Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 5pm in the Beard and Weil Galleries
PDF of FULL SPEECH: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
Reading Frederick Douglass Together, sponsored by the Massachusetts Humanities Council, is a community reading of “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” It is a celebration of democracy and freedom of speech during Banned Books Week and is tied to the current gallery exhibition, Ctrl+Delete.
Come for a community reading of Frederick Doulgass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” A gifted orator and prescient writer, the life and works of Frederick Douglass continue to shape our understanding of America and force us to reckon with the legacy of slavery. Gather with your friends and neighbors, and read the speech out loud from start to finish. Learn about the power of gathering your community to reflect on historical texts as we create opportunities to bridge the past and present.
Anyone interested in reading will be given a copy of the speech. To sign up to read in advance, use this google form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyizgcS_5pA2vlhaeRP9l1AE6mHgVWchA6d_4Y5k3uuH2slw/viewform?usp=dialog
Everyone is welcome, come to read or to listen.
Food and raffle giveaway.
10/9 @ 5pm at Beard and Weil Galleries, Wheaton College, 26 E. Main Street, Norton MA
