Bennett Place State Historic Site in Durham will host a luminary program dedicated to telling the stories of enslaved people’s avenues to freedom during the Civil War era. The free event is Friday, Sept. 18, 7-9:30 p.m. with timed entry tickets available via eventbrite.com.
The program commemorates the 331,059 men, women, and children enslaved in North Carolina who experienced freedom with the close of the Civil War. The historic site will be decorated with 1,324 luminaries, each representing 250 enslaved people in the state. Historians will give voice to the various ways freed people sought and expressed their new freedom—from education to voting rights and many ventures in between. Musician Shana Tucker will perform instrumental music.