Michigan State University is celebrating the life and legacy of renowned 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass and inviting the public to join the festivities for the annual Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon on Friday, Feb. 13, from noon to 3 p.m. The event will take place in the MSU Main Library’s Digital Scholarship Lab Classroom and Flex Space, with portions of the program streamed live on YouTube.
This marks the third consecutive year MSU has hosted a Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon, a nationwide event during which thousands of people at more than 100 locations across the country work side-by-side to create new, freely available digital resources about Black history. The event is held annually around Feb. 14, Douglass’ chosen birthdate, as he never knew the actual date of his birth. In 1838, at the age of 20, Douglass escaped slavery and went on to become a leading voice for human and civil rights. He is one of the most prominent Black thinkers and anti-slavery advocates in American history.
“The Frederick Douglass Transcribe-a-thon will surely be an engaging and educational event for all participants,” said Erik Ponder, MSU Libraries African and African American Studies Librarian. “MSU Libraries is excited to host this event once again and to work and connect with students and scholars across the country on this day of collective action. The transcribe-a-thon has become a major event on our Black History Month calendar.”
Coordinated by the Center for Black Digital Research at Penn State University, Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thons have been held annually since 2017. This celebration brings individuals together nationwide to learn about Black history and culture while helping make historical records more accessible. Each year, a different project is selected for transcription.
This year, participants will transcribe a vast collection of records from the Colored Conventions Project, a digital humanities initiative and archive that focuses on 19th-century Black grassroots organizing and political activity centered on “Rights for All” in the United States and Canada. Transcribe-a-thon participants will help make these documents searchable so that others can find and learn about the people who came together to push for equal rights.
“We are inspired by the work accomplished over the past decade from the Colored Conventions Project team. They have uncovered documents that show how political organizing took place against the grain and at the ground level all across the country,” said Kristen Mapes, Interim Director of Digital Humanities in MSU’s College of Arts & Letters. “On Friday, we get to see those primary sources and uncover the people who, just like us, came together to advocate for a better future.”
Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thons are part of Love Data Week, a five-day annual international celebration aimed at raising global awareness of data research, management, and reuse. This year’s Love Data Week takes place at MSU and around the world from Feb. 9 to 13.
The Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon at Michigan State University is co-sponsored by the MSU College of Arts & Letters Digital Humanities Program, MSU College of Law, and MSU Libraries. Those who wish to participate are welcome to stop by at any time during the event. While registration is not required, participants are encouraged to register on the MSU Libraries event page. Transcribing will be done on Zooniverse.org, a citizen science platform led by a consortium of universities and museums based at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. No previous experience or special skills are needed.
In honor of Frederick Douglass’ birthday, lunch and a celebratory cake will be provided for all participants. A wide range of dietary needs will be accommodated.
For more information, visit the ”Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon: A Day of Collective Action for Black History” web page on the MSU Libraries website.
By Kim Popiolek
