Join us for Newburyport's 8th annual community reading of Frederick Douglass' powerful speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"

An in-person community reading of Frederick Douglass's impassioned 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” will take place on Sunday, July 6, at 10am. Lend your voice to this powerful participatory event.

We will gather near the Garrison statue in Brown Square, Newburyport. Seating is limited - please bring a chair or blanket to the reading.

The reading will be followed by a discussion led by project scholar and historian of the civil rights movement, Jason Sokol.

This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In case of inclement weather, the reading will happen on the same date & time at a nearby indoor location. Registrants will be notified of any change in location. This year's event is being organized by the Friends of William Lloyd Garrison, Museum of Old Newbury and the First Religious Society UU.

About Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was born in 1818 and escaped from slavery in Maryland in 1838. He lived for many years in Massachusetts and at one time worked for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. He delivered the Fourth of July speech on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, to the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. The most celebrated orator of his day, Douglass’ powerful language, resolute denunciations of slavery, and forceful examination of the Constitution challenge us to think about the histories we tell, the values they teach, and if our actions match our aspirations.

The speech being read can be found here: https://www.newburyhistory.org/frederick-douglass-speech-medium

Made possible with support from MassHumanities and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

GRAND EXHIBITION OPENINGS

"Road to Revolution" exhibition. Funded in part by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, in partnership with Museum of Old Newbury, Newburyport Public Library, and Central Congregational Church.

What better time than Winter Solstice to grab a flashlight and join us for a walk through historic Oak Hill Cemetery on the longest night of the year?

To add to the intimacy and atmosphere of darkness, many epitaphs are easiest to read by flashlight. Join noted author and historian Ghlee Woodworth, a 12th generation Newburyport native, and Museum of Old Newbury executive director Bethany Groff Dorau for a nighttime stroll through the historic 1842 Oak Hill Cemetery, final resting place of shipwrecked sailors, sea captains and merchants, architects and photographers, writers and poets, silversmiths and newspaper editors, and adventurers who travelled to the California gold rush. We will visit several Ebenezers, though none of them Scrooges, and toast the longest night with hot cider, cider donuts, and good cheer.

$10 Members - $20 General Admission

Solstice in the Cemetery: Night Walk Through Oak Hill!

Date: Friday Dec 20, 2024

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Oak Hill Cemetery

What better time than Winter Solstice to grab a flashlight and join us for a walk through historic Oak Hill Cemetery on the longest night of the year?

To add to the intimacy and atmosphere of darkness, many epitaphs are easiest to read by flashlight. Join noted author and historian Ghlee Woodworth, a 12th generation Newburyport native, and Museum of Old Newbury executive director Bethany Groff Dorau for a nighttime stroll through the historic 1842 Oak Hill Cemetery, final resting place of shipwrecked sailors, sea captains and merchants, architects and photographers, writers and poets, silversmiths and newspaper editors, and adventurers who travelled to the California gold rush. We will visit several Ebenezers, though none of them Scrooges, and toast the longest night with hot cider, cider donuts, and good cheer.

Get your ticket for the legendary Museum of Old Newbury Members' Holiday Party! Check your membership status (call us and we'll gladly check for you), and come back to sign up on November 10!

Join your fellow members of the Museum of Old Newbury for a special evening in the 1808 Cushing House. Stroll through the glittering, decorated rooms of this grand home at twilight.

Then, grab a hot cider or an Ipswich Ale and head out to the decorated courtyard to enjoy a view of the c.1810 Carriage House.

The Portermen, Newburyport's own sea shanty and traditional music singers, and a fabulous hot jazz band will perform in the lecture hall, the courtyard, and the c.1810 Carriage House.

Enjoy festive drinks, appetizers, desserts, and good cheer as we celebrate the history of our beautiful community.

Admission is free for members of the Museum of Old Newbury. Registration is required and space is limited.

Images courtesy of Bob Watts

Author Kellie Carter Jackson presents 5th Annual William Lloyd Garrison Lecture

NEWBURYPORT – Author and Wellesley College Professor Kellie Carter Jackson will speak on the topic "We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance" in the 5th Annual William Lloyd Garrison Lecture on Sunday, Dec. 8, at Old South Church.

Jackson’s lecture, which is the focus of her new book of the same name, is free and open to the public. It will begin at 3 p.m. at the church, located at 29 Federal St.

The annual Garrison Lecture celebrates the work of crusading newspaper editor William Lloyd Garrison and Black abolitionists from Newburyport. Garrison was born in Newburyport in 1805 and went on to be founder and publisher of “The Liberator” anti-slavery newspaper.

Jackson is the Michael and Denise ’68 Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies and the Chair of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. Her essays have been featured in many publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. She also has been featured in a host interviews or documentaries for Netflix, Apple TV, MSNBC, PBS, Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, and CNN. Besides her book “We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance”, Jackson is author of “Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence (America in the Nineteenth Century).” She is also the host and EP of “You Get a Podcast!” and co-host of the podcast “This Day in Esoteric Political History.”

After the lecture Professor Jackson will be signing books, and Jabberwocky BookShop will have books on hand for sale.

As part of the celebration of Garrison’s legacy, at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, the Black History Initiative and the City of Newburyport will dedicate the new interpretive sign Fighting for Double Victory: Newburyport’s Black Soldiers and Sailors in Brown Square.

The Cousins family and other descendants of veterans featured on the panel will be in attendance for remarks by elected officials, former Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins and William (Billy) Cousins. The dedication will be held near the sign’s location near the veterans plaza on the Green Street side of Brown Square in Newburyport. In addition, Mayor Sean Reardon is expected to proclaim the week of Dec. 4-10 as Human Rights and Anti-Oppression Education Week and the Newburyport Public Library will provide a recommended reading list of books available for adults and children relating to Garrison, the abolitionist movement and racial justice. The Annual William Lloyd Garrison lecture is organized by the independent volunteer Friends of William Lloyd Garrison with help from the Museum of Old Newbury, Old South Presbyterian Church, the Newburyport Black History Initiative, the Newburyport Human Rights Commission, and the PEG Center for Art and Activism.

This lecture series receives support from Mass Humanities, the Mass Cultural Council, the Newburyport Cultural Council, Newburyport Bank, Newburyport Preservation Trust, and the Newburyport Trust Fund Commission

For more online: www.wlgarrison.com.