Savannah State University to Observe National Freedom Day Jan. 31

Savannah State University’s (SSU) Honors Program will host a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate National Freedom Day at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2026.at the Richard R. Wright Sr. bust in front of Wright Hall on the SSU campus, 3219 College Street, Savannah.

Wright, who was SSU’s first president in 1890, later rallied local and national leaders to establish National Freedom Day to memorialize President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States. This year’s celebration marks the 161st anniversary of that historic act. President Harry Truman signed a proclamation naming Feb. 1 National Freedom Day in 1948.

“National Freedom Day has been celebrated since its inception in 1948,” said Dr. Carolyn Jordan, director of SSU’s Honors Program. “Savannah State University students continue to walk in the footsteps of our Founding President Richard R. Wright Sr. as they ‘Tell Them We are Rising!’”

Following the celebration, Professor Stacey Scales will deliver a keynote address on Saturday, January 31 at 12 p.m. in the Student Union on the SSU campus. Professor Scales is an adjunct instructor in the African American Studies Department at Georgia State University. He has taught history and African Studies for more than 15 years in Atlanta-area colleges.

Scales is an accomplished Afrobeat-jazz songwriter, and for almost two decades, he has collaborated with recording artists such as Roy Ayers, Les Nubians, Kirk Whalum & Julie Dexter. Scales is the founder & bandleader of The Common Ground Collective and has been featured at the Atlanta Jazz Festival.