Every August there are celebrations of emancipation in Kentucky and Tennessee, often with events including parades, music, and fellowship, celebrating Black Americans’ freedom from enslavement. . Several events are being held in Paducah this week to honor the occasion.
While the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in 1863, it did not apply to all Union states. One of those was Kentucky, which still permitted slavery at the time. Many communities learned of their freedom later and created their own unique ways of recognizing their moment of freedom.
The 2025 Eighth of August festivities in Paducah will run through Sunday, several of them hosted by the W.C. Young Community Center. Erika Hudson, president of the center’s board of directors, said that there’s going to be new events, as well as classic traditions like the annual parade.
“This week we have a lot of events. Family friendly, kid friendly, and we just want to give back to the community and let them know that it's time to celebrate, come together and recognize what our ancestors have been able to do,” Hudson said. “And just to celebrate the freedoms that we have to the present day.”
This year’s celebrations kicked off Wednesday with an open house event and guest speakers who spoke about their experiences attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and joining Black Greek letter organizations in line with the theme for this year’s celebration, “Celebrating HBCU Pride and Divine Nine Power.”
On Thursday, Hudson said that the center is hosting a Mr. and Miss Eighth of August pageant at Paducah Middle School, beginning at 6 p.m.
“We really wanted to highlight our youth and get them involved in the Eighth of August celebration. So one of the ways that we are doing that is by having a pageant for young boys and girls to grace the stage. We have participants from ages one month all the way up to 12 years of age,” she said. “With this year's theme ‘Legacy and Lineage: A Celebration of HBCU Pride and Divine Nine Power, they are going to be sporting all of their sorority and fraternity colors. I think that's one of the things that you have to teach at a young age is just to stand and be fearless and take on the stage and embrace it with confidence.”
Then on the official day of celebration, Friday, August the 8th, there is a breakfast and an emancipation sneaker ball dance, as well as an opportunity for food distribution by those in need.
“We have our annual emancipation celebration breakfast and that's going to be from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Washington Street Baptist Church. And then following that, we have a free food distribution, and that is being sponsored by Black Soil charitable fund of Kentucky,” said Hudson. “They are going to be bringing in fresh produce and fruit that has been grown by Black [people] or people of color in the state of Kentucky. That will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Washington Street Baptist Church.”
Hudson said that evening they are having an emancipation dance sneaker ball at Floral Hall at Carson Park in Paducah, from 8 p.m. to midnight, featuring live music and line dancing. She said that guests should dress up but are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and show out their best sneakers.
“We will be featuring the Soul Seven band from Memphis, Tennessee, they are absolutely amazing live performers. They have a little blues and R&B sound,” she said. “With the sneaker ball, you get to come comfortable in your favorite pair of sneakers. I know a lot of ladies who are going to be blinging out their sneakers, and I know we always appreciate being able to have comfort on our feet. Of course, we are going to encourage you to dress in your after five attire, but you get to be comfortable with your shoe selection.”
On Saturday, the morning will start with a new event, followed by the annual parade with family activities, then an all-white attire dance that evening.
“We are going to be starting early on Saturday morning with an inaugural 5k Walk Run. So that is going to begin with registration at 6 a.m. and then our 5K will kick off at 7 a.m., starting at Robert Coleman Park. We have a nice route going through the South Side downtown, and I just think it's going to be a great event. I'm excited to incorporate health and wellness into our Eighth of August celebration this year,” Hudson said. “Our parade gets bigger and better each year. We will begin at 10 a.m. for our parade, and we are going down Walter Jetton Boulevard. We have a wide variety of participants this year. Of course, we have our schools and our bands. We have some athletic teams. We should have a few floats, so I'm excited to see how organizations have decorated their floats this year. And you're going to get all that good candy. It's just going to be a really great time.”
Hudson said that evening there was going to be an all-white attire dance with music provided by a DJ.
“This is ‘Rocia’s Ultimate, all-white affair.’ And so that is also going to be at Floral Hall at Carson Park, and that will begin at 8:30 p.m. and the theme is all white. So you're going to want to dress in white but alongside that, there is a Western flair. So you want to come in your best pair of cowboy boots and your cowboy hats, and just get ready to have a great time,” she said. “Early on in the evening, you're going to have a little bit of an old school vibe with the music, and then as the night progresses, you're going to get into R&B, hiphop, and line dancing.”
Finally, wrapping the weekend of celebrations is a gospel music concert on Sunday afternoon.
“We always close our celebration with our annual salute to gospel music, and that will begin at 4:00 p.m. at Harrison Street Missionary Baptist Church. We do have our memorial just to remember those who have passed over the last year, but then we will also incorporate some liturgical dancing,” Hudson said. “And we have an awesome Patrick Bean and the Bonafide Worshippers who are going to be our special guests for Sunday afternoon, and we just really look forward to a great gospel concert to conclude our celebration.”
Hudson said this was her first year organizing the 8th of August celebration as president of the W.C. Young Community Center and that it had been a pleasure to do, but that she could not have done it without her team of volunteers and people in the community who wanted to help make it all possible.
“I always treasure being able to give back to the community, and I just feel like it's an awesome thing to witness the power in numbers and just watching family and friends enjoy the celebration,” she said. “ And it's a lot of work and I wouldn't be able to do it without the team that I have on the board. They are much appreciated. We always just want to give back to the community and let them know that, yes, you are worth celebrating, and we want you to come out and have a great time.”
More information on Eighth of August activities can be found on the 8th of August Emancipation Celebration Facebook page.
