Press Release
On Sunday, February 4, the New Bedford Historical Society is hosting the Twenty First Annual Community Read-a-thon of the first autobiography of Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave written by Himself (1845).
This event is being held in celebration of Black History Month and honors Douglass as a New Bedford resident, one of the great men of the 19th century, and an early advocate for African American civil rights and the human rights of women and Native peoples.
In addition to the reading, we will celebrate the birthday of Douglass on February 14 with gifts of the Douglass statue maquette to the Frederick Douglass Academy at Alma del Mar school and to the New Bedford Free Public Library. The statue was commissioned by the New Bedford Historical Society for the newly designated Abolition Row Historic District and Abolition Row Park. The chairperson for the event this year is Carl Cruz.
The Annual Read-a-thon is a celebration of the historical connection between the people of New Bedford and the young Frederick Douglass. Douglass found his way to New Bedford through the Underground Railroad as a 20-year-old freedom seeker in the fall of 1838. He earned his first paid wages as a free man gathering and putting away coal for the minister of the First Unitarian Church, Ephraim Peabody. Douglass cast his first vote as a free man in elections in the city. Douglass and his wife, Anna Murray Douglass were city residents for 5 years, during which time they began their married life and started their family. New Bedford provided freedom and a stimulating environment of ideas that afforded Douglass the opportunity to develop his skills as an abolitionist and civil rights activist to work for the end of slavery in the U.S.
We invite members of the New Bedford community to join the event as readers in this celebration of the life and legacy of one of New Bedford’s great men. The Read-a-thon will be held on Sunday, February 4th, from 2:00–6 p.m., at the First Unitarian Church, 71 Eighth Street in New Bedford, MA. Refreshments will be available. For additional information, please contact the Society at (508) 979-8828.
The New Bedford Historical Society is a non-profit organization that preserves and celebrates the heritage of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Native Americans, West Indians and other people of color in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
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