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‘Moving Forward’ at Emancipation Proclamation ceremony
‘Moving Forward’ at Emancipation Proclamation ceremony
Members of the Emancipation Proclamation Observance committee gather at First Calvary Missionary Baptist Church for the annual event. Photo by Dee Frasier

By Edith Anderson, Special to the Courier

Another year; another great Emancipation Proclamation program.

January 1 is always an exciting day in Liberty County as the community celebrates its Emancipation Proclamation Observance Day, beginning at noon. The 2025 celebration was held at First Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, where Rev. Dr. Sinclair Thorne serves as pastor.

Every year people gather to remember. They come from the four corners of Liberty County for this grand celebration. As usual, this year’s program was charged with an air of excitement and anticipation. Among those in attendance were members of the clergy, elected and appointed officials, and regular Emancipation attendees.

“In light of all of the current events, we have chosen for a theme this year Moving Forward: We Ain’t Going Back,” said Rev. Dr. Hermon Scott, president of the Liberty County Emancipation Proclamation Observance Day Committee.

“In Isaiah 43:18-19, God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah a long time ago and said ‘Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new.’

“It is my considered opinion that many African-Americans have taken that verse too literally and have missed the real point. The real message, when understood in conjunction with Paul’s letter to the Philippians church, is that we should not get so enamored with the old that we miss the current thing God is doing. As we celebrate the 162nd anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, I fear we are on the verge of social, cultural, and spiritual amnesia. While others talk about America being great again, we say, ‘We are Moving Forward: We Ain’t Going Back,’” Scott said.

“We must never forget the one room schoolhouses where those newly-freed Negroes learned to read and write. Subsequently, we are rekindling the education flame in the hearts of our youth. Thank you for your support of our Scholarship Fund. We won’t forget the atrocities of the prison farms, lynching, and ‘legal’ executions. Therefore, we will demand accountability for vigilantes whether in or out of a uniform. We must not forget that it was only a few years ago that African Americans in Liberty County were systematically denied the right to vote, held no elected office, and could only clean the courthouse. While we currently have African Americans elected and appointed to positions across our county, we must groom the next generation of African American leaders,” Dr. Scott said.

The speaker for the 2025 celebration was Rev. Dr. Edith Walthour Anderson, a native of Liberty County , who serves as pastor of Mary Grove Missionary in Gardi. A 1970 graduate of the old Liberty County High School, she is also a graduate of St. Leo University and Trinity Temple College of Religion.

Dr. Anderson is a retired human resources advisor from Fort Stewart and currently teaches classes with Trinity Temple College of Religion, School of Revelation Bible College, and the National Baptist Convention Sunday School Publishing Board. She also serves as dean of the Tattnall Missionary Baptist Association. A member of the Hinesville Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she serves as co-chair of the Social Action Committee and is also a member of the Wayne County Ministers’ Coalition.

Pastor Anderson spoke from Exodus 14:13-15 and the theme Scripture (Isaiah 43:18-19) and stuck with the theme: Moving Forward: I Ain’t Going Back. She kept the attendees’ attention as she spoke passionately, while interspersing some humor throughout her message.

“I come to tell you on this 162nd anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, we are Moving Forward – We Ain’t Going Back. We are blessed to be in Liberty County where we have a large percentage of Black elected officials. Liberty County is also home to two signers of the Declaration of Independence (Button Gwinnett and Lyman Hall) and where Dr. King and his lieutenants came to the Historic Dorchester Center at Midway to strategize so we can enjoy some of the rights and freedoms we have,” Anderson said.

“We won’t pretend that some of us didn’t experience some disappointments and emotional distress after the recent election, an election wherein we thought that an overly qualified woman of color would be elected. Oh, she had the right credentials – went to college, worked hard and was elected as district attorney in San Francisco, attorney general and U.S. senator of California (the largest state in the nation population wise), and first female/ black vice president of the U.S.

