“Journey to Emancipation” culminates in a vision by Althemes Barnes

When Althemese Pemberton Barnes founded the John G. Riley Museum in 1996, her mission was to ensure that the historic contributions of African Americans to the city of Tallahassee and beyond are preserved for generations to come.

She joined the John G. Riley Foundation as the youngest person on the board of directors. During her time as managing director of the museum, she worked with more than 70 interns and numerous employees. Together they have made incredible strides toward that goal.

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Now, as a founding director emeritus, Barnes, who retired in 2020, is always inspired to watch the work of new generations of historians complete, and she is ready to pass the torch on.

“I think the Riley House lit a spark so all of these young people could see that scholarships are good, but until you touch the roots of a people, you still don’t have a real story,” says Barnes. “You have made presentations at national conferences, and many now work in museums as curators and managers.”

Nationwide conference on emancipation

The upcoming National History Conference, Journey to Emancipation, December 5-7, is one such event that Barnes is proud to see many familiar faces from her 24 years at the museum.

The conference will share with historians, educators, archivists and political leaders the history of the journey to the emancipation of enslaved Africans in America. Presentation topics range from the history of the Civil War and Emancipation to the Florida Maroon Societies and the Underground Railroad.

Attendance at the conference is limited to 100 people due to COVID restrictions and is sold out, although Barnes says there will be recordings of the presentations.

The idea for the conference came up two years ago. Barnes heard of a bill tabled by Florida lawmakers that would recognize the day that enslaved peoples were freed in Texas – June 19th – as a Florida holiday.

Raised in Tallahassee during the era of civil rights and segregation, Barnes says May 20, 1865 was widely recognized and celebrated in the African American community as the date that Florida slaves were emancipated.

“We felt we should start an education initiative on December 6th, which was the ratification of the 13th Amendment Ending Slavery,” says Barnes. “The conference will get people engaged not only in emancipation, but also in other statewide initiatives such as the governor’s task force on abandoned African American cemeteries and ensuring that school curricula are based on facts rather than perspectives based on Primary sources are based. ”

Service to the community

This conference represents the essence of Barnes’ decades of community service. In 1997 she founded the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, a national professional museum association. Prior to the restoration of the John G. Riley House, she worked for the Florida Department of Education and Labor for 30 years.

She is a member of the American Alliance of Museums, the Florida Association of Museums, the National Association of African American Museums, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida A&M University. In 2012 she was appointed to the National Museum and Library Services Board by President Barack Obama. In 2015 she received the Lifetime Leadership Award from the Tallahassee Greater Chamber of Commerce.

“I always moved in circles that were engaging with people and trying to make their lives better,” says Barnes.

Barnes grew up in a large family with nine children. Her family’s roots and background in Leon County include the days of the Jim Crow era, tenant farming, and slavery. Her maiden name, Pemberton, preserves the history of her father’s family – the street it’s named after and the acres of land they owned and worked.

Every weekend, Barnes says, her family would travel up Centerville Road or Miccosukee Road to visit numerous grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Realize the importance of family

“I admired the older people and the way they sat together and loved each other and shared at the May 20th celebration,” Barnes says. “As time went by and they went by, there was a sadness that these people were leaving. I did not see in society what they stood for or what they had achieved. The families they had and the kids they took to college. Much was written, but not in color. “

Using her large family network, Barnes grabbed her camcorder and began recording oral lore that eventually evolved into cultural development projects, historical publications, walking maps, guides, and documentaries. She says her mentors have always been the educators, clergymen, and religious leaders she grew up with – the hardworking people who don’t often appear in history books.

Barnes looks forward to these stories finding their place during the Journey to Emancipation conference.

The conference will open with a screening of the Emmy-nominated documentary “Invisible History: Middle Florida’s Hidden Roots” by filmmaker Valerie Scoon. Speakers include Sharyn Thompson of the Center for Historic Cemeteries Preservation and respected Florida A&M professor Larry E. Rivers, who will discuss his book, Father James Page: An Enslaved Preacher’s Climb to Freedom.

“When people know where they are from or have an idea of ​​what the past was like and how systems were made and how they were built and taken down, it makes them whole,” says Barnes.

“I think the living are limited in their wholeness when there is no understanding, honor, or respect for the elders. Forgetting the past robs future generations of their heritage and a foundation for hope. If you don’t see people like you doing and building these great things, where is your inspiration? Where is your hope? ”

When you go

What: Journey to Emancipation National History Conference

When: 5th-7th December

Where: AC Hotel Marriot, 801 Gadsden St.

Costs: $ 200

Contact: More information can be found at rileymuseum.org/event/2021-journey-to-emancipation-conference/.

Amanda Sieradzki is a columnist for the Council on Culture & Arts. COCA is the umbrella agency for art and culture in the capital region (www.tallahasseearts.org).

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