Frederick Douglass Day 2025
Celebrate Frederick Douglass Day with fellow Vols during Black History Month! For the past seven years, the Department of English has honored the legacy of Douglas with engaging events, including keynote addresses, special collections exhibits, and the wildly-popular transcribe-a-thon and celebration. Additions this year include a UT scholars talk and multimedia day in collaboration with the library.
February 11
Multimedia/Data/Library Day (Part of the Library’s Love Data week)
February 12 at 4 PM | Hodges Library Auditorium
Black History Month Lighting Talks
February 13 at 5 PM | Hodges Library Auditorium
Plenary Talk by Jayme Canty-Williams
February 14 at 12 PM | Frieson Black Cultural Center
Frederick Douglass Day Transcribe-a-Thon and Celebration, featuring the African American Perspectives Collections at the Library of Congress
This year’s celebration centers on the enduring legacy of Frederick Douglass as a powerful advocate for justice, education, and equality. As one of the most influential voices of the 19th century, Douglass’s work as an abolitionist, writer, and orator continues to inspire and resonate in today’s world.
His advocacy for equality, civic engagement, and human rights inspires modern movements for change, while his belief in education as a path to liberation underscores its importance today. Events such as the Love Data Week and the Black History Month Lightning Talks highlight the role of education and storytelling in preserving and advancing Douglass’s vision. The Plenary Talk by Jayme Canty-Williams provides critical insights into contemporary social justice issues, and the Frederick Douglass Day Transcribe-a-Thon and Celebration celebrates collective efforts to preserve African American history through the Library of Congress collections.
By honoring Frederick Douglass and reflecting on his contributions, we celebrate not just his historical achievements but also the ways in which his vision continues to inform and inspire our pursuit of equity and justice today.
“From Silence to Reconciliation: Black Queer Perspectives and Voices of the Black South”
with Jayme N. Canty-Williams (She/Her)
Thursday, February 13 at 5 PM, Hodges Library Auditorium
Canty-Williams is a humanities scholar and oral historian who amplifies marginalized voices, focusing on Black women and queer persons in the American South. Her research explores how the South shapes their experiences and identities. She has presented at various conferences and serves as the BIPOC Caucus chair for WGS South. Canty-Williams’ book, Snapping Beans: Voices of a Black Queer Lesbian South (SUNY Press, 2024), examines the intersectional identities shaped by the Southern Black Church. Currently, she is a professor at Clark Atlanta University.
Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the University of Tennessee Departments of English, History, and Africana Studies, the Denbo Center for Humanities and the Arts, UT Libraries, UT Pride Center, and UT Special Collections. Douglass Day is presented by the Library of Congress and the Center for Black Digital Research.