New Bedford is a very special place in the history and journey of the great Frederick Douglass. 175 years ago, Frederick Douglass came to New Bedford through the Underground Railroad. He cast his first vote, as a free man, in New Bedford! Frederick Douglass earned his first pay check, as a free man, getting and shoveling coal for the minister of New Bedford's First Unitarian Church. It is appropriate, then, that the 14th Annual Community Frederick Douglass Read-a-Thon take place at the First Unitarian Church, 71 Eighth St, on Sunday, February 9th, from 2-6 pm, sponsored by the New Bedford Historical Society. Readers are needed and welcomed to participate sharing in the reading from Frederick Douglass' autobiography. A former slave, Frederick Douglass, is one of the greatest American men of the 19th century. February is African American History Month. If you'd like to volunteer in this worthwhile event, call the Historical Society at 508-979-8828.

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