Westford DEI Committee previews Juneteenth reading of Douglass speech

Other Committee · Meeting of June 8, 2026

Westford's DEI Committee previewed a June 19 community reading of Frederick Douglass' 1852 speech with a UMass Lowell historian. Co-chairs Joe Diamond and Angela Rashput and co-vice chair Wendy Gloyd interviewed Professor Emeritus Robert Forant on the committee's "Inclusive Conversations" podcast, tying Douglass' address to the federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. The event, a partnership with the Westford Historical Society and Museum funded in part by Mass Humanities, begins with a flag raising at 6 p.m. at First Parish Church United.

Rashput said last year's related event drew roughly 100 attendees, some of whom she said were "literally crying" on learning history "they had never learned growing up." Forant, who has led about a dozen similar readings elsewhere, said the Fugitive Slave Law "forced" Northerners to decide "whether you want to be complicit," a comparison he extended to present-day immigration enforcement.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 1,901 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of June 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.