On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a keynote address at an Independence Day celebration at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. It was a scathing speech in which Douglass stated, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.” Even though his words spoke directly to his moment in history, they still ring with an unsettling power today.
Coordinated by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, communities across the state will join in a simultaneous reading of Douglass’ most famous speech. Members of the public will take turns reading parts of the speech until they’ve read all of it, together.
This reading took place in Lebanon NH, July 3rd 2019
