Reading Frederick Douglass Together

Call for Readers and Participants The Marion Art Center partners with the Marion Community Center and Tri-Town Against Racism to present a public reading of Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? The MAC is recruiting participants from the SouthCoast region to participate in a group recitation of an abridged version of the famous speech, which will take approximately 50 minutes. The collaborators aim to assemble a group of 15 to 30 people representing myriad races, ethnicities, genders, ages, abilities, and backgrounds that reflect the diversity found across the SouthCoast region and the country. Participants will be reading this speech from a document, so no memorization is required. Participants should have a strong speaking voice and be available for at least two rehearsals prior to the performance. Interested persons should contact Jack Boesen at jackboesen@gmail.com, or call or text 617-259-8983. The presentation of this public reading is a statewide initiative coordinated by Mass Humanities, a generous sponsor of these free community events. Additional resources can be found on the Mass Humanities website.