This month the Michigan State University Libraries, MSU College of Arts and Letters and MSU College of Law are partnering to celebrate the birthday of Frederick Douglass with an event focused on helping to transcribe the Library of Congress’ African American Perspectives Collection.

This is the second year that MSU will be hosting the Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon as part of the nationally celebrated Love Data Week. This year’s celebration of Douglass Day at MSU Libraries will commemorate the legacy of the renowned 19th century abolitionist by inviting the public to help transcribe the more than 800 titles included in the African American Perspectives Collection at the Library of Congress. This collection offers a wide-ranging look at Black history and culture through prominent figures like Douglass, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Booker T. Washington. The collection has been digitized and transcriptions will be made available through collaborations with the Library of Congress and its By the People platform.

MSU Libraries African and African American Studies Librarian Erik Ponder emphasized the opportunity for community engagement this event brings on both a campus and more global level. “This is the second year MSU Libraries will be hosting the nationally held Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon, and we are looking forward to not only engaging with the University community but also with the broader community,” Ponder said. “This event is a perfect Black History Month activity for both old and young scholars. This year we will be working with the African American Perspectives Collection at the Library of Congress. Come and engage with the materials, have fun discovering new historical voices and learn more about this great collection.”  

Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thons have been held annually since 2017. As part of this year’s nationwide effort to transcribe the over 9,000 pages within the Library of Congress’ African American Perspectives Collection, MSU Libraries, CAL’s Digital Humanities program, and COL’s Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession will be offering students, instructors and community members the opportunity to connect through an event that brings together thousands of participants at more than one hundred simultaneous events.

Justin Simard, Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Kelley Institute for Ethics and the Legal Profession, shared his excitement for the Kelley Institute’s support of the event. “Although Douglass was not a lawyer, he was a brilliant legal thinker who recognized both the ethical potential of the law and its limitations in practice,” Simard said. “The College of Law hosted its own event last year. Working with the Libraries and CAL this year allows us to host a larger event, emphasize more aspects of Douglass’ legacy and bring together people from across campus to transcribe important documents in Black history.”

Douglass Day was established in 1897 by the founding president of the National Association of Colored Women, Mary Church Terrell, to celebrate Frederick Douglass’s legacy on his chosen birthday of Feb. 14. This was clarified by Terrell in the Mary Church Terrell Papers published between 1866 and 1953 held at the Library of Congress in a letter she wrote to the Star in Washington, D.C. Following the Jan. 12 1897 meeting where she motioned to establish Douglass Day, the Star had attributed the credit for creating the day of remembrance to “a young man in the teacher’s corps.” Terrell set the record straight by informing the editor of the Star that “I have done very few things of which I am proud, but I am proud of the fact that it was entirely through my suggestion and motion that the trustees voted to set aside a portion of the afternoon of Feb. 14th in which to honor the memory of one of the greatest men this country has ever produced.” Douglass Day was quickly adapted by schools across the country, eventually helping to give rise to Black History Month, which was officially recognized by former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. The African American Perspectives Collection being transcribed on this year’s Douglass Day includes some of Terrell’s papers.

Associate Director of Digital Humanities Kristen Mapes shared her enthusiasm about the commemorative event. “We are excited to bring Black history and culture to students, faculty and community members by working together to read the words and see the work of people who made a difference in their communities from not that long ago,” Mapes said. “We get to do that as part of a national event, through the opportunity of technology and grounded in our human experience, in celebration of Douglass’ chosen birthday and immense legacy.”

The transcribe-a-thon will take place from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 14 in the Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Lab classroom with a live stream available on YouTube. The in-person event will include lunch from Eastside Fish Fry and Grill and Gregory’s Soul Food, as well as a cake in honor of Douglass’s chosen birthday from Sweet Encounter, with options for a variety of dietary needs. While registration for this event is not required, participants are encouraged to register on the Libraries’ event page.

This story originally appeared on the MSU Library website.