A collective day of love & action for Black history!

Douglass Day is an annual program that marks the birth of Frederick Douglass. Each year, thousands of people gather to help create new & freely available resources for learning about Black history. We frequently focus on important Black women’s archives, such as Anna Julia Cooper (2020), Mary Church Terrell (2021), and plenty more to come in future years. Learn more about the history of Douglass Day.

In 2023, we will be transcribing and enriching the papers of Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893).

What is Douglass Day?

Douglass Day is an annual program that marks the birth of Frederick Douglass. Each year, we gather thousands of people to help create new & freely available resources for learning about Black history. We frequently focus on important Black women’s archives, such as Anna Julia Cooper (2020), Mary Church Terrell (2021), and plenty more to come in future years. Learn more about the history of Douglass Day.

See our Douglass Day pages for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

What is a transcribe-a-thon?

Transcribe-a-thons are events in which people gather together to work side-by-side on a crowdsourcing transcription project. We feature a different project each year. We always try to have food, music, and a fun time! Want to hold a transcribe-a-thon? Our program team prepares a set of plans and resources each year to help you bring Douglass Day to your group, school, or community. Free and open to all!  

What are we going to transcribe this year?

The papers of Mary Ann Shadd Cary! Stay tuned for more info on her rich, varied collections! 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. We are pleased to be partnering with the Archives of Ontario, Libraries and Archives Canada, and many others. Together we are presenting newly digitized and fascinating collections from Shadd Cary’s long and fascinating life.