Swampscott Frederick Douglass Event Moved Due To Extreme Heat Wave

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The annual reading of Frederick Douglass' 1852 speech, "What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?" has been moved indoors because of the extreme heat wave on Thursday.

The event will still be held from 4 to 7 p.m., but will now be held inside Swampscott High School. It was previously scheduled for the Town Hall lawn.

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There will still be free ice cream, family activities, and voter registration. The event is being organized by Swampscott S.U.R.E. Diversity and partner groups, which have invited residents and their families to attend. Food trucks will no longer be part of the program.

The annual gathering will again feature more than 40 readers sharing passages from the speech.

The reading is intended to help the community reflect on the birth of the nation and on ideals that people continue to pursue.

The reading is intended to help attendees reflect "on the birth of our nation, and also on the great ideals we continue to strive toward and the hope for prosperity for all that we share for the future."

In addition to the reading, organizers said attendees can expect the food trucks, free ice cream and family activities during the three-hour program, along with voter registration.