Upcoming events
Events at a Glance
We are always pushing forward at the Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation. If you would like to be a part of one of our upcoming events, check back here to stay in the loop about what is to come!
What’s Next?
Human Trafficking Awareness Week in Missouri
Celia Day & Human Trafficking Awareness Week 2026
“From history to action — Missouri stands united against human trafficking.”
April 7–10 & April 18, 2026 | State of Missouri
Led by the Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation, Celia Day & Human Trafficking Awareness Week is Missouri’s official statewide observance established through Senate Bill 348 (the “Celia Bill”). The Foundation extends sincere appreciation to the Governor of Missouri for signing the bill into law and to Senator Travis Fitzwater for sponsoring and championing this historic legislation.
Observed during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), the week honors the legacy of Celia by connecting Missouri’s history of sexual violence to present-day exploitation. In partnership with the State Historical Society of Missouri, the Coalition Against Rape & Domestic Violence (CARDV), the Coalition Against Trafficking & Exploitation (CATE), the Missouri History Museum, the Crime Victim Center of St. Louis, and community partners statewide, this initiative transforms historical truth into education, accountability, and survivor-centered action.
Why This Week Matters
Celia Day & Human Trafficking Awareness Week represent Missouri’s commitment to confronting its history while strengthening modern systems of protection. Celia’s story is not symbolic — it is instructional. This week bridges remembrance with reform, ensuring that legal recognition leads to meaningful, survivor-centered change.
This Week’s Events
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 | Celia Day (Signature Event) | 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Lunch on the Lawn Sponsored by CARDV- 11:30 am to 12:30 am
Registration: Registration Form
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 3, 2026.
Wednesday, April 8 | Statewide Virtual Education Day | 3:00 PM to 5:00PM
Registration: Registration Form
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 3, 2026.
Thursday, April 9 — Kansas City | 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM | Black Archives of Mid-America, 1722 E. 17th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64108
Registration: Registration Form
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 3, 2026.
Friday, April 10 — Fulton | Community Training Event | 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM | Callaway Electric Coop, 1313 Cooperative Drive, Fulton, MO 65251
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 10, 2026.
Saturday, April 18 — St. Louis | Missouri-East Culminating Event | 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM | Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63112
Registration: Registration Form
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 10, 2026.
Celia’s story calls us to more than remembrance — it calls us to action. We invite educators, advocates, faith leaders, policymakers, and community members to join us in transforming her legacy into survivor-centered protection and lasting justice across Missouri.
Contact
For media inquiries, partnership opportunities, or additional information, contact the Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation at admin@celianewsomlegacyfoundation.org
Celia Day in Missouri CelebratioN
Celia Day
Celia Day anchors Missouri’s Human Trafficking Awareness Week with a signature, place-based program in Fulton that connects history, law, and present-day survivor protection.
Program Highlights 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Welcome & Framing of the Occasion
Invocation & Moment of Remembrance
Remarks from State Officials
Historical Reflection Keynote
Connecting History to Today’s Systems
Survivor Voices (centered, protected, empowered)
Margaret Bush Wilson Celia Champion Awards
Lunch on the Lawn (sponsored by CARDV) 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Gary R. Kremer is Executive Director Emeritus of the State Historical Society of Missouri and a leading historian of Missouri’s racial history. For nearly four decades, he has researched, taught, and publicly presented Celia’s story—supporting early scholarship, guiding students to the historic site, organizing public programs and vigils, and advocating for recognition of the injustice she endured.
Registration: Registration Form
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 3, 2026.
Human Trafficking Awareness Week in Missouri
Celia Day & Human Trafficking Awareness Week 2026
“From history to action — Missouri stands united against human trafficking.”
April 7–10 & April 18, 2026 | State of Missouri
Led by the Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation, Celia Day & Human Trafficking Awareness Week is Missouri’s official statewide observance established through Senate Bill 348 (the “Celia Bill”). The Foundation extends sincere appreciation to the Governor of Missouri for signing the bill into law and to Senator Travis Fitzwater for sponsoring and championing this historic legislation.
Observed during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), the week honors the legacy of Celia by connecting Missouri’s history of sexual violence to present-day exploitation. In partnership with the State Historical Society of Missouri, the Coalition Against Rape & Domestic Violence (CARDV), the Coalition Against Trafficking & Exploitation (CATE), the Missouri History Museum, the Crime Victim Center of St. Louis, and community partners statewide, this initiative transforms historical truth into education, accountability, and survivor-centered action.
Why This Week Matters
Celia Day & Human Trafficking Awareness Week represent Missouri’s commitment to confronting its history while strengthening modern systems of protection. Celia’s story is not symbolic — it is instructional. This week bridges remembrance with reform, ensuring that legal recognition leads to meaningful, survivor-centered change.
