Frederick Douglass Organization

I am proud of you, my son, Frederick Douglass IV, for breaking the chains and standing strong in the face of generations of pain.  As you know, my father is the son of Frederick Douglass, Jr., born out of wedlock to a mother whose identity remained unknown to him throughout his life.  Yet, the dignity and determination of his father to protect and give his son his name, was endowed with the power of pride to never let the world forget the contributions of our family, our lineage and our heritage.   I am proud that you have accepted the challenge of never letting the legacy of our ancestor die in the minds of future generations.. 

It brought tears to my eyes when I realized that our detractors used my secrecy about family matters, as a whip to lash you across your back.

Our oral history and family Bibles document our legacy and we don’t need anyone to validate our family lineage   We are direct descendants of Frederick Douglass.  I accept the reality that my father was born out of wedlock, and I am proud that  the stigma did not stop him from distinguishing himself throughout his life.  He owned businesses; owned a baseball team; raised money for churches and people in need; and founded the Frederick Douglass Social Center for people of color to have a decent place to go during an era of segregation. I’m proud of my father and I’m proud of you.