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On Saturday, April 15, several members, and friends of the African Diaspora Ancestral
Commemorative Institute (ADACI) celebrated the one-year anniversary of the “Freedom
Crossing” commemorative plaque mounted on the Enlightened Inc. Building at 1205 Good
Hope Rd. SE in historic Anacostia.
The plaque honors the ancestors who traveled from Maryland and Virginia to D.C. seeking their freedom pursuant to the Compensated Emancipation Act enacted on April 16, 1862.
According to author and historian C.R. Gibbs, countless enslaved Africans crossed over the Anacostia River by way of the Eastern Branch-Navy Yard Bridge (the predecessor of the 11th Street Bridge) to gain their freedom in Washington, D.C.
This year’s ADACI “Freedom Crossing” celebration honored ancestors who suffered many hardships over 160 years ago by passing through Anacostia to find a better life for themselves, their families and communities. The organization celebrated the ancestors by the pouring of libations, performing a drum call, and asking the Creator to give their descendants the strength, wisdom and courage to restore families and communities to their traditional greatness but in a modern context.
The commemoration also recognized several celebrated local ancestors, including Calvin and Wilhelmina Rolark, Melvin Deal, Marion Barry, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, and others.