“They said she was a DEI hire and Sen. JD Vance had the audacity to say the day before the election that VP Harris was trash. Some people called this qualified intelligent woman some of the nastiest names and mocked her name relentlessly; to them, she was just another Black woman and they showed their utter contempt. Vice President Harris and people of color are just DEI hires; we are woke, and don’t deserve a seat at the table; no matter how qualified we are. But we don’t despair because we always have hope.

Even our children and grandchildren — no matter how intelligent they are — don’t deserve to attend an Ivy League university (although they can receive a great education and experience at HBCUs), but they should have a choice to go where they want,” she said.

“They lied and said the economy was bad, millions were crossing the border illegally, crime was up; the usual hateful rhetoric to keep people upset. But the economy is still booming, people are spending, eating out, going on vacation, etc. They said babies were being murdered in the womb at nine months, but have no problem with young children being killed in schools because of lax gun control laws, and murdered due to police brutality. When police brutality happens, there is dead silence and with mass school shootings, it is, thoughts and prayers.”

“After the election, we had to rest; we had to recuperate, but we didn’t quit. We have had time to reflect, refocus, renew, and redirect. So, I come to tell you on this beautiful January day, ‘We are moving forward: We ain’t going back.’ We are not going back to a time when African Americans couldn’t sit at the table, had to ride the back of the bus, couldn’t vote; and our ancestors were beaten, raped, lynched, spat upon, and treated worse than animals.

“Yes, we are going to move forward just like the children of Israel in Exodus 14. In Chapter 14, the Israelites had escaped Egypt after God sent 10 plagues because Pharaoh was determined to keep them in bondage. But God allowed Pharaoh’s mighty Army to pursue them. In the text Moses said: ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’ And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’

“It was time for the Israelites to move forward. The Promised Land loomed ahead and it was no time to be overtaken by fear. Don’t you know the enemy will do anything in his power to keep us from reaching the Promised Land? But God didn’t bring them out of Egypt to let Pharaoh defeat them and He didn’t bring us this far to go back.

“Slavery in the U.S. paralleled the children of Israel being in captivity in Egypt. The enslavement of Blacks in the U.S. began during the 1600s, and slavery flourished in the South, where large plantations grew and cotton was king. Slavery was intended to break their spirits, but it only made some slaves stronger because they learned to depend on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We know that all slaves were not freed with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, but it was a big start. So, we celebrate today and we ain’t going back. We are too resilient, too regal, too resourceful, too God-fearing to entertain the notion that we are regressing,” said Anderson.

“Therefore, moving forward, we are reminded of the text in Isaiah 43:1819: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. In Chapter 43, Isaiah’s writings to the children of Israel came at a bleak period of their history when they were in captivity; they had lost everything and were home sick for the land and the blessing God had promised them. But because we serve a merciful God, He said despite their spiritual failure, He was with them, would show them mercy, give them an outpouring of love (not wrath), bring them back from captivity, and restore them.

“As Christians, can we say the same thing; are we showing love instead of hatred and criticism? Do people know what God is like through our words and example? Can they see God reflected in us? Are we living epistles as recorded in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3? This chapter also pictures a new Exodus for a people once again oppressed, as the Israelites had been as slaves in Egypt before the Exodus. They would cry to God and again he would deliver them. A new Exodus would take place through a new wilderness. The past miracles were not compared to what God would do for His people in the future,” stated Anderson.

“But they had to forget the former things and don’t dwell on the past because God was doing a new thing, and things would be so much better. They had to change that old mindset, stop holding on to the past, and move forward in faith, trusting that a Sovereign God knew what was best. They had to realize that holding on to the past could cause them to miss out on all the good things God was getting ready to do. Instead of focusing on their current captivity, they needed to see that pathway through the wilderness and rivers in the dry wasteland and the Flow – Overflow. Some of us are like the children of Israel. We want to look back and can’t see where we are going. We must move forward so we can move into the new things of God.

