The Present as Portal: Frederick Douglass, the Seven Layers of Manifestation, and the Urgency of Conscious Structures

My business, if I have any here today, is with the present. — Frederick Douglass, 1852

Yesterday, for the Fourth of July, I had the pleasure of participating in a public reading of Frederick Douglass’ famous speech What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? as part of an effort by several scholars from across the country. To say it was a deeply contemplative experience would be putting it mildly. As a result, I thought to share a few of my …