Adam Dodson | The Selma Times-Journal

The Emancipation Proclamation Committee is hosting their Annual Nehemiah Builders Breakfast at the Morning Star Baptist Church Saturday.

The decades-old committee, aiming to keep alive the legacy and lessons of the Emancipation Proclamation, hosts this event yearly to provide an opportunity for connection while also supporting the community. According to Althelstein Johnson, member of the committee, all the proceeds go to one of the three nearby colleges: Wallace Community College Selma, Concordia College Alabama and Selma University.

For Johnson and her husband, Charles, the committee serves a key role in educating the community and keeping the history of the Emancipation Proclamation going.

“As an African-American, it is very imperative and important to me to continue this committee,” Johnson said. “Knowing that education is key to progress, our goal of the committee is to advance our cause by remembering our past, but preparing for the future.”

While Morning Star is the location for this year’s breakfast, other churches in the community rotate with this event and others to do their part in helping the committee.

According to Johnson, the Emancipation Proclamation Committee has approximately 50 active members, although plenty of others chip in to help the cause.

The committee has a relationship with Selma that dates back generations to the group’s beginnings, with R.B Hudson serving as the first president.

In order to continue the ideals of R.B Hudson and the committee, Johnson says they commit to multiple dates throughout the year, including the breakfast and also the day the Emancipation Proclamation was addressed by President Abraham Lincoln.

“One way to commemorate is to do so on Jan. 1, the day the proclamation was signed,” Johnson said. “We do this to publicize the emancipation and make it aware and alive in the minds of the citizens.”

Anyone interested in joining the Emancipation Proclamation Committee in their community outreach, or to receive tickets, reach out to (334 ) 874-8169.

The event begins at 9 a.m., with “traditional” breakfast being served, and the Rev. B. T. Booker serving as pastor.