What is Douglass Day?

In 2017, the Colored Conventions Project revived the historical Douglass Day celebrations started by Mary Church Terrell. Douglass Day is now an annual day of collective action for preserving Black history. The project endeavors to create communal spaces for remembering and preserving Black history together. The celebrations will offer opportunities for critical reflection and for joy. This has taken many forms over the past couple of years, including Transcribe-a-Thons, Read-a-Thons, and other events that allow people to participate in the appreciation and creation of Black history.

In 2020, the focus was on transcribing the works of Anna Julia Cooper, an African American writer, intellectual, educator, and activist. The collective efforts helped to remind everyone that African American history is American history.