Eighth of August
American independence is celebrated on the 4th of July, but many African American communities in Western Kentucky also commemorate another day of freedom. The 8th of August is both an Emancipation celebration and a homecoming, and it’s been a tradition since the 1860s.
Most newspapers didn’t cover African American events in much detail, and oral histories vary from town to town. Some say the holiday began in Tennessee when Andrew Johnson, military governor and future president, freed his slaves on Aug. 8, 1863. Others say that news of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, didn’t arrive in faraway communities until August 8.
As early as 1875 the Black community in Greene County, Tennessee began to hold annual celebrations on August 8th. It was known as the “Eighth of August Celebration”.
Black communities in Kentucky and Tennessee have been turning out on the 8 of August for over 150 years, marking their freedom from slavery with homecomings, historical remembrances, cookouts, and parties. Thousands would travel by trains and steamboats to return home to celebrate the 8th with family who never left the area.
The 8th of August is still celebrated today in towns where the older generation works to instill the tradition in the younger generations.
Hopkinsville: The famed 8th of August celebrations in Christian County can be traced to nearby Crofton in the beginning of the 20th century.
Russellville: This Logan County town hosts what has become the largest of the celebrations in the state, partly because of the West Kentucky African American Heritage Museum, which draws tourists and returning family alike.
Paducah: Paducah can trace its 8th of August history back to at least 1886. In the early 1900s, newspapers reported crowds of more than 10,000 coming in by rail and by steamboat.
Allensville: This Todd County community claims to have been celebrating the 8th of August the longest—since 1868.
Historians say the 8th of August is a celebration of freedom. Some say that the 8th of August is a teaching opportunity and a celebration. During the 8th of August celebrate, people celebrate the freedom and sacrifice of so many African Americans and so many other people to end slavery. It is also an opportunity to bring people together and show everybody that it is important that we all get along.