We invite you to a birthday party for Frederick Douglass. Although Douglass was born into bondage, and never knew his birthdate, he chose to celebrate every year on February 14th.

Join us either virtually in Zoom (register at https://myumi.ch/Prn1k) or onsite in the Hatcher Gallery Lab to celebrate creating and preserving Black history together. 

This year, Douglass Day celebrates the life and activism of Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893). She was one of the earliest Black women to edit a newspaper, serve as a Civil War recruiter, attend law school, and so much more. Help us transcribe documents from Shadd Cary's long and fascinating life to enrich several newly digitized collections at Archives of Ontario and Libraries and Archives Canada.

Join us for three events! 

1. First, a keynote address to kick off the festivities at 1:00 pm with Ozi Uduma, assistant curator of Global Contemporary Art at the University of Michigan Museum of Art 

Followed by these concurrent events, which start around 1:30 pm:

2. a transcribe-a-thon of the papers of Mary Ann Shadd Cary
3. an arts and crafts session to make valentines for Black women activists

We hope you can join us for all three events, but feel free to attend what your time allows. The keynote, transcribe-a-thon, and arts and crafts session will all be available both in-person and on Zoom.