SPRINGFIELD — The office of Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, the Springfield Library and MassHumanities on Thursday hosted a community reading of the fiery July 5, 1852, speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" in which Frederick Douglass took exception to being asked to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The noontime reading on the steps of City Hall consisted of groups and individuals taking turns reading parts of the speech until they read all of it.
Douglass' speech remains provocative centuries after its initial reading. Thursday's event was intended to open up discourse on race relations and citizenship and raise awareness of the influential role slavery continues to play in our history and national discourse.