People filled Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church on Thursday to recognize a historical moment that granted freedom to thousands.

The Selma-Dallas County Emancipation Proclamation Committee held a ceremony to recognize the 152nd anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Signed by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1 1863, the legislation stated that “all persons held as slaves” in the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free,” according to the National Archives & Records Administration.

“It’s always important to remember your history to remember what happened and how it occurred,” said Collins Pettaway, the committee’s vice president and program chairman. “That way you can appreciate who you are and where you come from and you can also appreciate other people.”

The event featured a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, a tribute to the student involvement in the Civil and Voting Rights movements, music and multiple speeches.

Historian Tara White, a Wallace Community College Selma professor, served as the keynote speaker. She reminded the crowd of the new opportunities that followed the proclamation.

“One of the main things of reconstruction was free public education,” White said. “And so for the first time, it didn’t matter who you were to have access to some from of public education.”

The Selma-Dallas County Emancipation Proclamation Committee also recognized and awarded Selma-Dallas County pioneers that drove the movement in the areas of community activism, Civil Rights activism, education, government and medicine. Honorees included Bruce Boynton, Rose Sanders, Eliza Manuel, Pearlie Walker, Sen. Hank Senators, James Perkins Sr., and former Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr., Dr. Charles Lett, Samuel Lett, Burwell Infirmary and more.

Like many who spoke Thursday, White said it’s vital the public continue to demand fair treatment and rights among all people.

“When we know our history, we know that history continues,” White said. “We know that we have to continue to fight for our equal rights under the law.”