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


  • Midwives Could Help Stem Maternal and Infant Death Toll
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Midwives Could Help Stem Maternal and Infant Death Toll
    11 Aug 2020
    Dr Sasha Turner, professor of History at Johns Hopkins University, says more extensive use of midwives would reduce skyrocketing increases in maternal birth difficulties, worldwide
  • Insurance Industry Vital to US Slavery
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Insurance Industry Vital to US Slavery
    10 Aug 2020
    Insuring one’s slave “is actually a better financial decision than insuring other kinds of property,” said Dr Michael Ralph, director of Africana Studies at New York Universit
  • Black Brazilians Hit Hard by Covid-19
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    Black Brazilians Hit Hard by Covid-19
    10 Aug 2020
    Brazil and the US lead the world in coronavirus fatalities, with Blacks in both countries dying disproportionately, said Jaime Amparo Alves, an author and social anthropologis
  • “Black August” Honors Captives of Armed Struggle
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
    “Black August” Honors Captives of Armed Struggle
    10 Aug 2020
    “Black August started in San Quentin to highlight the armed struggle,” said Jihad Abdulmumit, chairperson of the Jericho Movement, which advocates for political prisoners
  • Political Prisoners: “Say Their Names”
    Glen Ford, BAR Executive Editor
    Political Prisoners: “Say Their Names”
    06 Aug 2020
    Unless folks are under the delusion that victory over the “fascists” is imminent, the condition of political prisoners should be a deeply personal, as well as political, concern to all activists.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us