“Power Concedes Nothing Without a Demand.”
“Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground.”
Check Out Our Initiatives
Racial Equity
In 2019, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives moved its headquarters to Rochester, NY. Our goal is to help tackle the city’s stark economic, health, and educational disparities caused, in large part, by racist policies and a long-prevailing current of racial discrimination. By leveraging the Douglass legacy, his ideas about the power of knowledge, and the insistence that we must agitate, agitate, agitate, FDFI hopes that the City of Rochester can become a model of a truly equitable community.
On November 18, 2019, Ibram X. Kendi set the tone for change by presenting his new book, How To Be An Antiracist, at the Hochstein Performance Hall to a capacity crowd. This conversation with young people, leaders, and community members is just the beginning of FDFI’s initiative in Rochester.
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Racial Equity
In 2019, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives moved its headquarters to Rochester, NY. Our goal is to help tackle the city’s stark economic, health, and educational disparities caused, in large part, by racist policies and a long-prevailing current of racial discrimination. By leveraging the Douglass legacy, his ideas about the power of knowledge, and the insistence that we must agitate, agitate, agitate, FDFI hopes that the City of Rochester can become a model of a truly equitable community.
On November 18, 2019, Ibram X. Kendi set the tone for change by presenting his new book, How To Be An Antiracist, at the Hochstein Performance Hall to a capacity crowd. This conversation with young people, leaders, and community members is just the beginning of FDFI’s initiative in Rochester.Click here to become involved with Racial Equity in Rochester.
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One Million Abolitionists
Douglass won world fame when his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was published in 1845. His autobiography became an instant bestseller and, having escaped slavery just seven years earlier, put his life in immediate danger. Narrative helped change the course of the US Abolitionist Movement in the nineteenth century and has inspired and changed readers’ lives for more than 175 years.
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) wants to inspire and empower one million young people to do and be more than they ever dreamed possible. In 2018, in honor of Frederick Douglass’ 200th birthday, FDFI introduced the One Million Abolitionists project by publishing a special Bicentennial Edition of the Narrative.
In February 2023, to honor Frederick and Anna Murray Douglass, Frederick Douglass Books, an imprint of Forefront Books, published a Douglass Family Edition of the Narrative for students. And in June 2023, a Douglass Family Edition of the Narrative will be published and distributed to retail outlets by Simon & Schuster.
Through the One Million Abolitionists project, we aim to distribute one million copies of these editions to young people worldwide.
In 2012, the Library of Congress named Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, one of the 88 books that shaped America.
New Douglass Family Edition
Check out our other initiatives:
One Million Abolitionists
Douglass won world fame when his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was published in 1845. His autobiography became an instant bestseller and, having escaped slavery just seven years earlier, put his life in immediate danger. Narrative helped change the course of the US Abolitionist Movement in the nineteenth century and has inspired and changed readers’ lives for more than 175 years.
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) wants to inspire and empower one million young people to do and be more than they ever dreamed possible. In 2018, in honor of Frederick Douglass’ 200th birthday, FDFI introduced the One Million Abolitionists project by publishing a special Bicentennial Edition of the Narrative.
In February 2023, to honor Frederick and Anna Murray Douglass, Frederick Douglass Books, an imprint of Forefront Books, published a Douglass Family Edition of the Narrative for students. And in June 2023, a Douglass Family Edition of the Narrative will be published and distributed to retail outlets by Simon & Schuster.
Through the One Million Abolitionists project, we aim to distribute one million copies of these editions to young people worldwide.
In 2012, the Library of Congress named Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, one of the 88 books that shaped America.
Send us an email to find out how to sponsor books for students in your community by clicking here.
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PROTECT
FDFI has partnered with two California non-profit organizations, 3Strands Global Foundation and Love Never Fails, to develop PROTECT, the largest and most comprehensive human trafficking prevention education program of its kind. The objective is to reduce the vulnerability of children to exploitation through the application of knowledge.
