Hope in the Ever-Living Now
Writers Respond to Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” – a virtual program of PVDFest Ideas
The City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism and PPL, in partnership with Langston Hughes Community Poetry Reading, present “Hope in the Ever-living Now: Writers Respond to Frederick Douglass's 'What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?'” a live virtual event featuring new works of poetry, prose, and creative writing for performance in response to Frederick Douglass’s 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' The work has been performed countless times in the 169 years since its debut, often in the days following Independence Day celebrations, offering a contemplative counterpoint to lively barbecues and fireworks displays. Douglass, the famous abolitionist who freed himself from slavery, originally delivered his speech to the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester, New York on July 5, 1852, a time during which the United States was embroiled in debate over slavery. This event is presented as part of PVDFest Ideas 2021: Commemoration and Legacy.