(9/15/2009) J Ross Kasmier - Press Release - Emancipation Day 2009.doc Page 1

Purcellville Emancipation Day Celebration 2009

The Purcellville Emancipation Day celebration is pleased to announce Dr. Madeleine K. Albright will speak at this year’s celebration on September 19th, 2009, at the Carver Community Center in Purcellville, Virginia. Purcellville Emancipation Day is the third annual celebration commemorating the ideals and successes of an Emancipation Day celebration that ceased in 1967, having begun in 1890 in the Town of Hamilton, Virginia. The Carver Community Center, located at 200 Willie Palmer Way, is located adjacent to the Loudoun County Emancipation Association Grounds, the site of the previous celebrations following the purchase of a ten and one half acre parcel of land in 1910.

Dr. Albright served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a member of President Clinton’s cabinet from 1993 to 1997. In 1997 she was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the first woman ever to hold the post of Secretary of State of the United States, serving in that capacity until 2001. She has authored three New York Times bestsellers, her latest being ‘Memo to the President: How We Can Restore America’s Reputation and Leadership,’ published in 2008. Currently Dr. Albright is Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, is a Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, serves on the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is President of the Truman Scholarship Foundation.

The hours of this year’s Emancipation Day celebration are from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. In addition to Dr. Albright’s remarks at 1:00 PM, the celebration will be hosting five former Negro Leagues and Major Leagues players. Fred ‘Squeaky’ Lee Valentine played for two local teams: the Orioles and the Washington Senators in a career spanning 1959 to 1968. Joe Durham played for both the Chicago American Giants and the . Joe was the second African American to play for the Orioles and entered the record books for that franchise when he became the first African American to smash a home for the Orioles.

Born in Cuba in 1938, Pedro Sierra pitched for both the Indianapolis Clowns from 1954 to 1955, and for the Detroit Stars in 1956. He also played in the Canadian Provincial League and the Mexican League in a pitching career that stretched some 22 seasons on the mound. Jimmy Bland and Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson both played for the Indianapolis Clowns. Mamie is one of only three female players ever to play professionally in the Negro Leagues. No token player, Mamie pitched against some of the best baseball players in the league and from 1953 to 1955 had a record of 33 wins against only 8 losses. The players will be at the Carver Center all day for conversation, photos, and autographs.

A traveling slavery museum from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, completes the day’s activities. The “Lest We Forget” museum houses one of the largest collections of genuine slavery artifacts to be found on the east coast. Co-curators J. Justin and Gwen Ragsdale will display a portion of the museum’s collection, utilizing several examples during one morning presentation and an identical presentation following Dr. Albright’s remarks at 1:00. The museum will also offer a screening of a new film “My Slave Sister Myself ”, a gripping documentary with first person narratives describing slave sister’s traumatic experiences during the Transatlantic slave trade. (9/15/2009) J Ross Kasmier - Press Release - Emancipation Day 2009.doc Page 2

Exhibitors at the celebration include the Loudoun County NAACP, the Douglass Alumni Association, the Friends of Carver, The Black History Committee – Friends of the Thomas Balch Library, Purcellville Preservation Association, Lincoln Preservation Foundation, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, and more. This will be a full, family oriented day, with free admission. For the most current program information check for updates and program times at www.ppa-va.org and at www.visitloudoun.org, or contact program coordinator Jay Johnson via phone 540.454.0364 or email [email protected].