2020 Weeping Time Commemoration
161st Anniversary
Friday, March 6 - Sunday, March 8, 2020
On March 2 and 3, 1859, the largest slave sale in recorded American history took place at the former Ten Broeck horse racecourse in West Savannah, Georgia when 429 men, women, boys and girls from the Butler plantations near Darien and St. Simons Island, Georgia, were transported to Savannah and sold. The sale took two days during which time families were separated and scattered throughout the American south; many never saw each other again.
During the entire course of the sale, it rained torrentially in Savannah, stopping only after the last enslaved person had been sold. African Americans call this traumatic event The Weeping Time because, they say, God must have been weeping.
The general public is cordially invited to participate in all these celebrations! Please bring an umbrella, rain or shine, for an important part of the ceremonies.
Presented By:
Organization to Commemorate Enslaved African American Nationals, Inc.
Ivory Bay CDC
West Savannah Residents
Journey by Faith, Inc.
Georgia Historical Society
Otis J. Brock III Elementary School
Solomon Temple C.O.G.I.C.
Overcoming by Faith Church Ministries
Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission
WCLK 91.9: Clark-Atlanta University
Yahshua University Ministries
BHBP News
Sistagraphy
Lower Altamaha Historical Society
McIntosh County Historical Society
St. Simons African-American Heritage Coalition
Brunswick, Georgia African-American Cultural Center
Winsward Georgia
and others!
View videos of the interviews from the various television stations and entities below!
Itinerary
Friday, March 6th
10:00am
A Gathering of Children
Otis J. Brock III Elementary School
1804 Stratford Street | Savannah, Georgia 31401
Processional will be made to the marker of The Weeping Time on Augusta Avenue and Dunn Street.
6:00pm
The Weeping Time Symposium
Beach Institute
Saturday, March 7th
10:00am
The Weeping Time Commemoration Event
Otis J. Brock III Elementary School
1804 Stratford Street | Savannah, Georgia 31401
The Empty Chairs Memorial Wreath Laying will also take place during this special event.
12:30pm - 4:00pm
The Weeping Time Festival
On the Field adjacent to Otis J. Brock III Elementary School
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Sunset Service
Historical Marker: Butler Island Plantation
Darien, Georgia
Sunday, March 8th
11:00am
Commemoration Service
Solomon Temple Church Of God In Christ (C.O.G.I.C.)
2005 Augusta Avenue | Savannah, Georgia 31401
1:00pm
Closing Ceremony
The Weeping Time Marker
Augusta Avenue & Dunn Street | Savannah, Georgia 31401
For more information, please contact Brenda Roberts at blynneroberts@yahoo.com or Elyse Butler at ebutler@georgiahistory.com today.