The theme of this year’s reading will be the burden of the past and the legacy of oppression. Frederick Douglass visited Sudbury on at least two occasions. One visit in the 1860s was with his friend, abolitionist Israel Howe Brown, which was, by all accounts, a pleasant visit. Not the same can be said of an earlier visit in 1844, of which Douglass said, in a letter to William Lloyd Garrison dated March 6 of the same year:

Monday, I came to this place; of all the dark places in Massachusetts, this is the darkest…It was impossible to get us a meeting in this place. The clergy here bare almost entire sway. They decide for the people what they shall hear, and what they shall not hear. Each of the ministers of this place devoted a good part of the last Sabbath in warning their congregations against attending our meeting! The consequence is, that a mob is threatened, if we should attempt to hold the meeting according to notice. We should not, however, be intim[id]ated by that, if we could get the people out. But this we cannot do, and must, therefore, pass this place by, at least for the present. [bold emphasis added]

In 1844, Douglass felt unwelcome, and many others have had similar, unpleasant experiences since his visit. Sudbury, like many New England towns, views itself as a “nice” place with “nice” people, and yet, there have been many situations, past and present, where people of color have felt unwelcome, and some still feel unwelcome today. The overarching essential question for this event will be, What does belonging mean to me? Attendees who participate in the art activity after the reading will be asked to reflect on this and the following questions: 

• Can a community make up for past injustice? 

• How does a community create a sense of belonging for all?

• Do you recall an experience of feeling as if you did not belong based on where you came from or how you identify?