CARRBORO, NC -- The Carrboro Century Center was packed with community members gathered on July 4th for the 11th Annual Community Reading of the Frederick Douglass essay "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
Hosted by Mayor Barbara Foushee, the keynote address was given by Civil Rights Historian Danita Mason-Hogans. Closing remarks were provided by James Williams Jr., an attorney and former chief public defender.
Congresswoman Valerie P. Foushee (1-2), Victor Glover (3-4), LaToya Hankins (5-6), Emilia Ismael and Omar Lugo (7-8) Alternating English and Spanish, Madeline Wares (9), Christian DeJesus (10-11), Kennedy Lytle (12), Tiffany Palmer-Lytle (13-14), Minister Robert P. Campbell (15-17), Noah DeVrieze (18), Dr. Freddie Parker (19-20), Shawri King-Casey (21-22), Anita Jones-McNair (23-24), Damon Seils (25), Nevaeh’ Hodge (26), Isiah Allen (27-28), James Williams (29-30), Judge Hathaway Pendergrass (31-32), Cait Fenhagen (33), Vianna Fornville (34), Brighton Mc Connell (35), Carrboro Police Chief Chris Atack (36), Ada Umenwaliri (37), Haara Umenwaliri (38), Liza Wolff-Francis (39), Frank Tillman (40-41), Town Manager Patrice Toney (42-43), Betty Curry (44-45), Herman M. Foushee (46-47), Honoria Middough (48-49), Carrboro Fire Chief Will Potter (50), Vic Suter (51) and Vickie Feaster-Fornville (52-53).
About the Frederick Douglass Speech and Community Reading
"What to the slave is the Fourth of July?" posed Frederick Douglass to a gathering of 500-600 abolitionists in Rochester, N.Y., on July 5, 1852. Admission to the speech was 12 cents, and the crowd at the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society was enthusiastic, voting unanimously to endorse the speech at its end. This speech would be remembered as one of the most poignant addresses by Douglass, a former slave turned statesman. Douglass gave it on July 5, refusing to celebrate the Fourth of July until all slaves were emancipated.
