This month, the Michigan State University Libraries, MSU College of Arts & Letters, and MSU College of Law are partnering to celebrate the birthday of renowned 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass with an event focused on helping to transcribe the Library of Congress’ African American Perspectives Collection.
To commemorate the life and legacy of Douglass, who is widely considered the most important Black American leader of the 19th century, the public is invited to the Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon at MSU on Friday, Feb. 14, from noon to 3 p.m. in the MSU Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Lab Classroom with a live stream also available on YouTube.
Participants will help transcribe the more than 800 titles included in the African American Perspectives Collection at the Library of Congress. This collection offers a wide-ranging look at Black history and culture through prominent figures like Douglass, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Booker T. Washington. The collection has been digitized and transcriptions will be made available through collaborations with the Library of Congress and its By the People platform.
“This is the second year MSU Libraries will be hosting the nationally held Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon, and we are looking forward to not only engaging with the university community but also with the broader community,” said Erik Ponder, MSU Libraries African and African American Studies Librarian. “This event is a perfect Black History Month activity for both old and young scholars. This year, we will be working with the African American Perspectives Collection at the Library of Congress. Come and engage with the materials, have fun discovering new historical voices, and learn more about this great collection.”
“This event is a perfect Black History Month activity for both old and young scholars…Come and engage with the materials, have fun discovering new historical voices, and learn more about this great collection.”
Erik Ponder, MSU Libraries African and African American Studies Librarian
Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thons have been held annually since 2017 as a way for individuals to come together across the nation to help transcribe and learn about an online collection of Black history and culture. As part of this year’s nationwide effort to transcribe the more than 9,000 pages within the Library of Congress’ African American Perspectives Collection, MSU Libraries, the College of Arts & Letters’ Digital Humanities program, and the College of Law’s Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession will be offering students, instructors, and community members the opportunity to connect through an event that brings together thousands of participants at more than 100 simultaneous events.
“Although Douglass was not a lawyer, he was a brilliant legal thinker who recognized both the ethical potential of the law and its limitations in practice,” said Justin Simard, Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Kelley Institute for Ethics and the Legal Profession. “The College of Law hosted its own event last year. Working with the Libraries and the College of Arts & Letters this year allows us to host a larger event, emphasize more aspects of Douglass’ legacy, and bring together people from across campus to transcribe important documents in Black history.”
Douglass Day was established in 1897 by the founding president of the National Association of Colored Women, Mary Church Terrell, to celebrate Frederick Douglass’s legacy on his chosen birthday of Feb. 14, as his actual birth date is unknown. This was clarified by Terrell in a letter she wrote to The Washington Star in Washington, D.C. Following a Jan. 12, 1897, meeting where she motioned to establish Douglass Day, The Washington Star had attributed the credit for creating the day of remembrance to “a young man in the teacher’s corps.” Terrell set the record straight by informing The Washington Star editor that “I have done very few things of which I am proud, but I am proud of the fact that it was entirely through my suggestion and motion that the trustees voted to set aside a portion of the afternoon of Feb. 14th in which to honor the memory of one of the greatest men this country has ever produced.”
Douglass Day was quickly adapted by schools across the country, eventually helping to give rise to Black History Month, which was officially recognized by President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. The African American Perspectives Collection being transcribed on this year’s Douglass Day includes some of Terrell’s papers.
“We are excited to bring Black history and culture to students, faculty, and community members by working together to read the words and see the work of people who made a difference in their communities from not that long ago,” said Kristen Mapes, Associate Director of Digital Humanities in the College of Arts & Letters. “We get to do that as part of a national event, through the opportunity of technology and grounded in our human experience, in celebration of Douglass’ chosen birthday and immense legacy.”
This is the second year MSU is hosting the Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon as part of the nationally celebrated Love Data Week. The in-person event on Feb. 14 will include lunch from Eastside Fish Fry & Grill and Gregory’s Soul Food, as well as a cake from Sweet Encounter in honor of Douglass’s chosen birthday, with options for a variety of dietary needs. While registration for this event is not required, participants are encouraged to register on the MSU Libraries’ event page.
Written by Elise Jajuga and originally published on the MSU Libraries’ website
