150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation celebrated in Amherst

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation was celebrated in Amherst on Tuesday.

About two dozen people gathered on the Amherst Town Green to mark the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the document, which stated that all slaves in the states that seceded from the Union were free.

Members of the Amherst Emancipation Proclamation Committee told 22News that recognizing this significant event in our history serves as an important reminder for our future.

“It (the proclamation) cannot be understated, because as we, if we don't look back, we're bound to make the mistakes of the past,” committee member Carlie Tartakov said.

Still, some note that much progress has been made in recent years.

“150 years later, we have an African-American president who was re-elected, and it feels like America has crossed a finish line,” Martin Jones of Northampton said.

Bells tolled at 2:00 Tuesday afternoon throughout Amherst to mark the time of the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Slavery was officially abolished nationwide with the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865.