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


  • BAR Book Forum: Sharla Fett on “Recaptured Africans”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Sharla Fett on “Recaptured Africans”
    13 Mar 2019
    The illegal slave trade continued right up to the Civil War, requiring US authorities to “recapture” and then expel the human cargo.
  • Bernie Sanders and Black Democratic Primary Voters
    Ryan Grim
    Bernie Sanders and Black Democratic Primary Voters
    13 Mar 2019
    Bernie Sanders is slightly more popular among black Democratic voters than white ones.
  • Denver Teachers’ Strike Was a Rejection of Education ‘Reform’
    Jeff Bryant
    Denver Teachers’ Strike Was a Rejection of Education ‘Reform’
    13 Mar 2019
    Teachers in the school district that was supposed to be the model for education reform just rebelled—and won.
  • The Fight for Justice Takes Its Toll on Ferguson Activists
    Joe Penny
    The Fight for Justice Takes Its Toll on Ferguson Activists
    13 Mar 2019
    Activists keep winding up dead under questionable circumstances, but Black St. Louis is a stressful and violent place.
  • Study Finds Racial Gap Between Who Causes Air Pollution And Who Breathes It
    Jonathan Lambert
    Study Finds Racial Gap Between Who Causes Air Pollution And Who Breathes It
    13 Mar 2019
    Air pollution is disproportionately caused by white Americans' consumption of goods and services, but disproportionately inhaled by blacks and Hispanics. 
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us