From Douglass to Duck Hill, The Bridging of two America’s

From Douglass to Duck Hill is a public-facing racial healing and remembrance event designed to engage Mississippians in a deeper understanding of the legacy of racial violence and the urgent need for historical reckoning. Timed strategically the day after Independence Day, this gathering anchors itself in Frederick Douglass’ iconic speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”, and connects it to the 1937 lynching of Roosevelt “Red” Townes and Robert “Bootjack” McDaniels in Duck Hill, Mississippi—one of the most publicly documented lynchings in U.S. history.

Through a combination of virtual keynote addresses, live music, historical readings, documentary excerpts, and a sacred soil ceremony, the event seeks to educate, honor, and heal. It is part of a broader movement led by Mississippi2 to preserve suppressed Black histories, foster intergenerational dialogue, and build pathways to justice and community restoration.