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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
20-13
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
February 5, 2013
To recognize and honor the work of The Pearl Coalition and its founder, Lloyd D. Smith, and to bring the hidden story of The Pearl Escape to a national audience.
WHEREAS, the 15th day of April, 2013 will be celebrated as The Pearl Coalition “Voyage of Freedom” Day in the District of Columbia;
WHEREAS, this historic event will be the centerpiece of cultural and
educational programs that highlight the struggle for freedom from slavery and bondage in the Washington, D.C. area, and will instill a sense of pride and connectivity in school-aged youth of the true culture and contributions of Africans in American history, their legacy, and the resulting freedoms that all Americans currently enjoy;
WHEREAS, The Pearl Coalition’s mission is to educate the public about the historic escape of 75 enslaved African Americans by rebuilding a replica of their ship, The Pearl Schooner, as a floating museum;
WHEREAS, The Pearl Schooner will provide job training and educational programs for local youth, create awareness of the Washingtonian contribution to African American history, and educate visitors to our nation’s capital on the unified efforts to end slavery in the United States;
WHEREAS, organizers and participants in the planning of the escape included Paul Jennings, credited for being one of the key planners, Daniel Bell, a worker at the Navy Yard, and Samuel Edmonson and the Edmonson family;
WHEREAS, the Edmonson sisters continued to work with Frederick Douglass and the abolitionist movement to elect Abraham Lincoln after their freedom was secured;
WHEREAS, the unified efforts by African and European Americans to achieve the emancipation of enslaved persons in Washington, D.C, and to free the African, Native American, and European indentured servants are celebrated by those involved in The Pearl Escape;
WHEREAS, the unified efforts of people of faith who dared to demonstrate their belief in God through love for their fellow man are celebrated; and
WHEREAS, recognition is extended to Josephine F. Pacheco, Mary Kay Ricks, Asbury United Methodist Church, Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, and many others who contributed to the recognition of The Pearl’s Escape history and its connection to the District of Columbia’s rich legacy.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “The Pearl Coalition Recognition Resolution of 2013”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes The Pearl Escape as the turning point in the movement for emancipation from slavery and bondage in the United States, leading to increased actions by the abolitionist movement, the election of Abraham Lincoln, Washington D.C.’s Compensated Emancipation Proclamation, and the Civil War.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
