Watch Night to New Year’s Day: A Recap

Happy New Year, Mindful Discussions contributors! Whether you’re a consistent participant of our discussions, interested in joining our community, or just stopping by, we hope that 2026 brings you all that you hope for and more. 

On January 6th, presenter Sabrina Boykin opened our 2026 Mindful Discussion series with “Watch Night to New Year’s Day,” a conversation about freedom, faith, and traditions in the Black community. 

We start the scene on January 1st during the 1800s in America, which was historically known as “Hiring Day” or “Heartbreak Day” due to its pernicious nature. Every New Year’s Day, many enslaved families were torn apart by their masters because they were hired out to other slaveholders—a common practice on the first day of each year. Not only did this completely disrupt their lifestyle and suddenly subject them to drastically different conditions—for better or worse—it also had the potential to remove parents from their children in the process. For this reason, January 1st was often a dreaded day for enslaved people in America: it signaled an upheaval of the only semblance of normalcy and stability that families had while in servitude. 

The moving story of John Freeman and Melinda Colbert is an example of this practice, proving the impact it had on enslaved lives. Hired by Thomas Jefferson in the White House, John Freeman was an enslaved man who developed a relationship with a woman named Melinda Colbert; they later married. After Melinda’s slave owner died (which meant she was to be resold to a new master), Freeman was worried that she would be sold away to a different region, so he wrote to Thomas Jefferson and pleaded for him to buy both of them so that he could stay with his wife. Jefferson refused to buy Melinda; later, she was freed by a different slave owner. But due to a 1806 law, which stated that freed slaves must leave the state of Virginia, Melinda was at risk of separation from John once more. John wrote another letter to Jefferson, urging him to keep his family together, and he finally said yes: a heartwarming act of humanity and compassion in otherwise stressful circumstances. 

The actual letter that John Freeman wrote to President Thomas Jefferson. (Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division)

Our discussion later delved deeper into the third U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson, and his words surrounding the famous phrase, “All men are created equal.” During this time period, the term “men” was used to refer to white men. Even Black men weren’t awarded this title; in the 1800s, they were considered “boys” and referred to as such. In our modern understanding of the word “men,” which is used to describe all human beings regardless of gender, people might think that Jefferson meant it in this way. However, Boykin pointed out, Jefferson meant exactly what he said in this context: that only white men shall be created equal under God. This context perhaps makes the aforementioned story even more shocking; even Jefferson’s humanity allowed him to make a decision that changed the lives of an enslaved couple for the better. The phrase "All men created equal" is one of the most misinterpreted quotes in American history, as many people neglect this crucial context.

The Watch Night Service (a.k.a Freedom's Eve)

A Watch Meeting service from December 31st, 1862. (Source: Zinn Education Project)

On December 31st, 1862, African Americans across the country—both free and enslaved—gathered in secret to ring in the new year while awaiting the news of the Emancipation Proclamation. At many of these gatherings, people would pray, sing, and worship with hopeful anticipation about the coming day. According to the Emancipation Proclamation, which Abraham Lincoln signed, all slaves were to be legally freed in the Confederate states. These services later evolved into the New Year's Eve celebration that we know today, a moment of hope and excitement for the year to come, yet a reminder of the shared history of countless Black Americans. As we celebrate the new year and practice gratitude and prayer for the upcoming months, it serves to remember the important moments in history that led to the ones we cherish today.

Today, some of the most popular traditions on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day include eating black-eyed peas, attending church, quality time with family, watching football, and many more. What are your favorite traditions around New Year’s?

Reminders

Please join us for our next Mindful Discussion, "Young Freedom Fighters: A discussion about the Leesburg Stockade Girls," on Tuesday, February 3rd. It will be an incredible discussion full of rich history and thought-provoking questions, and we hope to see you there!

Remember to Be Mindful, Be Purposeful, and Be Positive, and thank you for reading.

Best,

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