Sometimes a merely middling writer knows when the time is right to defer to—get out of the way of — a Knock You Out Writer, the expert kind.
That’s my plan for this blog. I’ll offer just a bit of preamble, context first.
Here’s hoping you had a lovely 4th of July, free of heavy tanks rolling down your street. The weather around here sure has been magnificent, if on the hot side. This is when New England ponds and lakes and rivers become like found gems, sparkling in the sun. We’ve been both kayaking and swimming in the past week – magnificent!
Just spotting a flycatcher on a branch, fully visible in all its markings, doing acrobatics right close to the water, can make a whole afternoon magical.
My 4th was different this year than last in two main ways, both positive. 1) My husband was not away in Texas for two weeks at Episcopal Convention and 2) The distress to our dog was minimal because the fireworks were all quite distant. Phew.
I didn’t miss our local parade; it was modest, but completely perfect. The fire fighting vehicles were in fine form. Still feeling like a newcomer here, I was pleasantly surprised to come upon not just one but two families of friends, watching with their kids.
And on the day before, July 3rd, my husband and I got on his motorcycle to attend a special event that took place at our Town Hall. The building looks handsome, classic, dignified, doesn’t it? Inside it on that day, however, what we heard was nothing short of explosive.
Sponsored by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, it was a Community Reading of a speech by Frederick Douglass, called “What to the American slave is your Fourth of July…” He first presented it on July 5, 1852 in Rochester, NY.
In Hopkinton, my husband and I were among about 20 or so people who, upon entering, agreed to read one or more paragraphs aloud. This was filmed, takes about 50 minutes total. We come to the podium one after another, at around 28 minutes in. I’m partly hidden by the mike; Rob does better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTnZUNYOca0&t=81s
If you prefer to listen to James Earl Jones read the whole thing, here’s a link for that option: https://www.democracynow.org/2019/7/4/what_to_the_american_slave_is
And if you’d rather just read the whole speech, and through that quiet action experience the power that comes from Douglass and lands right within yourself, here’s the text alone: :https://www.thenation.com/article/what-slave-fourth-july-frederick-douglass/
You’re getting the feeling that I hope you’ll take it in somehow. The balanced sentences; the measured gait; the mastery of language; the extensive and polite introduction followed by the unleashing of a cascade of images demonstrating what devastating hypocrisy looks like. The speech is still resonating within me, and I expect it will continue to all summer.
I end by wishing for freedom to ring throughout this land– the one I just recently flew over, coast to coast– on the borders, in the corners and in the heartland too…and knowing that the work so many people are doing to bring this about is never-ending.