Douglass Day 2019
Douglass Day 2019
DOUGLASS DAY
FEBRUARY 14th, 2019
Douglass Day Registration now open: Sign up to participate.
Join us!
On Valentine’s Day 2019, we invite you to a 201st birthday party for Frederick Douglass. Although Douglass was born into bondage, and never knew his birthdate, he chose to celebrate every year on February 14th. We will commemorate his birthday by reading and discussing Black authored texts by and about Douglass and his wife Anna Douglass.
Douglass Day 2019
This year we have planned to celebrate Douglass Day 2019 with two Read-a-thons.
- 11am to 1pm (EST) at the University of Delaware Morris Library, Room 114
- 4pm to 7pm at the African American Museum of Philadelphia
Both events will be video streamed online. CCP members will be available to talk with you on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll get to work in Delaware and Philadelphia and simultaneous events around the country and abroad. Let’s preserve the long history of Black activism together!
How can I get involved?
1. Sign up to join us online: (sign up form).
2. Download and read the texts:
- Commentary: Address of Hon. Fred. Douglass, delivered before the National Convention of Colored Men In Louisville, KY, 1883, by Frederick Douglass.
- Tribute: My Mother Anna Murray Douglass as I Recall Her, by Rosetta Douglass Sprague (1900).
- Poem: Frederick Douglass, by Robert Hayden (1966).
3. Find a participating location!
4. Order a birthday cake for Frederick Douglass. Bonus points for Black-owned bakeries!
5. Join the social media conversation using #DouglassDay by following CCP:
• Instagram: @colored_conventions
• Twitter: @CCP_org
• Facebook: @ColoredConventionsProject
Download our posters and circulate to your networks via email and social media, or print and post in your schools, libraries, student centers, community groups and more:
• Douglass Day 2019 Poster – image file
• Douglass Day 2019 Poster – PDF file
7. Support or participate in the Douglass Day 2019 Words of Influence Contest for Young Writers for youth ages 13 – 21 in the Greater Philadelphia Region. Download the flyer below.
• FLYER Words of Influence Contest for Young Writers – pdf for email or printing
8. Host a group of your own using our self-contained Organizing Toolkit.
Where does Douglass Day come from?
Douglass Day is a holiday that began around the turn of the 20th century. After the passing of Frederick Douglass in 1895, Black communities across the U.S. gathered to celebrate his birthday every year on February 14th. They celebrated, remembered, and protested against the threat of racial violence and attacks on their civil rights. Douglass Day may have been one of the original inspirations for Black History Month, shaped by Mary Church Terrell and Carter G. Woodson. In 2017, the Colored Conventions Project revived Douglass Day. Over 250 people came together at nine locations across the U.S. to work on Transcribe Minutes. (See our Douglass Day pages for 2017 and 2018)
The African American Museum of Philadelphia
Founded in 1976 in celebration of the nation’s Bicentennial, the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is the first institution funded and built by a major municipality to preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans. Throughout its evolution, the museum has objectively interpreted and presented the achievements and aspirations of African Americans from pre-colonial times to the current day.
AAMP’s Mission
The African American Museum in Philadelphia brings diverse communities together in greater appreciation of the Black experience through the combined narrative of art, culture and historical witness.
DOUGLASS DAY 2019
MEDIA BACKGROUNDER
Read-a-thon events on February 14, 2019 Events
University of Delaware, Morris Library Room 114
181 S. College Ave., Newark, DE
Program runs from 11am to 1pm
African American Museum in Philadelphia, Auditorium
- 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Program runs from 4pm to 7pm
- https://www.aampmuseum.org
Read-a-thons are being self organized across the US and in Ankara, Turkey in the following states:
More than 900 have registered to participate in Alabama California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Ankara, Turkey
Livestream of events via coloredconventions.org/hbd
Who: High school students, college and university students, public library users, museum patrons, student groups, seniors groups, book clubs, amateur historians and genealogists, librarians, archivists, scholars, teachers, scholars, activists, church goers, and other volunteers from Newark, Philadelphia, across the United States, and as far away as Ankara, Turkey.
What: An online and transnational read-a-thon celebration of the works of and about Frederick Douglass, his family and their legacy. See the readings, below.
Commentary: Address of Hon. Fred. Douglass, delivered before the National Convention of Colored Men In Louisville, KY, 1883, by Frederick Douglass.
Tribute: My Mother Anna Murray Douglass as I Recall Her, by Rosetta Douglass Sprague (1900).
Poem: Frederick Douglass, by Robert Hayden (1966).
