The Marion Art Center is partnering with the Marion Community Center and Tri-Town Against Racism to present a public reading of Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? The event will take place on Saturday, July 1 at 1:00 pm at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center located at 465 Mill Street, Marion. A group discussion will follow the event, and light refreshments will be served. The MAC is recruiting participants from the SouthCoast region to participate in a group recitation of an abridged version of the famous speech, which will take approximately 50 minutes. The collaborators aim to assemble a group of 15 to 30 people representing myriad races, ethnicities, genders, ages, abilities and backgrounds that reflect the diversity found across the SouthCoast region and the country. Participants will be reading this speech from a document, so no memorization is required. Participants should have a strong speaking voice and be available for at least two rehearsals prior to the performance. Interested persons should contact MAC board member Jack Boesen. Find contact info and learn more at marionartcenter.org/rfdt-2023.