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: Nell Painter’s Old in Art School
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Nell Painter’s Old in Art School
    30 May 2018
    “The ideology I’d like to dismantle makes every black person the same as every other black person, assumed to be a man or woman under the age of sixty-five.”
  • BAR Book Forum: Sami Schalk’s Bodyminds Reimagined
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Sami Schalk’s Bodyminds Reimagined
    30 May 2018
    “Concepts of able-mindedness are historically based within gender and racial norms of masculinity and whiteness—with damaging and deadly results for black people.”
  • The Black Alliance for Peace Demands U.S. Out of Africa
    Black Alliance For Peace
    The Black Alliance for Peace Demands U.S. Out of Africa
    30 May 2018
    “We demand that the Congressional Black Caucus take a public stand in opposition to AFRICOM.”
  • In Praise of Blood: The Crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front
    Judi Rever
    In Praise of Blood: The Crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front
    30 May 2018
    “Kabila was always just a creature of the foreign powers underneath him.”
  • Officer Claims He Feared for His Life from Naked, Unfarmed Man
    Gloria Tatum
    Officer Claims He Feared for His Life from Naked, Unarmed Man
    30 May 2018
    “Hill was not aggressive, threatening, or hit anyone.”
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us