🌟 Celebrate Solomon Northup: A Historic Weekend in Marksville

Marksville will host a historic weekend of events Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 3-4, 2026, honoring the life and legacy of Solomon Northup, author of the book “Twelve Years a Slave.”

The two-day commemoration will include a public film screening, the unveiling of the first sculpture created in Northup’s honor and additional educational and commemorative activities centered around the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse Square.

Events will begin Saturday, Jan. 3, with a screening of the Academy Award–winning film 12 Years a Slave at 6:30 p.m. at the Fox Theater, located at 111 S. Washington Street in Marksville. Admission will be by reservation through Eventbrite, with a donation suggested by organizers.

The centerpiece of the weekend will take place Sunday, Jan. 4, at 2 p.m., when the community will gather at the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse Square, 312 N. Main Street, for the unveiling of Hope Out of Darkness, the first bronze sculpture dedicated to Solomon Northup.

The monument will be installed at the Solomon Northup Monument Plaza on the historic site where Northup regained his freedom on January 4, 1853. The location is adjacent to the Solomon Northup historical marker placed in 2018 to commemorate the 165th anniversary of his liberation and near the former site of the Marksville Post Office, where Samuel Bass mailed letters that led to Northup’s rescue.

The sculpture was created by renowned sculptor Wesley Wofford, FNSS, an Emmy- and Oscar-winning artist. According to Wofford, the work is designed to present Solomon Northup as a free American citizen leading toward a more equitable future, while also revealing the hardship and tragedy of his life story as viewers experience the piece up close.

A public reception will follow the unveiling ceremony on Sunday. Organizers noted that additional events are planned throughout the weekend in conjunction with the unveiling.

Solomon Northup, a free Black man from New York, was kidnapped and enslaved for 12 years before regaining his freedom in Marksville. His 1853 memoir, Twelve Years a Slave, later inspired the 1984 film Solomon Northup’s Odyssey and the 2014 Academy Award–winning motion picture 12 Years a Slave, bringing renewed international attention to his story.

Funding for the Solomon Northup monument project was provided through private donations, corporate sponsorships, and public support, including grants from the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, and the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

The public is invited to attend all events. A full schedule and additional information are available at www.snccw.com.