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Frederick Douglass Bicentennial

Web banner graphic for the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial celebration in Rochester.

Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Frederick Douglass in 2018

The Year of Frederick Douglass proclamation was delivered on Jan. 4, 2018 at the historic Hochstein School of Music and Dance, the site of Douglass’ massive funeral in 1895. 

Frederick Douglass

Throughout his life, Douglass was the leader of the abolitionist movement, a legendary social reformer, human rights advocate, brilliant writer, gifted orator, father and husband, advisor to President Abraham Lincoln and several other presidents, a distinguished statesman and more. Douglass called Rochester home from 1847 to 1872, and lived here longer than anywhere else in his life. Here, he published his newspapers, the North Star and Frederick Douglass’ Paper. He assisted friends Amy and Isaac Post in Underground Railroad activities, hosted runaway slaves in his own home, gave speeches, supported women’s suffrage alongside Susan B. Anthony and much more before moving his family to Washington, D.C. after his house on South Avenue was burned down. Douglass died at his home, Cedar Hill, in the Anacostia section of Washington, D.C. on February 20, 1895. He is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. 

While Rochester has long honored the Douglass legacy, this year-long bicentennial anniversary celebration is a unique opportunity to foster pride as a city of freedom fighters, both past and present. Douglass would be proud to see his adopted hometown today as we have made great strides in creating jobs, bringing vibrancy to our neighborhoods and creating better educational opportunities for all of our residents. While we know that our work is not done, we look forward to Rochester’s future with optimism, inspired by the legacy of Frederick Douglass at the forefront of our minds and hearts.  - Mayor Lovely A. Warren  Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commemoration Committee:

Established in the summer of 2017, the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commemoration Committee, led by Rochester Community Television and RoCo (Rochester Contemporary Art Center) in collaboration with the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives,  is a group whose members have a wide-range of missions and interests; but are all dedicated to honoring the Douglass legacy throughout 2018. The group has been meeting regularly to share information and inspiration, and to find synergy with other community partners to celebrate the achievements of one of the nation's most distinguished civil rights leaders whose most important work was done in Rochester.  

The Committee includes the City of Rochester, Monroe County, dozens of cultural and educational institutions as well as private citizens, artists and activists committed to highlighting and preserving the legacy of Frederick Douglass. The Emeritus Chair of the committee is National Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commissioner Dr. David Anderson, visiting professor at Nazareth College and founding member of the Blackstorytelling League of Rochester and AKWAABA, the Heritage Associates, which is part of the National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Join the conversation using the hashtag #FrederickDouglass200.

Members

  • Carvin Eison (Project Director), Rochester Community Television 
  • Bleu Cease (Project Co-Director), Rochester Contemporary Art Center 
  • Christine Christopher (Project Manager)
  • Dr. David Anderson, Chair Emeritus and Commissioner, National Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission 

Resources

Honoring Douglass in Rochester

  • Since July of 2007, Rochester's iconic "three arch bridge" has captured the interest of photographers and civil-engineering enthusiasts for its visual interest and structural significance. The Frederick Douglass Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge is named after for two of the United State's most important civil rights pioneers who called Rochester home.
  • In February of 2016 Mayor Warren unveiled a photograph of Douglass discovered in the special collections of the Rochester Public Library. The story of the newly-found, unique image resulted in a documentary produced by the City of Rochester Communications Bureau and shared with the community over several free screenings. The documentary is available on DVD at any City branch library.
  • In March of 2016 Mayor Warren and other City officials renamed the Highland Branch Library and the South Avenue Recreation Center, to the Frederick Douglass Branch Library and the Frederick Douglass R-Center. Both buildings are located on the site of the Douglass family home and farm.
  • In June of 2017 Mayor Warren joined the Lower Falls Foundation to announce that Kelsey’s Landing, a site in which Frederick Douglass and so many other heroes directed slaves to their eventual freedom, had been designated as an official National Underground Railroad Network (Network to Freedom) site by the National Park Service.