This Week’s Events
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 | Celia Day (Signature Event) | 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Lunch on the Lawn Sponsored by CARDV- 11:30 am to 12:30 am
Registration: Registration Form
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 3, 2026.
Wednesday, April 8 | Statewide Virtual Education Day | 3:00 PM to 5:00PM
Registration: Registration Form
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 3, 2026.
Thursday, April 9 — Kansas City | 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM | Black Archives of Mid-America, 1722 E. 17th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64108
Registration: Registration Form
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 3, 2026.
Friday, April 10 — Fulton | Community Training Event | 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM | Callaway Electric Coop, 1313 Cooperative Drive, Fulton, MO 65251
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 10, 2026.
Saturday, April 18 — St. Louis | Missouri-East Culminating Event | 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM | Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63112
Registration: Registration Form
Note: Registration closes Friday, April 10, 2026.
Celia’s story calls us to more than remembrance — it calls us to action. We invite educators, advocates, faith leaders, policymakers, and community members to join us in transforming her legacy into survivor-centered protection and lasting justice across Missouri.
Contact
For media inquiries, partnership opportunities, or additional information, contact the Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation at admin@celianewsomlegacyfoundation.org
Candlelight Vigil & Celia Bill Passage Celebration
Join us for our second annual candlelight vigil where we honor Celia, her legacy, and look forward to the future of our advocacy through our foundation.
Reparations in Greater St. Louis Panel Discussion (CNLF President Joining panel)
Association for the Study of the World Wide African Diaspora (ASWAD) Meeting in St. Louis, SATURDAY, November 1, 2:00-3:30 pm.
Celia History Presentation
Hosted by the Historic Lincoln School Project, West Plains, Missouri.
Celia Candlelight Vigil & Pardon Celebration
Hosted by the Fulton Human Rights Commission & The Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation, Callaway County Courthouse, Fulton, Missouri.
Celia History Presentation
At the Association of Official Human Rights Agencies Conference, St. Louis, MO, Chase Park Plaza Hotel.
Celia History Presentation (Juneteenth Celebration)
Hosted by the Fulton Human Rights Commission.
Celia History Presentation
Hosted by the St. Louis African American Genealogy and History Society, Missouri History Museum.
Celia Senate Bill Hearing (SB 1446)
SB 1446 requires the State Board of Education to convene a work group to develop a curriculum framework of instruction on the dehumanization of marginalized groups.
Under this act, the State Board of Education shall convene a work group called the "Humanity Education Curriculum Framework Work Group" for purposes of developing a curriculum framework that teachers may use when teaching students in grades 6-12 about the dehumanization of marginalized groups in Missouri. The act defines "dehumanization" as the violation of a person's human rights or bodily autonomy. A "marginalized group" may include persons who have been subjected to dehumanization for reasons that may relate to their national origin, race, or sex. Members of the work group shall include, but shall not be limited to, educators or other experts in the areas of history, human rights, or social science. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shall develop the curriculum framework in consultation with the work group.
The act outlines the topics that the curriculum framework shall address. Such topics shall include, but shall not be limited to, a study of the dehumanization practices that have occurred in Missouri's history and the interventions that may be available to prevent such dehumanization practices in the future. The curriculum framework shall also include the story of Celia, a victim of chattel slavery and sexual violence who was executed in Missouri in 1855 for defending herself against her owner, Robert Newsom.
The act describes certain marginalized groups that shall be included in the curriculum framework and awareness weeks or months with which the curriculum framework may be aligned.
DESE shall conduct a pilot program to study the impact and success of the curriculum framework in consultation with the work group in up to 25 school districts or schools within a school district in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years. All participating schools or districts shall be provided the curriculum framework and offered the opportunity to participate in the "Celia Professional Development Program for Teachers" that shall be developed by the work group and DESE. Such program shall include instructional guidance and examples of curriculum resources that are age appropriate and consistent with the curriculum framework, as described in the act. The program shall also include instructional guidance on class visits to historic sites in Missouri relating to the story of Celia's enslavement, abuse, and execution. All schools or districts that participate in the pilot program shall provide a plan of professional development to such district's or school's teachers and may voluntarily participate in the Celia Professional Development Program for Teachers.
Upon the completion of the first year of the pilot program, DESE shall evaluate the success and impact of the pilot program and shall report the results of such evaluation to the General Assembly, as specified in the act. Beginning in the 2027-28 school year and in all subsequent school years, the curriculum framework and Celia Professional Development Program for Teachers shall be made available to all school districts and charter schools in the state.
Celia Candlelight Vigil
Hosted by the Fulton Human Rights Commission, Callaway County Courthouse, Fulton, Missouri