“As we move forward, there are some things we must do. We must stay focused. After their deliverance from Pharaoh and Red Sea experience, the children of Israelites kept losing their focus. They wouldn’t listen and were constantly disobedient. We have to stay focused and don’t allow people to throw us off our game. Satan wants us to become discombobulated, disgruntled, disillusioned and lose that laser focus Dr. King and the other civil rights activists had during the Civil Rights Movement. When we are focused, we know how to be strategic and intentional; we are not moved by every breaking news flash on CNN.

Then, we are not going to be fearful. In Exodus 14:13, Moses told the children of Israel, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. The Israelites were fearful of many things. Their leader (Moses) was not fearful as he led them on a 40-year journey that should have taken 11 days. Joshua, who succeeded Moses, wasn’t fearful when he led them around the Jericho wall in Joshua 6; David wasn’t fearful when he went up against Goliath (1 Samuel 17). In Judges 4, Deborah and Barak weren’t fearful in the battle at Mt. Tabor against the Canaanites; Queen Esther wasn’t fearful when she went before her husband the king (Esther 5) without being summoned. Dr. King wasn’t fearful when he led the people on marches and was arrested so many times; Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hammer, John Lewis, Representative Al Williams, and many others who fought for freedom, were not fearful. Like, John Lewis, we are going to get into good trouble moving forward. As God’s children, we are not fearful. We are kings and queens; we belong to the royal priesthood,” she said.

“Finally, we are going to become more fruitful. My fellow kings and queens, we must become more fruitful. First of all, we should be walking in the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness goodness, faith, meekness, temperance). Don’t let anyone disturb your fruit. To become more fruitful, we must rise up again and take action. One of the most important things we must work toward is not only registering people to vote, but getting them to vote. We must go where they are; many of our young and not so young (especially in the South) are at line dancing/trail ride events on the weekend, with their cowboy boots and hats, and large fans. They have many influencers; we must get out of our comfort zone and go where they are.

“Become more fruitful by investing in your communities. Former President Jimmy Carter, who passed at age 100, spent his post-presidency helping people; he is an example of a selfless volunteer and tireless humanitarian who served the world. Invest in our youth and seniors. Help educate our youth so they can become the next president, university president, astronaut, scientist, and global leader. Let’s reach back more and help people in need. The late Rev. Ollie Howard had her jar ministry; she saved her change to help with the scholarship fund which is named in her honor. She showed her fruitfulness.

“So, once again, we are moving forward, we ain’t going back. We have too much to lose,” Anderson said. At the conclusion of the message, the audience knew they weren’t going back.

This year, the 2025 Emancipation Proclamation Observance Day program booklet was dedicated in honor of the late Rev. Ollie Howard and Carol Simmons. Rev. Howard was always present at the Emancipation service with her exuberant praise and a jar full of change and a check. Simmons served as the Emancipation’s Site Selection chairperson. These faithful servants served their community well.

Three outstanding residents of Liberty County were recognized for their exemplary service to the community. Mrs. Yvonne L. Woods, of First African Missionary Baptist Church in Riceboro, received the Willie J. McIver Humanitarian Award, Mason Alexander Jenkins, St. Luke Missionary and a Bradwell Institute senior, received the Youth Award. Rev. James C. Shipman, former pastor of Bolton Street Baptist Church in Savannah, received the President’s Award. Ron C. Golden, a 2024 Liberty County Emancipation Proclamation Rev. Ollie Howard Scholarship Award recipient, read the Emancipation Proclamation.

After 21 years of faithful service as president of the Liberty County Emancipation Proclamation Committee, Rev. Dr. Hermon Scott turned the position of president over to Rev. Dr. Edith Walthour Anderson.

“When I was installed as president, Elder Henry Frasier (previous president) told me that we were keepers of the flame; Pastor Anderson, I challenge you to do the same,” Dr. Scott said.


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