The fiery speech delivered by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852, should have melted the hearts and minds of his listeners. What hardness could stand before the flame of Douglass’ words? I urge you to read the speech in its entirety; it is a masterpiece of faith in the face of unimaginable circumstances. His efforts were not in vain. By 1865, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery.
Why is Douglass’ speech relevant today? I believe our nation remains in the shadows of slavery, of its declared message that blacks were not human, not capable of learning. (Don’t you wonder why whites were so determined that slaves not learn to read or write?) Douglass was frequently accused of not authoring his many works because it was outside the white experience that blacks would perform exceptionally. Today, we find select charter schools with low income students far outperforming most public schools. Why? We know what to do: provide high expectations, qualified teachers, a growth mindset, and small class size.
Why are we still waiting for nationwide success of all our children? Do we really believe that black kids can succeed? Do black kids believe they can succeed? Black Stanford undergrads scored measurably worse on tests when asked to record their race or told that the test measured intellectual ability. We can do better. We must do better because we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all children are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.