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Poets for Freedom: A Leon County Emancipation Day poetry contest

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Leon County Government invites citizens to recognize Florida's upcoming Emancipation Day on May 20 by participating in "Poets for Freedom," a unique project featuring original poems on the topic of freedom.

The program is organized by the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System and will showcase submissions throughout the month of May. Poets must be aged 18 and older, The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 7.

Florida Emancipation Day marks the first announcement of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in Leon County on May 20, 1865.

Drawing inspiration from this Leon County holiday, Poets for Freedom invites citizens to voice what freedom means to them.

Poets for Freedom is in conjunction with the sixth annual “Created Equal: Stretching Towards Freedom, A Conversation about Florida Emancipation Day” on Thursday, May 20 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom.

The Created Equal event is hosted by Leon County, in partnership with The Village Square and Tallahassee Museum. RSVP to attend Created Equal by visiting www.LeonCountyFl.gov/CreatedEqual.

To learn more about Poets for Freedom, click here.

For more information, contact Michelle Ray, Learning & Workforce Services Manager, at (850) 606-2665 / RayM@LeonCountyFL.gov or Leon County Community and Media Relations at (850) 606-5300 / CMR@LeonCountyFL.gov.