Humanities Collective Hosts Annual Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon

African American abolitionist, orator, and writer Frederick Douglass is celebrated through Douglass Day. The national holiday is celebrated on February 14—the birthday he chose for himself—with transcribe-a-thons that occur across the nation.

This is the fifth year that Trinity University’s Humanities Collective has hosted a transcribe-a-thon on campus for students, faculty, and staff. This year, participants transcribed the African American Perspectives Collection of the Rare Books and Special Collections Division in the Library of Congress, dating from the 19th century. This collection features biographies, slave narratives, speeches from members of Congress, sermons on racial pride and political activism, poetry, legal documents, and more that detail Black political, economic, and cultural life and history. Douglass Day 2025 was made possible by the Center for Black Digital Research (DigBlk) at Pennsylvania State University.

Participants transcribed various primary documents on the first floor of Coates Library while enjoying cake and listening in on a livestream program featuring lectures, discussions, and interviews focusing on Black history.

“Events like this help make these archives much more accessible when they have been transcribed, helping us do really important research on history,” says Patricia McDonald ’27, a classical languages major. “I think having these specific archives available for research into Black history is particularly important because there is less of it being done, and it's not as well supported or funded. So, volunteer projects like this are really useful in making these materials more accessible.”

Participants accessed the primary documents and transcribed them using either their laptops or ones available at the event. Those transcribing looked at documents provided by the archives, transcribed them directly, and submitted their transcriptions to be reviewed.

Montserrat Waissman ’26, a political science major, speaks to the importance of preserving history. “Without these documents, we wouldn’t know anything that happened during this time period. It is important we learn from our mistakes so we can grow as a populace,” she says. “People should feel proud of themselves for being an active part in preserving history. Being able to participate even in the smallest ways amounts to something huge because we can cement history and make it more accessible.”

Lacey Brooks-Canales, a teaching, learning, and research support librarian, hopes that participants were able to develop a personal connection to the history they transcribed. “I find that I have this very personal connection to history because sometimes you've been reading people's intimate letters, or you feel like you've attended this meeting that you're transcribing notes from. This is important for archives and libraries, but I also think it's important to, as a person, have that personal connection to history,” she says.

Canales feels that events like the Douglass Day transcribe-a-thon help us recognize important figures in Black history that have been largely forgotten. “Many haven’t received enough attention to have their work transcribed as readily as some other figures, so it is important we continue to host events like this and ensure we get work done.”