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


  • Black Agenda Report’s 13th Anniversary: An Evening of Information and Inspiration for Liberation, and a Tribute to Co-Founder Bruce Dixon
    The BAR Team
    Black Agenda Report’s 13th Anniversary: An Evening of Information and Inspiration for Liberation, and a Tribute to Co-Founder Bruce Dixon
    11 Sep 2019
    Every year presents new challenges to those struggling for human liberation.
  • Devil got a Donor
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Devil got a Donor
    11 Sep 2019
    The Devil got a donor—a real high roller! The Devil’s donor base blew up  like it caught the mumps from this true believer in big Capital projects:
  • Which Way Out of Neoliberalism: Fascism or Socialism? 
    Danny Haiphong , BAR contributor
    Which Way Out of Neoliberalism: Fascism or Socialism? 
    11 Sep 2019
    Without self-determination, socialism becomes an economistic demand that fails to account for imperial rule.
  • 3rd International Trade Union Forum: Comments from Ajamu Baraka
    Ajamu Baraka , BAR editor and columnist
    3rd International Trade Union Forum: Comments from Ajamu Baraka
    11 Sep 2019
    There can be no workers’ rights without peace and social justice. “War and militarism are class issues.”
  • They Survived Solitary Confinement. Now They’re Fighting to End It.
    Victoria Law
    They Survived Solitary Confinement. Now They’re Fighting to End It.
    11 Sep 2019
    On any given day, 80,000 people are locked in solitary confinement in US prisons and jails.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us