Thousands turned out on Sunday to partake in D.C.’s parade commemorating Emancipation Day, the day in 1862 that 3,000 enslaved people in the District were given their freedom.
D.C.’s annual Emancipation Day parade was held along Pennsylvania Avenue and included a range of participants, from dance troops to a Double Dutch club.
WTOP spoke to locals who made their way to the parade route.
Among those in the parade was Nicole Haynes, an organizer with the Maryland-based Limitless Dancing Warriorettes of LDW studios.
Sunday’s event marked Haynes’ seventh time doing the parade.
“We are excited to be here to allow the young ladies the opportunity to give back to the community, to perform amongst their peers,” she said. “We just did the cherry blossom parade for the ninth time yesterday. So we’re excited to just continue to give the community a little bit of our gift.”
Cherisse Marshall-Mungal and Audrey Thomas, co-captains of the 40+ Double Dutch Club in D.C., told WTOP it was their second time joining the parade’s lineup.
“We feel it’s our duty to come out here and keep continuing the tradition of Double Dutch in the community,” said Marshall-Mungal.
However, for Carlton and Lisa Mcgee, it was their very first time attending the annual event. They moved to the District five years ago.
“We tried to ingratiate ourselves in D.C. culture as much as possible,” Carlton said. “So this is part of, like, our lineage of moving to D.C. and becoming Washingtonians and being involved as much as possible.”
For Lisa, being at the parade was all about freedom, “and to be able to enjoy the festivities, the concerts, the music, also the fireworks.”
Although the parade was held on Sunday, the District will officially observe Emancipation Day on Wednesday, April 16.
WTOP’s Gaby Arancibia contributed to this report.