To honor Frederick Douglass’ 200th birthday, the nonprofit Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives set forth to print and distribute one million copies of Douglass’ historic slave narrative. They initially had no idea how they would generate public interest. Then Donald Trump was quoted saying, “Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice.” Suddenly Ken Morris, a descendant of Douglass and co-founder of the nonprofit, was fielding non-stop calls from the press, and his history lesson for the president went viral.
Morris will bring this history lesson to the Triangle on Monday, April 23 when he discusses his great-great-great grandfather’s legacy at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Morris talks with host Frank Stasio about being a reluctant activist and the cause that finally made him join the fight. James E. Williams Jr. joins the conversation to talk about spearheading the local celebration of Frederick Douglass’ 200th Anniversary. Williams is an attorney and the first vice president of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP.
