Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

"What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" read by Ossie Davis
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
01 Jul 2022
🖨️ Print Article

Black Agenda Radio · "What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" read by Ossie Davis

On July 5, 1852 Frederick Douglass was asked to speak on the topic of the nation’s independence celebration. Now known as "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?", the speech was a stinging indictment of slavery in the U.S., but the words are still relevant to Black people 170 years later. The late Ossie Davis read excerpts from Douglass’s remarks.

Slavery in U.S.
Frederick Douglass

Related Podcasts

Frederick Douglass
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
"What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" read by Ossie Davis
03 July 2024
As we grow closer to the Fourth of July, BAR once again shares
Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy
03 March 2023
Black Agenda Radio July 1, 2022
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio July 1, 2022
01 July 2022
We discuss reproductive justice in the wake of the supreme court ruling which overturned the Roe v. Wade decision.

More Stories


  • Freedom Rider: COVID-19 Covers Up War and Financial Collapse
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
    Freedom Rider: COVID-19 Covers Up War and Financial Collapse
    18 Mar 2020
    COVID-19 is not just a health emergency. It has exposed the causes of inequality and suffering in this country.
  • Sanders Gets Swallowed by the DNC Machine: It’s Time to #DemExit
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    Sanders Gets Swallowed by the DNC Machine: It’s Time to #DemExit
    18 Mar 2020
    Only the demise of the Democratic Party can free up the potential of the people to resolve the many problems created by capitalism and imperialism.
  • “Virus or No Virus, We Can't Lose Our Voice”: Cheri Honkala on Frontline Communities
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    “Virus or No Virus, We Can't Lose Our Voice”: Cheri Honkala on Frontline Communities
    18 Mar 2020
    Coronavirus is just an extension of the war that we've been forced to fight under capitalism.
  • Ruling-class Remedies
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Ruling-class Remedies
    18 Mar 2020
    If you’re feeling exceptionally feverish  or feverishly exceptional pull a tight-fitting, cherry red MAGAT cap over your forehead and eyes. Tight
  • Debtors of the World, Unite!
    Hannah Appel
    Debtors of the World, Unite!
    18 Mar 2020
    Debt’s ubiquity is a burden, but also an opportunity. “The point of debtors’ unions it is to build collective power—people power.”
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us