The London Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice hosted a community read of Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” on February 12, 2025, both in person and on Zoom. Dr. Gary Bailey, director of the graduate social work program, moderated the event, and former State Representative from the ninth Suffolk district Byron Rushing was invited to speak at the event.
This was the third annual “Reading Douglass Together” event at Simmons. Few people came in person, however, many faculty and staff attended online.
Bailey opened the event by mentioning that this is one of his favorite events each year, and that he “can’t think of a better moment than now to do this.”
In an interview with the Voice, Bailey said that he decided to moderate the event because Frederick Douglass is a hero and someone he always respected, and that this was an opportunity as a social worker to join in the abolition of racism, and to change the false narrative.
“Black history is American history, it’s the telling of a story of a narrative,” he added, “it is often not talked about, in favor of white, Christian, Protestant history.”
At the beginning of the event, Bailey asked Rushing if Douglass is as relevant today as to which he responded simply that, along with still being relevant, he “wished he never died.”
“When we talk about ‘revolutionary’ people, they were only revolutionary for the white people, no one else,”said Rushing.
He also emphasized how optimistic Douglass was, despite the harsh reality. He told the crowd that in this world today, we need to hold onto optimism.
After participants on Zoom and at the in person event took turns reciting sections of the speech and volunteers shared thoughts and feelings, connecting the speech to the country’s current political situation.
Director of the London Center for Community Engagement Meghan Doran reflected in a statement to the Voice, “Each year we’ve had amazing speakers who help bring rich insight into the meaning of this speech in the present, and Byron Rushing’s meditations on Douglass’ optimism this year were no different.” She said her favorite part, though, was hearing the speech through the voices of the Simmons community.
“It is not always our largest event of the year,” Doran said, “but it is certainly one of the most meaningful.”