About
CCP at Univ of Delaware
The Colored Conventions Project archives seventy years of largely Black-authored documents from the colored conventions movement.
From 1830 through the 1890s, Africans in the US and Canada organized for full and equitable political, labour, gender and education opportunities, convening hundreds of highly structured, official conventions.
The meetings were administered through a defined governance structure, with voting on resolutions, drafting of policy, fundraising and the establishment of related societies, committees and chapters at local, regional and national levels.
Frederick Douglass attended more than a dozen conventions over four decades, was a key leader within the movement and one of its most prominent and prolific orators.
CCP Social Media
Twitter = @CCP_org
Facebook = ColoredConventionsProject
Instagram = @colored_conventions
African American Museum of Philadelphia
Founded in 1976 in celebration of the nation’s Bicentennial, the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is the first institution funded and built by a major municipality to preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans. Throughout its evolution, the museum has objectively interpreted and presented the achievements and aspirations of African Americans from pre-colonial times to the current day.
AAMP’s Mission
The African American Museum in Philadelphia brings diverse communities together in greater appreciation of the Black experience through the combined narrative of art, culture and historical witness.
AAMP on Social Media
Twitter: @aampmuseum
Instagram: @aampmuseum
Douglass Day Sponsors
Douglass Day 2019 has generously supported by:
The African American Museum in Philadelphia, the University of Delaware’s College of Arts and Sciences, the office of the Vice-Provost of Diversity and Inclusion, the Center for Black Culture, Morris Library and the Department of Africana Studies, AARP Delaware and AARP Philadelphia, and the Bethel AME Wilmington Choir.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are we transcribing archival documents on Douglass Day 2019?
A: No. For Douglass Day 2019 we are holding a Read-a-thon. Details can be found here.
Q: Why are we doing a read-a-thon instead of transcribing in 2019?
A: This year we want to continue the Douglass Day celebration with a focus on his own work and life, including the stories of his family, and the context of the Colored Conventions.
Through a read-a-thon we also want to emphasize collective activities that support literacy, connecting those same actions from the nineteenth century to today.
For Douglass Day 2020 we are planning a transcribe-a-thon of the Anna Julia Cooper archives as well as some of the writing of Mary Ann Shadd Cary. We will announce more about that in 2019.
Q: What is a read-a-thon?
A: A read-a-thon is a challenge to read a number of texts around a theme or for a purpose.
For Douglass Day 2019, the theme is Frederick Douglass’ life and legacy. We are reading one of his addresses to a Colored Convention in 1883, and a speech written by his daughter, Rosetta Douglass Sprague, as a tribute to her mother, Anna Murray Douglass.
Q: How do we do the readings?
A: Reading can happen alone or in organized groups and with discussions. These can be similar to a book club meeting or a reading group at a school or a library.
Q: How can I participate in the Read-a-thon for Douglass Day 2019?
A: There are several ways to participate.
You can participate as an individual reading at your own leisure before the date.
For the Feb. 14, 2019 collective read-a-thon, you can join an organized group or create your own group in advance, you can come to the University of Delaware or to the African American Museum of Philadelphia on the date, or… you can join us online.
To participate, you will need to complete our Registration Form.
Q: What will we be reading for the Douglass Day 2019 Read-a-thon?
A: We will be reading three texts: A speech, a letter and a poem. You can download them at the links below.
- Commentary
- Tribute
- Poem
Q: Do I have to read all of the texts?
A: No. Read as much or as little as you like. We recommend that you read in advance of the Feb. 14th Douglass Day Celebration so that you can join in the discussion on the day.
Q: Will we be reading the texts on Douglass Day, Feb. 14th?
A: No. on February 14, 2019 we will be discussing the readings, their meaning, context, style and significance for Douglass Day.
To make the most of the Douglass Day 2019 experience, we encourage people to read the texts in advance – especially with other people, and reading aloud wherever possible. These texts were meant to be read aloud or shared through speech.
Q: I hear there is a contest for young people to participate in the Read-a-Thon and submit their own writing?
A: Yes. The “Douglass Day 2019 Words of Influence Contest” is restricted to youth ages 10 to 21 years old who reside in the greater Philadelphia area. The deadline is January 31, 2019.
Please see more information about this contest at https://www.aampmuseum.org
• FLYER Words of Influence Contest for Young Writers – pdf for email or printing
Q: How do I organize my own Douglass Day 2019 Read-a-thon group or activity?
A: We’ve got you covered! Please see our Douglass Day 2019 Read-a-thon Guide.