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More than 150 years ago, Frederick Douglass spoke about the evils of slavery to crowds thirsty for knowledge. His descendent, Kenneth B. Morris Jr., did the same Thursday at Paint Branch High School.
Morris, the great-great-great-grandson of the renowned abolitionist and the great-great-grandson of orator and educator Booker T. Washington, spoke to students, teachers and staff about his unique linage and the challenges posed by modern-day slavery. He is on a speaking tour as part of his nonprofit, the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation.
"[Douglass] and Washington affected people, those people affected people and they went to affect millions and millions of lives," Morris said.
"It is my fear that the more time that passes that these great men lived their lives, there is a danger that the younger generation will not know who they are. We don't want those legacies to fade away."
Morris spoke about how both of his famous ancestors were born into slavery. Douglass was born in eastern Maryland, while Washington was a native of Virginia. Despite their ties to slavery, he said they both refused to accept a life in servitude – education was the key for both men.
Douglass was taught to read and write at an early age and would go on to become a famed orator, traveling around the world on abolitionist speaking tours. He has a statue dedicated in his name in Rochester, N.Y.
Washington toiled in the salt and coal mines of West Virginia to afford to pay for college. He graduated from present-day Hampton University and founded Tuskegee University at age 25. He was the first African-American to be featured on a postage stamp, an honor that, at the time, was usually reserved for presidents, Morris said.
Despite his famous linage, Morris said there was not an instant link to his past; he felt it when he reached his 20s, he said.
"I really did not always connect with my history and my lineage," Morris said. "There are many reasons for that – there was a lot of pressure that was put on the males in the family to be the next Frederick Douglass."
Morris decided to form the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation after a career in travel marketing. The organization exists to honor and preserve Douglass' legacy and create awareness about modern-day slavery to help quicken its demise, according to its Web site.
The idea for hosting Morris at Paint Branch came from Barbara Woodward, a staff developer whose husband works for the foundation. Morris and foundation Executive Vice President Robert J. Benz are traveling the country as a part of the "Frederick Douglass Dialogues" tour where they will speak at 30 schools in 30 days.
Paint Branch Principal Jeanette Dixon said having Morris speak at the school was "inspiring."
"I thought it was one of the most wonderful programs we've had in my eight years at Paint Branch," Dixon said.
Jennifer Gutierrez, a junior at Paint Branch, said she learned more about the complexity of modern-day slavery and how to make a difference.
"It was basically more knowledge [that I received] about people who made a difference" said Gutierrez, 16. "Everybody has a part of history in them [and] you have to learn it in order to make a change today."
Morris said there are an estimated 28 million slaves worldwide. Eighty percent of slaves are women and some are sold by their parents into prostitution. Others are forced to work in order to pay their debts.
"We live in modern times in the echoes of slavery," he said. "If we listen close enough, we will hear cries and not echoes of the slaves of today – that's when change will happen."
