Now picture this. It's the summer of 1864 and 1500 black people from all around Washington, D.C.

are gathered on the White House lawn for a party.

A 4th of July strawberry festival to raise funds for the city's black religious

schools.

There had never been an event like this where black people with the blessing of the president himself stood on the

grounds of the so-called people's house not his servants or as builders but as

guests but on this day led by contingent of black church and community leaders,

Black Washington showed up and showed out, wearing their Sunday best,

accompanied by horses draped in ornately festooms saddles.

In the background of this strawberry festival, the Civil War was raging into its fourth bloody

year, and yet here this contingent of black

Washingtonian stood in their resplendent blackness with their finery and

fancy horses, with the sweetness of those strawberries on their lips and the sweetness of freedom in their souls.

Just two years earlier in 1862, President Lincoln had signed the law freeing all enslaved people in the nation's

capital.

The Emancipation Proclamation Act would come 8 and a half months later in January 1863.

But with the country still in the thick of war,

freedom for black men and women down south

was more of a loosely penciled promise than a guarantee.

But in Washington, freedom was tangible.

Black people own businesses, they own property,

and even hosted fancy fundraisers to help give their children

...