Community Corner

Worcester NAACP Will Lead Frederick Douglass July 4 Address Reading

Residents can help read the "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" speech Friday afternoon on the Worcester Common.

A community reading of the Frederick Douglass 1852 address "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" will happen on the Worcester Common Friday at noon.
A community reading of the Frederick Douglass 1852 address "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" will happen on the Worcester Common Friday at noon. (Neal McNamara/Patch)

WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester NAACP will lead a reading Friday of a seminal Frederick Douglass speech that highlights the cruel irony of Independence Day during slavery.

On Friday afternoon, local residents and NAACP members will gather to read Frederick Douglass' 1852 address "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" — a reflection on the annual celebration of American independence and freedom that, for decades, coincided with the enslavement of millions.

NAACP President Fred Taylor will kick off Friday's event with remarks about the state of race relations in the U.S. today, followed by a performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by Chapella. Local residents are being invited to help read the address, and the event will also feature poems by April Neeley and Adael Mejia about Douglass and the struggle for freedom and equality.

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Friday's event will begin at noon on the Worcester Common behind Worcester City Hall, 455 Main St.

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