On Jan. 1, 1853, President Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order for the Emancipation Proclamation to change the federal legal status of enslaved people from slave to free. Now, 154 years later, the Emancipation Proclamation Committee in Selma is offering the community a chance to reflect on the anniversary.

“It’s in remembrance of the struggle and fight my forefathers went through, and that’s something I don’t ever want to forget,” said Judge Collins Pettaway Jr., committee chair and current president of the committee. “It’s reminding us so we can pass down this history to our children, so we all can understand where we came from so we can try not to go back.”

Pettaway said understanding the history is important for people of all ages, but especially the youth.

“It’s very important because history cannot be forgotten or overlooked or taken for granted,” he said.

The celebration will take place at Ellwood Community Church, located at 1 Bell Road, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1.

Pettaway said everyone is invited to attend to hear the history of the proclamation.

Dr. Robert White, a professor at Alabama State University, will serve as the keynote speaker at the event.