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


  • Alan MacLeod
    From Fight the Power to Work for It: Chuck D, Public Enemy and How the CIA Neutralized Rap
    28 Aug 2024
    Chuck D was once seen as a rapper with the politics to back up his lyrics. But in recent years he has thrown his hat in the ring with the Department of State, acting as a willing agent of the U.S.…
  • Ashon Crawley
    Opinion Op-Ed: Sen. Warnock’s Calls For Justice And Equality vs. His Legislative Record
    28 Aug 2024
    Listening to his speech at the Democratic National Convention, contradictions emerged.
  • Black Agenda Radio
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio August 23, 2024
    23 Aug 2024
    This week, we hear from the co-authors of a new book about the growth of militarized policing facilities. Also, we revisit commentary from 2018, which explains that Washington’s support for apartheid…
  • Bwa Kayiman ceremony
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Bwa Kayiman and the Haitian Revolution
    23 Aug 2024
    Dahoud Andre, with KOMOKODA, joins us for a conversation about Bwa Kayiman, the ceremony that launched the Haitian revolution, and its lasting legacy.
  • Beyond Cop Cities
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Beyond Cop Cities: Dismantling State and Corporate-Funded Armies and Prisons
    23 Aug 2024
    Joy James and Kalonji Changa join us to talk about their new book, Cop Cities: Dismantling State and Corporate-Funded Armies and Prisons, which examines militarized policing illustrated by the…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us