Lincoln Group Stars on C-SPAN This Coming Sunday

By Ed Epstein

Washington, D.C.

Monday, February 2, 2026

The video of the moving ceremony last September 22, at which a statue of a seated President Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation was dedicated, will debut this Sunday evening, February 8, on C-SPAN's Book TV.

Part of the crowd at the Sept. 22 event. That's President Lincoln at the center behind the wreath, surrounded by admiring fans.

I was honored to emcee the program held at the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington. The memorial honors the 209,154 black men who served in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. across Vermont Avenue from the memorial is the African American Civil War Museum, which is closed while undergoing extensive renovation and expansion. It is hoped the 16,ooo-square-foot museum will reopen soon.

The program is scheduled to begin at 6:35 pm eastern time on C-SPAN2 as part of the network's weekend Book TV programming. It lasts about 90 minutes.

The program features talks by me, Howard University history professor emerita Edna Greene Medford, the museum's executive director Frank Smith, a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, Civil War-era music, and much more.

Event co-sponsors included the Civil War Roundtable of D.C. and the African American Civil War Memorial Museum

Sept. 22 was chosen as the date for unveiling the statue because of its symbolism. It was on that date in 1862 that Lincoln signed the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, giving the seceded states in the Confederacy 90 days to return to the Union. If they didn't, Lincoln by executive action would free the some 4 million African American slaves.

The seceded states didn't take up the offer, of course, so on January 1, 1863, Lincoln signed the final proclamation freeing the slaves and calling for free black men to enlist in the Union Army. The USCT proved a potent force for the federal government in the final two years of the Civil War.

It wasn't until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865 that slavery was ended once and for all time in the U.S.

After Saturday's premiere showing the Sept.22 event will be available for viewing any time at https://www.c-span.org/event/american-history-tv/african-american-civil-war-museum-statue-dedication/436616

Photo by Bruce Guthrie