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 Venezuelan General Addresses Troops
    Mekim-na-Save Projek , Seu Jornal -- Rede TVT
    Venezuela’s (very Black) Top General Addresses Troops
    27 Feb 2019
    General Suarez Chourio, Commande-in-Chief of the Venezuelan Army, urg
  • Freedom Rider: Venezuela Reveals America’s Sickness
    Margaret Kimberley , BAR editor and senior columnist
    Freedom Rider: Venezuela Reveals America’s Sickness
    27 Feb 2019
    The Democrats agree with Trump that Venezuelans have no rights that need be respected by the United States.
  • Bezos’ Banishment and the Limits of Austerity
    Danny Haiphong , BAR contributor
    Bezos’ Banishment and the Limits of Austerity
    27 Feb 2019
    The richest man in the world is not the smartest, but even if he was he couldn’t save the system from its contradictions.
  • San Francisco Shocked by Heroic Public Defender's Sudden Death and Police Response
    Ann Garrison , BAR contributor
    San Francisco Shocked by Heroic Public Defender's Sudden Death and Police Response
    27 Feb 2019
    The aftermath of a crusading public defender's sudden death has shocked and disturbed critics of the criminal justice system.
  • Black Women Pushed Down By Long History of Bias
    Nina Banks
    Black Women Pushed Down By Long History of Bias
    27 Feb 2019
    Black women have the longest history in the labor force, but reap the least rewards. “Black families are more reliant on women’s incomes than other families.”
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us