Reading period access: From April 30 to May 14, access to the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center and the Fisher Fine Arts Library will be limited to PennCard holders and other Penn affiliates. Find more information.

Douglass Day 2023

Celebrating 19th-Century Black Achievement

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February 14, 2023, 12:00pm - 3:00pm
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Orrery Pavilion, Kislak Center, 6th Floor Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
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Open to the Public

Hosted by: Kislak Center

Photograph of Frederick Douglass, Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Papers, University of Pennsylvania Archives

Douglass Day is a celebration of 19th-century Black achievement held annually on February 14th, the day Frederick Douglass chose to celebrate his birthday. Each year communities gather at universities and colleges across the country to transcribe documents and help create new and freely available resources for learning about Black history. This year, the focus will be on transcribing the papers of Mary Ann Shadd Cary, African American activist, teacher, writer, and lawyer.

Join us in helping to make these documents accessible online while gathering with community, listening to music, and enjoying desserts from Honeysuckle Provisions, a local, Black-owned café and grocery. A display of antislavery primary sources related to Douglass will be on display in the Lea Library.

Please bring your own laptop, if possible, for transcribing. If you do not have a computer, a limited number of shared devices will be provided.

More information about Douglass Day.

Co-sponsored by the Price Lab for Digital Humanities.

Featured Image: Frederick Douglass, autographed portrait photograph, Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Papers, University of Pennsylvania Archives