Eighth of August | Kentucky Studies

Many African-American communities in Western Kentucky commemorate the 8th of August as an Emancipation celebration and a homecoming, and it’s been a tradition since the 1860s.

Some say the holiday began in Tennessee when Andrew Johnson, military governor of Union-controlled Tennessee 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 8th.

The 8th of August quickly became a homecoming event in many Western Kentucky counties, whose populations were roughly 40 percent African-American in the years after the Civil War. Thousands would  return home to celebrate the 8th with family who stayed in the area.

The 8th of August is still celebrated today in towns where the older generation works to instill the tradition in the younger generation.