By Janice K. Neal-Vincent, Ph.D.,
Contributing Writer,
Born enslaved in Maryland, Frederick Douglass later escaped to freedom and emerged as “the greatest orator of his day.” His provocative oratorical skills left many mesmerized that he had been in bondage. This towering freedom proponent fought against slavery, influenced many for the right to be free, and was highly respected.
Douglass – a pacesetter – is most famous for his oration, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” On July 5, 1852, the speaker fervently delivered his address at a meeting organized by the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. He stressed his dissatisfaction with the United States for falsifying American values like liberty, citizenship, and freedom that were not granted to enslaved Blacks who were unwillingly transported to the country during the Atlantic Slave Trade. Churches, he charged, were religiously hypocritical while distorting God’s word, betraying their own biblical and Christian values, and stripping away the rights and liberties of others.
What does Duck Hill, MS have to do with Douglass? It links him through a gathering based upon the 1937 lynching of Roosevelt “Red” Townes and Robert “Bootjack” McDaniels. Part of a broader movement led by a nonprofit organization, Mississippi2, in preservation of suppressed Black historians, intergenerational dialogue and building pathways to justice and community restoration, are key elements for healing. Thus, the Civil Rights Movement – a movement that is not over until all persons are free – from Douglass’s unwavering courage – has been instrumental in racial reconciliation.
Mississippi2 hosted “From Douglass to Duck Hill” in Jackson, MS at Fondren Presbyterian Church, 3220 Old Canton Road Saturday, July 5, 2025 – 173 years since Douglass delivered his stinging oration before a powerful gathering to bridge history, healing, and hope. The legacy of racial violence and the sacred call for truth-telling in America were explored.
According to Talamieka Brice (Mississippi2’s CEO), the occasion alerted the public “of the very real and historic divide between the African American and white American experience, to dive into the wedge that’s always been there and to further explore a path forward with that knowledge.”
A poetic invocation set the tone for memory and justice. Viewers and participants were reminded of Douglass’s searing words regarding liberty. They were challenged to reflect on what it means to live in a land where blood has been spilled and sanctified into the soil.
Featured speakers and artists braided a narrative of pain and possibility, acknowledging that the soil in places like Duck Hill is not just dirt. Rather, it is also festered with memory, sacrifice, and unresolved trauma. Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. – professor at Princeton University and the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of African American Studies – emphasized how the spilled blood of lynching victims cries out from the soil for acknowledgment and repair, and that America must face the moral reckoning to move forward.
Wright Thompson – author and ESPN Writer – urged the audience to confront the stories buried beneath our feet while reflecting on the Miss. landscape as both a witness and participant in history. On the other hand, Robert P. Jones – author of “White Too Long” – pensively examined racial violence. He examined the theological and cultural complicity in racial violence, thereby underscoring the need for truth as a precondition for healing.
Vocal, troubled voices interconnected the past to the present. Ramel Cotton fired up participants with excerpts from Douglass’s eloquent addresses which linked his prophetic voice to the struggles of today. The audience was moved by Laurie Walker Hall’s soul-stirring rendition of “Trouble of the World” which evoked the pain and resilience of generations past. Azia Cimone sang a memorable, haunting version of “Strange Fruit” that reminded attendees of the terror and beauty embedded in the Black American experience. Hearts were lifted with Henry Rhodes’ version of “A Change is Gonna Come” which offered a hopeful refrain for the future we are called to build.
“From Douglass to Duck Hill” culminated in a ritual of healing and commitment, where participants gathered red, white, and blue sands into a communal jar, symbolizing a reimagined America built on truth and shared responsibility. Jars of soil from the Duck Hill lynching site were offered to participants as sacred reminders of the blood that consecrates the ground. “More than an event,” voiced Brice,” [we were called] to remember, to reconcile, and to build a future worthy of those whose blood nourished the soil beneath us.”
Brice’s nonprofit Mississippi2 was founded to amplify marginalized voices and to preserve cultural memory through visual storytelling, historical education, and community healing. The organization uses art, history, and community engagement to confront hard truths while also creating space for hope and transformation. Focusing especially on uplifting Black women’s voices, honest dialogue is sparked, and communities are enticed to heal from the legacies of racial violence and social injustice. To learn more, visit www.brice-media.com, or contact Talamieka Brice, CEO, at 601-790-0259 or 601-813-6161.
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