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


  • How Corporations Are Forcing Their Way Into America’s Public Schools
    Jeff Bryant
    How Corporations Are Forcing Their Way Into America’s Public Schools
    19 Feb 2020
    Public school students are being “trained” for jobs at specific corporations rather than educated for a lifetime in a changing world.
  • New York Schools Gang Unit Pushes the Criminalization of Children
    Alice Speri 
    New York Schools Gang Unit Pushes the Criminalization of Children
    19 Feb 2020
    A school handbook paints a picture of youth criminality that is steeped in law enforcement lingo and appears to have been written by police rather than educators.
  • Black Agenda Radio for Week of February 17, 2020
    Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
    Black Agenda Radio for Week of February 17, 2020
    18 Feb 2020
    US Must Build Housing on a Bigger Scale than the New Deal
  • Mumia Marks Release of Chuck Africa
    Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
    Mumia Marks Release of Chuck Africa
    18 Feb 2020
    The nation’s best known political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal, was jubilant at the release of Chuck Africa, at 59 the last of the Move 9 members to leave prison after conviction
  • Free All Political Prisoners Including Julian Assange
    Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
    Free All Political Prisoners Including Julian Assange
    18 Feb 2020
    Julian Assange must be set free, like all the other political prisoners of US Empire,” said BAR executive editor Glen Ford.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us