Douglass Week will take place Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 in Massachusetts. The event will celebrate the legacy of Frederick Douglass and his family, according to a community announcement.
The week will feature exhibits, conversations with Douglass descendants, activists, educators and scholars, musical performances and guided tours of historic sites.
The opening event, “Frederick Douglass and the Massachusetts 54th: Community Day,” will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 28 at Camp Meigs Memorial Park, 11 Stanbro St., Boston. The event will honor the Civil War service of Douglass and his sons, Charles and Lewis. It will include remarks from Douglass descendants, Rep. Rob Consalvo, Sen. Michael Rush, Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson, the Massachusetts 54th Regiment reenactors and community leaders.
“A Reading Frederick Douglass Together” opportunity will be supported by a grant from Mass Humanities. On Sept. 29, a virtual program titled “Frederick Douglass: A Life in American History” will take place 11 a.m. to noon. Leading scholars Professor John Kaufman-McKivigan and Professor Mark Christian will discuss Douglass’s life and legacy. Christian will also talk about his new book, “Frederick Douglass: A Life in American History.”
“Harmonies of Freedom: Honoring the Frederick Douglass Family in Word & Song” will be held 5:15 to 8 p.m. Sept. 29 at the African Meeting House, Museum of African American History, 46 Joy St., Beacon Hill. The evening will feature music, storytelling and spoken word presentations, including selections from the 2023 Douglass musical American Prophet. Performers will include Paul Oakley Stovall, Nikhil Saboo and Yassmin Alers, along with Douglass and Booker T. Washington descendants Nicole Morris, Nettie Washington Douglass and Kenneth B. Morris.
A suggested donation of $20 will support Douglass Week programming. For more information and to register visit: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/harmonies-of-freedom-honoring-the-douglass-family-through-music-word-tickets-1681310377599?aff=oddtdtcreator.
On Sept. 30, a virtual program titled “The Communist and the Revolutionary Liberal in the Second American Revolution — Comparing Karl Marx and Frederick Douglass in Real-Time” will take place 11 a.m. to noon. Professors August H. Nimtz and Kyle A. Edwards will join moderator Professor John Kaufman-McKivigan for a conversation on Karl Marx and Frederick Douglass. The discussion will explore their responses to the Civil War and global significance.
“The Douglass Family’s Impact in Lynn” will be held 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Lynn Museum and Arts Center, 590 Washington St., Lynn. Douglass descendant Kenneth B. Morris, historian Tom Dalton and moderator Doneeca Thurston-Chavez will discuss Douglass’s ties to Lynn, his family’s legacy in Massachusetts and his 1845 journey to Ireland. The event is free for Lynn Museum members; $5 for others, with proceeds benefiting the museum. Registration through #DouglassWeek partner the Lynn Museum: https://secure.lynnmuseum.org/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F25057.
On Oct. 1, a virtual program titled “The Slave Dwellings Project” will take place 11 a.m. to noon. Joseph McGill, founder and CEO of The Slave Dwelling Project, will describe how his team works to preserve slave dwellings, promote education and engage people in conversations about slavery and its legacies.
“Decolonizing the Curriculum: Frederick Douglass and the Future of Education” will be held 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Commonwealth Salon, Boston Public Library McKim Building, 700 Boylston St., Boston. Community leaders and educators will review strategies and initiatives shaping an inclusive educational landscape for future generations.
“The Douglass Family in Massachusetts” will take place 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at the African Meeting House, Museum of African American History, 46 Joy St., Beacon Hill. Douglass descendant Kenneth B. Morris Jr. and scholars will reflect on the family’s enduring ties to Massachusetts and their influence on civic and cultural life.
On Oct. 2, Mass Humanities, the New Bedford Historical Society and Douglass Week will present “In the Footsteps of Frederick Douglass: A Day in New Bedford.” The event will run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a bus departing from Boston College at 9 a.m. and leaving New Bedford at 3 p.m. for the return trip. Participants will explore New Bedford, where Douglass lived for five years, raised his family and earned his first wages as a free man. The guided tour will include the Nathan and Polly Johnson House, Abolition Row, murals and museums, with lunch featuring a talk by historian Tim Walker. Registration through #DouglassWeek partner Mass Humanities: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-the-footsteps-of-douglass-a-day-in-new-bedford-tickets-1568149600669?aff=oddtdtcreator
On Oct. 3, a virtual program titled “Unforgotten: The Life and Legacy of Moses Roper” will take place 11 a.m. to noon. Moses Roper was an abolitionist, freedom fighter and survivor of enslavement whose activism spanned the U.S. and the U.K. Dr. Hannah-Rose Murray, Roper biographer, will trace his life, including his years in Britain and his post–Civil War experiences.
“A Harbor for Hope: Douglass’s Journey to Ireland and Beyond 180 years ago” will be held 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 3. This program marks the 180th anniversary of Douglass’s 1845 journey to Ireland, examining its impact and the cultural and political ties between Boston and Dublin. Participants will include Professor Mary Murphy and Douglass descendant Kenneth B. Morris Jr.
“Curating Activism: Stories, Spaces and Social Justice” will take place 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at the African Meeting House, Museum of African American History, 46 Joy St., Beacon Hill. Playwright Latisha Jones, Dr. David J. Harris and Dr. Noelle Trent will discuss the evolving role of cultural institutions, museums and artists in addressing issues of identity, discrimination and racial bias.
On Oct. 4, a virtual program titled Anna Murray Douglass and the Freedom Fighting Collective will take place 11 a.m.-noon. Douglass descendants, historians and writers will discuss Professor Celeste-Marie Bernier’s research findings on the Douglass family. The program will highlight Anna Murray Douglass as a central figure and equal partner to Frederick Douglass in raising their five children.
A Tour of Boston’s Black Heritage Trail will also be offered Oct. 4. This ranger-led walking tour will explore the stories, places and people that shaped Boston’s free Black community on the north slope of Beacon Hill.
This Great Cause of Woman: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage will take place 1-2 p.m. Oct. 4. Niamh Mc Dade Clay of the Susan B. Anthony Museum will discuss Douglass’s legacy as an abolitionist and suffragist, including his role at the Seneca Falls Convention. The talk will examine his partnerships with Susan B. Anthony and Ida B. Wells. To register, visit https://susanb.org/event/douglassweek2025.
Bringing History to the Stage: Remembering Rosetta Douglass and Lewis Hayden will be held 3-4 p.m. Oct. 4. Playwright Latisha Jones will discuss her new work, The Rescue Trial, which tells the story of Rosetta Douglass and Boston abolitionist Lewis Hayden during the era of the Fugitive Slave Act.
For more information and event updates, visit douglassweek.org/events2025.
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
