By People’s Organization for Progress
As the United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of its independence, the People’s Organization For Progress (POP) held a public reading of a speech by the nineteenth century slavery abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
The recitation of “What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July,” took place on Thursday, July 2nd at Bethany Baptist Church, in Newark, New Jersey.
“We had this program because we wanted to hear a discussion about celebrating the 4th of July from the perspective of the millions of Black people who were still enslaved after the country had gained its independence,” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.
“This is probably the most well known speech by Frederick Douglass. It is 174 years-old. Its power and relevance has stood the test of time. That’s why people are still reading it today,” Hamm said.
The practice of having public readings of Douglass’ speech is not new. It has been done in the past and continues to the present. There have been recitations by famous people including actors James Earl Jones and Danny Glover.
However, while POP has had readings of the speech among its membership this was the first time the group has had a public reading. The event was free and open to all.
“We brought people together to hear this speech through the voices of people from the community. It was fourteen pages long. There were fourteen readers,” he said.
Hamm said the readers were grassroots leaders, activists, and residents of Newark and the surrounding vicinity. Each person read a page. “It was a collective effort. That’s why we called it a community reading,” he said.
The program took place in the beautiful church sanctuary. It opened with Hamm, who served as moderator, thanking the church for allowing the event to be held there.
Libations were performed by activist and author Professor Bill Davis. The readers were Deacon Richard Roper, Bethany Baptist Church, Deacon Patricia Fullilove, Bethany Baptist Church, Larry Adams, and Sharonlynn Baldwin.
The other readers included Zayid Muhammad, Rebecca Doggett, Rev George Britt, Mt Teman AME Church, Thandine Hintze, Rev Herbert Glen, Alfreda Coachman Daniels, Henry Washington, Margaret El, Howard Gordon, and Hamm.
All the readers spoke with passion and conviction. Each addressed the audience from the podium which was flanked on both sides with banners that read “Frederick Douglass Our Freedom Fighter” and “If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress.”
Deacon Roper read what is probably the most famous passage from the Douglass’ speech:
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.
“To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.
“There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.
“Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the every day practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival,” he said.
“It was a very powerful event. Reading the speech gives you some insight into why this country is still faced with the challenges of racism and inequality. We look forward to doing this again next year,” he said.
