SWAMPSCOTT — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell will visit Swampscott this week to help bring Frederick Douglass’ words to life, joining in a public reading of his 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” 

Campbell is one of over 50 people participating in “Reading Frederick Douglass Together” on July 2. Originally scheduled for Town Hall Lawn, the event has been moved to Swampscott High School. The event is sponsored by the Swampscott and Nahant historical societies in partnership with the Swampscott Recreation Department, S.U.R.E. Diversity, and the Swampscott Public Library. It begins at 4 p.m.

For Campbell, the event is about more than honoring one of the nation’s most influential voices for abolition and equality. She said Douglass’ words continue to speak to Americans today, challenging them to confront history honestly while inspiring them to shape the country’s future. 

“I’m excited to attend the event, and to participate in the reading of one of the most incredible American speeches,” Campbell said. “[Douglass] was an absolute American hero. Someone who, at a time of tremendous oppression, marginalization, and terror, kept moving forward, kept standing up, kept speaking and preaching.” 

Originally delivered at an Independence Day celebration in Rochester, New York, Douglass’s speech challenged Americans to reconcile the national celebration of liberty and justice within the reality of millions who remained enslaved. Campbell said Douglass’ courage continues to shape the country today.

“The speech of course is one reflection of that courage, of that advocacy that would allow me to take my rightful place, including as the first Black woman attorney general of Massachusetts,” she said.

As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Campbell said Douglass’ message serves as a reminder that celebrating American history also requires acknowledging its painful chapters. 

“We should all be proud of the role that Massachusetts played in our nation’s founding, but it’s also important that we tell the full history,” Campbell said. “That Black folks in this country were oppressed, were marginalized, were deemed inferior, and were considered at one point as three-fifths of human beings. And that has devastating ripple effects on this country. And if we want to overcome them, we have to start with the truth.” 

Campbell said reading the speech aloud as a community allows history to become a conversation rather than simply a lesson.

“I have always believed that one learns incredible historical lessons not just within our homes, churches, and schools, but through conversation and storytelling,” she said. “And there’s no better way to share stories than in community and in fellowship.” 

Campbell said she hopes attendees leave encouraged by both Douglass and the people around them.

“We are in some devastating times right now, but we are not powerless,” she said. “He demonstrates that we each have an individual responsibility to step up, to lead … No one can stand on the sidelines if we truly want to reach the ideals that this country stands for. If we truly want our ancestors to be proud of us, this is an opportunity to do something.”

She said community events like this can also provide hope during uncertain times.

“An event like this allows us to channel those emotions, to be honest about them, but then at the same time, to leave feeling full and inspired by our neighbors and, most importantly, by those who came before us,” Campbell said. “So I encourage folks to come out and be a part of it.”