Watch night! Watch night! Watch night! We hear this phrase over and over as the year draws to a close and New Years Day approaches. So many look forward but I look back.  Watch night! Watch night! Watch night!

On Sept. 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.  Among other things, it proclaimed that Confederate states could continue to practice slavery if they just returned to the Union. They were given until midnight Jan. 1, 1863, to make the choice. Otherwise, all enslaved persons in states or areas in rebellion were declared “forever free.” Enslaved persons in Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky and Missouri were not declared free because they were still a part of the Union. Neither were enslaved persons in certain parts of Virginia, Tennessee and Louisiana because they sided with the Union. This proclamation made midnight, Jan. 1, 1863, critical. As a result, most people watched intently as the midnight moment approached. Watch night! Watch night! Watch night!

I go back to this moment because my ancestors were enslaved. I believe they were among those watching as the clock ticked toward midnight. I believe they were watching for any signs that Confederate states were choosing to maintain slavery by returning to the Union. Watch night! Watch night!  Watch night!

From my readings over the years, I have formed indelible images. I see black people — enslaved and free — gathering to watch. Some gathered in shanty shacks. Some gathered down by the riverside or creek side.  Some gathered in Black churches in non-slave states and makeshift churches in slave states.  The danger to each gathering was so great that they had to have watchmen watching so they could gather to watch on watch night.  Watch night! Watch night! Watch night!

I see black people talking with each other in hushed tones for fear their very gathering would draw deadly attacks. They knew that they were not the only ones watching. Therefore they had to watch out for others that may be watching. Watch night!  Watch night! Watch night!

My dominant vision is of those gathered in churches in non-slave states and in makeshift churches in slave states. Churches operated by enslaved persons were outlawed in slave states. Even in non-slave states, slave catchers were always on the prowl to snatch any black person whether or not they were fugitives. Great danger always lurked.  There was so much for which to watch. Watch night!  Watch night! Watch night!

I see some talking quietly in the churches. I see some singing softly. I see some sitting silently. Mostly I see people praying. Praying unceasingly. Praying fervently. Praying as if their very lives depended on their prayers. They and others watched and prayed. Watch night! Watch night! Watch night!

I understand that those praying were not praying general prayers. They were praying very specific prayers. They were praying that the Confederate states would not accept President Abraham Lincoln’s offer to return to the Union to continue practicing slavery. As they prayed, others watched so they could pray in peace. Still others watched for any signs that Confederate states had accepted the offer.  Watch night! Watch night! Watch night!

I can see the moment filled with prayers as well as high hopes and intense fears. As the clock ticked toward midnight, I see prayers becoming more fervent. I see hopes rising. I see fears fighting to subdue the hopes and dampen the prayers. I see the watching becoming sharper and more focused.  Watch night! Watch night! Watch night!

Midnight finally arrived. Not one Confederate state accepted Lincoln’s offer. Millions of enslaved persons were declared free. The joy was great and celebrations abounded. But they were not free. They were still enslaved by the laws and practices of the Confederate states. They were still enslaved in slave states that were not part of the Confederacy. There was still much for which to watch. Watch night!  Watch night! Watch night!

I can see enslaved persons watching for opportunities to escape from plantations and other places of enslavement. They had new hope because they no longer had to fear the Union Army returning them to enslavement. Therefore they watched as they made their way toward freedom by going North or to the nearest Union troops. Watch night! Watch night!  Watch night!

The watch would continue through congressional passage of the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865, the end of the Civil War on April 12, 1865, the ratification of the 13th Amendment by the states on Dec. 6, 1865.

The watch continued through the passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments, through Reconstruction and deconstruction of Reconstruction, through Jim Crow and rigid segregation, through the state-sanctioned terror of lynchings, murders, castration and more.

The watch continued through the Civil Rights Movement, through the election of President Barack Obama, through the unchecked killings of young blacks – Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Jordan Davis and so many more. The watch continues to this very moment. Watch night! Watch night! Watch night!

Too often we celebrate occasions without fully understanding the reason for the celebration. Watch night is certainly one such celebration. It’s so much more meaningful and powerful when we really know why we celebrate.