Douglass Mind Blog
– Frederick Douglass
(Masthead of The North Star)
Today, our efforts and the efforts of many other modern abolitionists and antiracists are sprawled throughout the internet. The Douglass Mind Blog is meant to give voice to you for expanding ideas on antiracism and abolitionism. On this page, we will also keep you up-to-date with our initiatives, press releases, and general news about racism and human trafficking.
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Douglass Mind Blog
Srebrenica and Black Lives Matter, by David Livingstone Smith
by David Livingstone Smith Twenty-five years ago, this month, the worst atrocity on European soil since the Holocaust took place in the small mountain town of Srebrenica, in Bosnia. More than 8000 Bosnian Muslims, mostly men and boys, were slaughtered by Serbian...
The Voice of The Future
WINNING BLOG: A Plan For Change by Gladys G.
(Pictured: Gladys G., Age 18, Oklahoma City, OK) I have found myself in a weird position. I am too tired to fight, but I am also enraged by the things going on around me. Lately, my emotions have led me throughout these times of distress, but what happens after this?...
WINNING BLOG: Incarceration, A Symptom of Racism by Konttessa C.
(Pictured: Konttessa C., Age 19, Rochester, NY) Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. – The U.S....
WINNING BLOG: Racism – “A Contagious Virus” by Giovan M.
(Pictured: Giovan M., Age 18, West Henrietta, NY) When we uphold Frederick Douglass’s view that racism is a “moral disorder” instead of just an abstract phenomenon, it becomes easier for us to understand why current, good-intentioned measures to mitigate racial...
WINNING BLOG: Towards a Cure by Bakari W.
(Pictured: Bakari W., Age 21, Washington, D.C.) We can conceptualize the disease of American racism in two ways: as a pandemic affecting a population of individuals, or as a sickness infecting the collective body of the country. These two lenses call for two...
WINNING BLOG: Remedies for Racism Essay by Eamon C.
(Pictured: Eamon C., Age 13, Rochester, NY) “There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America - there is the United States of America.” - Barack Obama, 2004 I believe racism is a problem that we must work together to solve. Racism...
Redefining History: A Remedy for Racism – by Xuan-Anh L.B., Age 15, Riverside, CA
When I was in first grade, we made paper plate versions of Christopher Columbus’ face. And every year of elementary school we did the same thing. Christopher Columbus out of toilet paper rolls, Christopher Columbus out of popsicle sticks. Not once did they ever teach...
When Reparations Are Medicine – by Leo P., Age 14, San Leandro, CA
“Disease is cured by the right use of remedies,” Frederick Douglass wrote in “The Color Line.” To heal a disease, we must study its causes, symptoms, and possible treatments. It is necessary to speak of racial inequality and injustice in the language of pathology...
Imagine – by Amanda L., Age 18, Shaker Heights, OH
(Photo from https://iwda.org.au/...) Close your eyes. Imagine a society where children, white, brown, black, Asian, Mexican, LGBTQ, girls, boys, Jewish, Muslim, some with disabilities, some without, play on their school playground together. No bullying, teasing, or...
Racism Remedies from Within the Human Body: The NEED for Healthy Bones – by Alana K., Age 20, Rochester, NY
Photo Courtesy of Jamie Germano – @jgermano1 Cultivating Una Persona Educada: A Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Vision of Education states that “Knowledge is neither exterior nor interior: it is simultaneously exterior and interior.” Meaning, the cure for a disease...
The Pandemic – by Sabrina Y., Age 18, Los Angeles, CA
Photo Courtesy of Nam Y. Huh Rooted prejudice does well to unleash cascades of harm to all those unfortunate enough to be near the splash zone. Racial prejudice is a complex disease to cure. One that’ll take variable time and infinite patience to nurture away. Because...
On July 4th, 2020, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives hosted a live webcast to discuss ideas to remedy “the disease of racism” in our country. Please click the play button to learn more about Douglass’s famous speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” and hear from Douglass descendants, young orators, award-winning bloggers, a gospel singer, and young activists. We also hosted the world premiere of a song from the new Douglass musical, American Prophet. Check out the event. We know you will be inspired!
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Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives in the News
Press Release: Frederick Douglass Family Expresses Gratitude For Rochester Airport Name Change
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Robert J. Benz at (585) 310-4559 rbenz@fdfi.org Frederick Douglass Family Expresses Gratitude For Rochester Airport Name Change (August 11, 2020, Rochester, NY) Direct descendants of Frederick Douglass responded tonight to reports...
Young Writers Express Their Inspiring Views on “Remedies” for Racism
See the original post here! At Grammarly, we believe that writing has the power to connect and inspire—to express our deepest convictions and give shape to powerful, necessary ideas. That’s why this summer we were so proud to partner with Frederick Douglass Family...
Press Release: Frederick Douglass Family Responds To Statue Vandalism
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Robert J. Benz at (585) 310-4559 rbenz@fdfi.org Frederick Douglass Family Responds To Statue Vandalism (July 6, 2020, Rochester, NY) The direct descendants of Frederick Douglass responded to the destruction of a Douglass statue...
Rochester students win Frederick Douglass Family Initiative blog entry contest
by: Jack Watson RochesterFirst.com Posted: Jul 4, 2020 / 08:30 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 4, 2020 / 08:30 PM EDT ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Three students in the Rochester area are being recognized for their entries in a contest aimed at discussing solutions...
Press Release: Frederick Douglass Family Hosts July Fourth Webcast
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) will host a live webcast to announce the winners of their Remedies Blog Contest. The webcast will showcase Rochester, NY-based orators; young activist, Yolanda King, granddaughter of Martin Luther King, Jr.; gospel singer, Keedron Bryant; Marva Hicks singing a song from the new Douglass musical, American Prophet and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, David Blight.
Grammarly Partners with Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives to Inspire and Support Young Writers
Words have the power to inspire change, forge stronger connections, and bring communities together. The need to clearly communicate ideas is just as relevant today as it has been for centuries. Words can—and have—ignited entire movements.
Kenneth B. Morris Jr.
Mr. Morris descends from two of the most influential names in American history: he is the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington. He is the Co-founder & President of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives.
FDFI Statement: Sharing Common Ground
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) joins with the Greater Rochester NY Black Agenda Group which, on Tuesday (April 28, 2020), in honor of Dr. David Anderson (Sankofa) on his 90th birthday, declared racism a public health crisis.
Press Release: Frederick Douglass Family Seeks Racism “Remedies”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Robert J. Benz (585) 310-4559 rbenz@fdfi.org Frederick Douglass Family Seeks Racism “Remedies”; Cash Prizes for Winning Blog Entries – Ages 13 to 22 (June 1, 2020, Rochester, NY) In his 1881 article, The Color Line,...
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives
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Rochester, NY 14604
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