The New Bedford Historical Society seeks to establish a solid base of research and programs that will make the contributions of people of color a part of the life and and history of the region as well as a part of the permanent, public record. In the process, the history of the region in general will become fuller, deeper, and richer for everyone.
In annual Frederick Douglass reading, students find motivation
When Manuel Sequeira stepped up to the podium in 2006 to read at his first Frederick Douglass Read-athon, he was nervous, shaking and had practiced a lot.
“I was only seven,” recalled the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School freshman, now 14. “I didn’t know what to expect. I thought I was going to mess up.”
Sequeira, who was born in Portugal and was introduced to the reading through a program at the Harbour House Family Shelter, has come a long way since then.
And that, he said, is precisely the point. read full story