Community Reading Of Frederick Douglass 4th of July Speech

NATICK, MA — A community reading of the Frederick Douglass speech "What, To The Slave, Is The Fourth Of July" will take place Saturday in Natick, and organizers are seeking volunteers to help read it.

Douglass, the most prominent abolitionist of his era, first delivered the speech on July 4, 1852, in Rochester, N.Y. It was considered a radical act at the time because it criticized the 76-year-old nation for its refusal to end slavery while celebrating the freedom that the American Revolution brought.

"The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me," Douglass said. "The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn."

The Natick reading will begin at 12:30 p.m. and should last about one hour. The group Massachusetts Standing Up for Racial Justice is sponsoring the reading.