is the only case in American history of compensated emancipation. The tragedy is that the compensation did not go to the formerly enslaved people but to their former masters. Watch the video to learn more about this often overlooked part of our country's complex and ongoing struggle with racism. A main focus of our ministry is helping people to learn about this history so that we can turn to God in confession, repentance, and openness to the healing and reconciliation that God offers in Christ.