The story of Frederick Douglass is passionate, harrowing, and inspiring. As a former slave, impassioned abolitionist, gifted writer, newspaper editor, and powerful orator, Douglass was an immense, motivational figure. His early life, filled with physical abuse, deprivation, and tragedy, adds up to a heart-wrenching history. However, he was able to

Author Biography

Frederick Douglass was born in February of 1818 into slavery. In 1838, he escaped on a train and headed north to Maryland, Philadelphia, and eventually New York City, where he took refuge with a well-known abolitionist. There, Douglass became a famous orator and abolitionist, using his rhetoric and oratorical skills to refute the idea that African Americans were incapable of being learned. He later recounted the struggles he faced as a slave through multiple narratives, most notably his autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The book became an instant bestseller, despite its initial opposition and skeptical reception. Throughout his lifetime, Douglass was a strong advocate for human rights and the abolition of slavery. He passed away in 1895, shortly after attending and speaking at a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, DC. Tukufu Zuberi is an American sociologist, filmmaker, social critic, educator, and writer, as well as the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations, Professor and Chair of the Sociology Department, and Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Zuberi has appeared in several documentaries on Africa and the African diaspora, including Liberia: America's Stepchild and 500 Years Later. Additionally, He is one of the hosts of the long-running PBS program History Detectives. As the founder of his own production company, he produced the award-winning film African Independence, which premiered at the San Diego Black Film Festival in January of 2013.