New Year’s Eve has been a cause for celebration since December 31, 1862, when enslaved people in the Confederate States stayed up until midnight to watch and wait for the freedom granted by the Emancipation Proclamation. At the close of this year, program attendees can honor the past and present at the Museum. You are invited to participate in activities that will help you understand the first days of freedom, encourage you to share your hopes and dreams for the future, and to honor the last two principles of Kwanzaa—Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).  

Image: Heard & Moseley, Waiting for the Hour, 1863, albumen and silver nitrate on photographic paper, Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture