The Selma-Dallas County Emancipation Proclamation Committee will hold its 156th Commemoration Celebration New Year’s Day at 11 a.m. at Gospel Tabernacle Church of God in Christ on Summerfield Road in Selma.

The theme for this year’s event is “The African American Community and Social Justice” and Alabama Rep. Prince Chestnut, D-Selma, will serve as keynote speaker.

The annual commemoration was launched in Selma in the early 1900s, according to committee President Charles Johnson.

“I can recall participating in the early 60s,” Johnson said.

Johnson recalled the famous quote, first uttered by Spanish philosopher George Satayana and later paraphrased by Winston Churchill, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” in noting the importance of the annual commemoration event.

“Our responsibility is to educate the people and emphasize that this history should be passed down to our families,” Johnson said. “A lot of times history gets lost.”

The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863 and declared that “all persons held as slaves” in those states which sided with the Confederate rebellion during the Civil War “are, and henceforward shall be, free.”

“This is to show the hardships endured during slavery and it is one way to show appreciation for that event,” Johnson said of the celebration to take place next week. “This is also meant to bring attention to the times in which we’re living and the situation here in our community.”

Along with a speech from Chestnut, there will be a recognition ceremony for committee donors and expanded ways for young people to get involved.

Johnson noted that many important community members have served as past presidents of the committee, including Selma’s first and second black mayors, James Perkins, Jr. and George Evans, respectively.

Along with the annual commemoration ceremony, the Emancipation Proclamation Committee holds an annual breakfast in the Spring to raise scholarship funds for young people.

“Not only is it a time of celebration and remembrance, it’s also a time for something practical,” Johnson said.