Reading Frederick Douglass Together in Somerville

On June 29, 2021, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times

American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass.

Thursday, July 1, 4:00 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way

The Somerville Museum will be hosting a reading of Frederick Douglass’ famous address, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” delivered to an AntiSlavery Society in 1852. The reading will be followed by a discussion led by Keidrick Roy, our Project Scholar and Trustee of the Somerville Museum.

We will be part of a number of communities across the Commonwealth that are reading this address together and reflecting on our past and present.

Keidrick Roy, a Ph.D. candidate in American Studies at Harvard University, is an educator, documentary filmmaker, museum exhibition curator, and former Air Force nuclear operations officer. Drawing on the intersection of literature, history, and philosophy, Keidrick leads community discussions about the history of race in America, helping attendees learn more about the present moment by narrating its historical context. Keidrick’s ongoing public scholarship has been featured by outlets such as CBS Sunday Morning, the Harvard Gazette, the Chicago Review of Books, and the National Football League. Keidrick is a Trustee of the Somerville Museum and led our 2020 Summer Discussion Series, “Race, Fragility, and Anti-Racism.”

The cost for this event is free, and all are encouraged to participate.

Special thanks to @bowmarket for their support and use of their space.

This event and program is supported and funded by Mass Humanities. Funding from Mass Humanities has been provided through the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

— Somerville Museum