1 hour

Time: 11:00-12:00pm Eastern
Location: VIRTUAL

Location: ONLINE (link available on our website closer to the event)

Participants:

• Prof Jack Kaufman-McKivigan (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

• Prof Mark Christian (City University of New York)

Description: This program brings together two leading scholars of Frederick Douglass for a wide-ranging conversation about new research and evolving perspectives on his life and legacy. Professor Mark Christian, author ofFrederick Douglass: A Life in American History (Bloomsbury, 2025), will discuss his forthcoming book and, in dialogue with Professor Jack Kaufman-McKivigan, explore fresh insights into Douglass’s activism, writings and historical impact. Together they will reflect on Douglass as a global thinker, a strategist of freedom and a figure whose relevance has not diminished with time. This discussion offers audiences a rare opportunity to hear directly from scholars whose work continues to shape how Douglass is studied and remembered in both academic and public life.

Lunchtime event

INVITE ONLY

Location: State House Boston

Join elected Officials and #DouglassWeek team and partners, Frederick Douglass Family representatives and Douglass family descendants.

Hosted by Massachusetts State Representative Rob Consalvo.

Participants:

• Representative Rob Consalvo and other elected Officials

• Nettie Washington Douglass, Chair Emerita, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, great-great granddaughter of Frederick Douglass and great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington

• Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., President, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington

• Nicole Morris (Les Miserables), 4x great-granddaughter of Frederick Douglass and 3x great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington

• Regie Gibson (Inaugural Poet Laureate of Massachusetts)

• Members of the #DouglassWeek team

1.5 hours

Time:

• 5:15 PM-6:15 PM Meet & Greet and light refreshments

• 6:30-8:00pm Eastern

Location: African Meeting House, Museum of African American History Boston, 46 Joy St, Boston, MA 02114

Participants:

• Nettie Washington Douglass, Chair Emerita, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, great-great granddaughter of Frederick Douglass and great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington

• Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., President, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington

• Nicole Morris (Les Miserables), 4x great-granddaughter of Frederick Douglass and 3x great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington

• Regie Gibson (Inaugural Poet Laureate of Massachusetts)

• Dr J. Jacques Carter (Harvard University)

• Paul Oakley Stovall (Hamilton)

• Nikhil Saboo (Dear Evan Hansen)

• Elected officials

Description: This performance evening celebrates the life and legacy of American abolitionist and civil rights leader Frederick Douglass and his family through live performances and readings. Program and participants evolve each year with the location of #DouglassWeek, but each event honors the history of Douglass and other changemakers through art and community. The event brings together Douglass family members, artists, scholars and local community voices for a vibrant tribute of music, spoken word, and storytelling. It often features original compositions inspired by Douglass’ writings, legacy and global travels, including his time in Ireland (1845–46), alongside selections from related works like the Broadway-bound Douglass musical American Prophet, which ran at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage in the summer of 2022. Each event showcases the talents of local artists, performers, community leaders and officials to tell the story and celebrate the inspiration of the Douglass family in that #DouglassWeek host city. 

Registration: Registration required, pay what you can, suggested donations $10.

Please register via Eventbrite HERE or by clicking the button below.