Reading Frederick Douglass Together

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.

About this program

Each year, we come together to read and talk about Frederick Douglass’ influential address, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Through this
program, you can...

ATTEND

local public readings, gather with your neighbors, and read the speech out loud from start to finish.

LEARN

about the shared reading tradition and the power of gathering your community to reflect on historical texts.

Spark

new ideas about the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass while discussing current civic issues.

CREATE

opportunities for yourself and others to bridge the past and present.

PROGRAM DETAILS

Applications for 2024 readings open on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, and are awarded on the schedule listed below. Readings can take place anytime within 6 months after the award announcement date, provided the application demonstrates enough time to include Mass Humanities in publicity about the reading. The grant period start date must be after the award announcement date. The event date should be at least 2-3 weeks after the award announcement date. For example, if a grantee wants to host a program on June 19, they will need to apply no later than the May 10 submission date.  
Application Deadline: Grants Announced:
January 5, 2024 January 22, 2024
February 2, 2024 February 19, 2024
March 9, 2024 March 18, 2024
April 5, 2024 April 22, 2024
May 10, 2024 May 28, 2024
June 7, 2024 June 17, 2024
Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838 and lived for many years in Massachusetts. He delivered the Fourth of July speech on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, to the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. The most celebrated orator of his day, Douglass’ powerful language, resolute denunciations of slavery, and forceful examination of the Constitution challenge us to think about the histories we tell, the values they teach, and if our actions match our aspirations.

Readings typically take place around between Juneteenth and the Fourth of July, but communities also host readings on other days of remembrance or significance.

In 2024, Mass Humanities invited grantees to host a reading during African American History Month and to commemorate the observance of Frederick Douglass’s birthday, both in February.

Mass Humanities has supported readings in town squares, community centers, churches, museums, libraries, and parks. We believe Douglass’ words belong in public spaces.

At each event, people take turns reading parts of the speech until it is completed. Each community considers the meaning of the speech in the past and its resonances in the present.

Annual Boston Common Reading

Each year Mass Humanities partners with the Community Change, Inc. of Boston, the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School, and the Museum of African American History to host a reading on Boston Common. Held near the monument to the 54th Regiment, the event attracts state legislators, students, and members of the public who take turns reading the speech.

Where it
all began

After escaping slavery in 1838, Frederick Douglass, the famous abolitionist, lived for many years in Massachusetts. The most celebrated orator of his day, Douglass’ denunciations of slavery and forceful examination of the Constitution challenge us to think about the stories we tell and don’t tell, the ideas that they teach or don’t teach, and the gaps between our actions and aspirations. To quote Douglass: “We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the future.”

In addition to producing a signature event on the Boston Common, Mass Humanities also provides grants to organizations interested in hosting a local public reading, in which attendees gather to read the speech out loud from start to finish.

Organizations interested in hosting an event can propose any format for the reading and discussion that will foster a rich and productive community conversation. 

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Let’s do more good work together

The work we do wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of donors like you. Make a donation today and help build a better Massachusetts.

stay
connected

Sign up for our newsletter and never miss an opportunity to connect, learn and share within the humanities.
Sign Up
  • Newest to Oldest
  • A-Z
Year
  • 2024
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2022
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2014
  • 2013
  • 2012
  • 2011
  • 2010
  • 2009
  • 2008
  • 2007
  • 2006
  • 2005
  • 2004
  • 1999
  • 2001
  • 2002
  • 2000
  • 2023
  • 2015
  • 2003
Grant Program
  • READING FREDERICK DOUGLASS TOGETHER
  • 2020 SUPPORT GRANTS
  • BRIDGE STREET SPONSORSHIPS
  • DIGITAL CAPACITY GRANTS
  • DISCUSSION
  • EXPAND MASSACHUSETTS STORIES
  • RESEARCH INVENTORY GRANT
  • MAJOR
  • MASS HUMANITIES CARES ACT
  • MASS HUMANITIES SHARP GRANTS
  • MINI
  • MUSEUM ON MAIN STREET (MOMS) CROSSROADS
  • PROJECT
  • PROJECT-THE VOTE
  • PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
  • PUBLIC SQUARED
  • RESOURCE CENTER
  • SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE
  • STAFFING RECOVERY
  • STAFFING THE HUMANITIES
  • STAFFING THE HUMANITIES - YEAR 2
Amount
  • < $2,000
  • $2,000 - $7,500
  • $7,500 - $20,000
  • > $20,000