Martha's Vineyard Inkwell Beach to Hold Independence Day Public Reading Of Frederick Douglass Speech

Renaissance House Retreat for Writers & Artists has invited the public and volunteer readers to participate in the 17th annual free dramatic reading of Frederick Douglass' powerful speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" on July 4 at 11:00 a.m. at Martha's Vineyard's historic Inkwell Beach in Oak Bluffs.

Volunteer readers are requested to arrive by 10:30 a.m. The reading performance begins at 11:00 a.m. The public is invited to attend. Martha's Vineyard Community Television (MVTV) will tape the presentation for a special broadcast on July 4th evening.

Readers of all ages are invited to help bring the words of Frederick Douglass to life. Each volunteer reader will recite different sections of the 10,000-plus word address Douglass wrote during American slavery in 1852. Although it's been 171 years since Frederick Douglass delivered his Fourth of July speech at a convention in Rochester, New York, the message is especially resonating during today's turbulent political era.

The director-editor-producer of Renaissance House's annual Frederick Douglass speech is Makani Themba, a writer and social justice innovator in the field of change communications and narrative strategy. 

“Douglass spoke these truths to power more than 170 years ago and it is still incredibly fresh,” said Themba.  “It's this masterful articulation of the intersections between structural racism, culture, individual choice, and the inherent violence in systems that place profit over people.  I think that's why this speech continues to engage us generation after generation.

 Lifelong Martha's Vineyard summer resident, Abigail McGrath, the founder of Renaissance House Retreat for Writers & Artists, created this community reading on the beach to celebrate the continuing impact of Frederick Douglass. “By reading Frederick Douglass' powerful speech at Inkwell Beach, a historically Black swimming area, the emotions and not-so-hidden agenda resonates with a powerful punch. Having it read by the people in the community heightens the relevancy even more,” said McGrath. “Renaissance House is pleased to partner with Martha's Vineyard Community Television to bring this important, historic speech to television viewers.”

Volunteer readers are requested to arrive by 10:30a.m. The reading begins at 11:00a.m. The public is invited to attend the performance.

About Renaissance House Retreat for Writers and Artists

Renaissance House is a nonprofit writers and artists retreat sponsored by the Helene Johnson and Dorothy West Foundation, which was founded in 2000 by Abigail McGrath, an author, playwright and filmmaker. It was inspired by Dorothy West, the author of the award-winning novel and film The Wedding, and her poet cousin Helene Johnson (McGrath's mother) who were acclaimed writers during the Harlem Renaissance. McGrath was the inspiration for the novel The Wedding. Renaissance House provides writers and other artists with a subsidized retreat away from life's responsibilities and the space in which to create new works of art. It is one of the few retreats designed for issue-oriented writers, writers of color and writers of social justice.