There are four components to PROTECT’s prevention and early intervention program:
- Protocol – Ensure that school districts and communities know how to respond to potential incidents of abuse and exploitation;
- Professional Development – Training teachers and administrators on the subject of human trafficking and its historical connections;
- Classroom Curriculum – Trauma-informed, age-appropriate education is delivered by teachers in Elementary, Middle School, and High School curriculum.
- Data Analysis – Arizona State University partners with us to process and analyze surveys resulting from the previous steps.
PROTECT offers an age-appropriate curriculum for students (K-12), training and protocol resources for school staff, and a way to measure the impact in every community.
The program is currently implemented in six states – California, Utah, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, and Georgia – and continues to expand.
Check out our other initiatives:
PROTECT
FDFI has partnered with two California non-profit organizations, 3 Stands Global and Love Never Fails, to develop PROTECT, the largest and most comprehensive human trafficking prevention education program of its kind. The objective is to reduce the vulnerability of children to exploitation through the application of knowledge.
There are four components to PROTECT’s prevention and early intervention program:
- Protocol – Ensure that school districts and communities know how to respond to potential incidents of abuse and exploitation;
- Professional Development – Training teachers and administrators on the subject of human trafficking and its historical connections;
- Classroom Curriculum – Trauma-informed, age-appropriate curriculum is delivered by teachers in grades 5, 7, 9 and 11 to build stronger children
- Data Analysis – Arizona State University partners with us to process and analyze surveys resulting from the previous steps.
PROTECT was developed in cooperation with the Office of the Attorney General of California and the California Department of Education. The program is in more than 30 California counties as well as parts of Utah, Nevada, and Texas.
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Frederick Douglass Books
Amplifying the Voice of Black and Brown Authors
Forefront Books and the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives have announced a new joint publishing imprint. The Frederick Douglass Books publishing imprint is an effort to establish a pathway for Black and Brown authors to write and publish a professional book with distribution into traditional retailers.
With the large disparity in the amount of Black and Brown authors in the book publishing industry, the Frederick Douglass Books imprint will continue the educational work of Frederick Douglass by giving an opportunity to those with a message for the world.
Check out our other initiatives:
Frederick Douglass Books
Forefront Books and the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives have announced a new joint publishing imprint. The Frederick Douglass Books publishing imprint is an effort to establish a pathway for Black and Brown authors to write and publish a professional book with distribution into traditional retailers.
With the large disparity in the amount of Black and Brown authors in the book publishing industry, the Frederick Douglass Books imprint will continue the educational work of Frederick Douglass by giving an opportunity to those with a message for the world.
Click here for more information and to apply.
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The FD200
Honorees fell into one of seven categories that reflected his immense character: abolitionist, writer, politician, feminist, educator, entrepreneur, and diplomat. The Bicentennial year culminated with a spectacular gala for the FD200 honorees at the Library of Congress on February 14, 2019.
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The FD200
On February 14, 2018, Frederick Douglass would have turned 200 years old, and all year long, the world celebrated his Bicentennial. FDFI partnered with American University’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center, led by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, to honor 200 people who embody the spirit and the work of Douglass’s enduring legacy.
Honorees fell into one of seven categories that reflected his immense character: abolitionist, writer, politician, feminist, educator, entrepreneur, and diplomat. The Bicentennial year culminated with a spectacular gala for the FD200 honorees at the Library of Congress on February 14, 2019.
Click here to see the names and short biographies of all 200 honorees.
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Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives
140 E. Main Street
Rochester, NY 14604
Legal Counsel
Jon P. Getz, Esq.
45 Exchange Blvd, Suite 500
Rochester, New York 14614
585-820-9291 | email: Jongetz@Jgetzlaw.com
Frederick Douglass Family Foundation (Initiatives), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity – EIN #26-0757405
Click here to view FDFI’s IRS Determination Letter