Join our celebration of democracy with the 6th Annual 4th of July Declaration of Independence Recitation Event on the North Andover Common. In addition to the D of I reading by Rep Tram Nguyen and Sen Barry Finegold, this year’s highlights will include the NAMS Civics in Action class summary of the Bill of Rights, segments of William Jennings Bryan speech Imperialism, Frederick Douglass speech The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro, and Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech. The speeches will be read by Judy Eskin, co-leader of Greater Andover Indivisible, Pastor Lyndon Myers from Andover Baptist Church and Ralph Bledsoe from the North Andover African American History Committee.
This free family friendly event will take place on Friday, July 4th at the North Andover Common starting at 11:00am. Local musicians will perform several songs relevant to our readings including I Hear Them All/This Land is Your Land original medley by Rockwood Taylor and an original song entitled United in America, written and performed by the Choral Majority. Joanna Kerr, Director of the North Andover Historical Society will narrate the program. Get more information at https://www.1836meetinghouse.org/
If there is rain, the event will be held in the Meeting House at North Parish Church on the Common.
The Event is sponsored by the Friends of the 1836 Meeting House, the North Andover Historical Society with support from the North Andover Festival Committee and a generous grant from Mass Humanities provided through the Massachusetts Cultural Council.