Coming To The Table: The Frederick Douglass Project

The Frederick Douglass Project presents dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of speeches by Frederick Douglass for diverse audiences on Zoom as a catalyst for powerful dialogue about the impact of discrimination, racialized violence, structural inequality, and deferred justice upon individuals, families, professionals, and communities. The event will feature a reading by the Emmy Award-winning actor Keith David (Nope, Platoon, The Princess and the Frog) of a speech delivered by Frederick Douglass at the National Convention of Colored Men in Louisville, Kentucky on September 24, 1883, followed by community panelist remarks, and culminating in a guided audience discussion aimed at fostering compassion, understanding, and positive action.

Experience Emmy Award-winning actor Keith David (Nope, Platoon) reading a powerful, little known, 1883 Frederick Douglass Speech that resonates today. Long-time CTTT member Karen Branan (The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia) will respond briefly about ways she and others through Coming to the Table, CRRJ, EJI, etc. are addressing these issues.

Co-presented by Theater of War Productions, the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture, and the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State in collaboration with the Colored Conventions Project and Douglass Day at the Center for Black Digital Research at Penn State.

Directed and facilitated by Bryan Doerries. Co-facilitated by Dominic Dupont.

Recordings will be provided to participants and available on the website after February 8. Douglass speech will also be available on the Theater of War website.