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
03 Jul 2024
🖨️ Print Article

Black Agenda Radio · "What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" read by Ossie Davis
As we grow closer to the Fourth of July, BAR once again shares this piece - a reading of "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" read by Ozzie 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
Frederick Douglass
July 4th

Related Podcasts

Gerald Horne
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Gerald Horne Discusses His Book "The Capital of Slavery: Washington DC 1800 - 1865"
27 June 2025
Dr. Gerald Horne is an author and historian who currently holds the John J.
Black Agenda Radio
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio March 7, 2025
07 March 2025
In this week’s segment we discuss the continued genocide in Gaza despite the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Rikers Island
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Rikers Island, Slave Catching, and the Modern Carceral State
07 March 2025
Darren Mack is co-founder and co-director of Freedom Agenda, an organization devoted to d

More Stories


  • The U.S. is Already Preparing for the Next War
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    The U.S. is Already Preparing for the Next War
    18 Jan 2023
    U.S. threats to China are very public and come straight from the horse's mouth of military brass, think tanks, and former officials. Wars may end in Afghanistan but continue in Ukraine or Taiwan.
  • For my Niece (and Me)
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    For my Niece (and Me)
    18 Jan 2023
                                                         
  •  BAR Book Forum: El Jones’s Book, “Abolitionist Intimacies”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: El Jones’s Book, “Abolitionist Intimacies”
    18 Jan 2023
    This week’s featured author is El Jones. Jones is a poet, journalist, professor and activist living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She teaches at Mount Saint Vincent University, where she was named the…
  • White Supremacy
    Jemima Pierre , Aisha M. Beliso-De Jesús
    White Supremacy
    18 Jan 2023
    White supremacy should not be identified solely with self-proclaimed white nationalists. It is a centuries old, international, economic, and political system that cannot be eradicated with…
  • Masterminding Somalia's Misrule
    Dr. Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad
    Masterminding Somalia's Misrule
    18 Jan 2023
    Dr. Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad is a Somali Kenyan and Kenyan citizen. He is the Executive Director of the Institute for Horn of Africa Studies and a specialist in political science, conflict…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us