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ICYMI: Frederick Douglass Statue Vandalized & Torn Down In Rochester, NY + Descendants Of Famed Abolitionist Recite His ‘4th Of July’ Speech

​ Jul 12 | by _YBF ​ ​ ​ ​

Police are investigating after a statue of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass was torn down on the anniversary on one of his most famous speeches. Get those deets, plus a video of his descendants bringing his speech to life inside....

 

A statue of former slave/abolitionist Frederick Douglass was ripped from its base in Rochester, NY on the anniversary of one of his most famous speeches, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Mr. Douglass delivered the speech on July 5, 1852 in Rochester in which he called the celebration of liberty a sham in a nation that enslaves and oppresses its Black citizens.

The police said the statue of Mr. Douglass was taken from Maplewood Park, which is a site along the Underground Railroad where Douglass and abolitionist Harriet Tubman helped shuttle slaves to freedom. Law enforcement found the statue about 50 feet from its pedestal with damage to the base and a finger.

Police aren’t sure who did it.

“Right now, for me to guess would be pure speculation,” Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary told reporters at a news conference. He said investigators will check camera footage to try and identify the culprits.

Trump hopped on Twitter to share who he thought did it:

"Is this some type of retaliation because of the national fever over confederate monuments right now? Very disappointing, it’s beyond disappointing,” Carvin Eison, a leader of the project that brought the Douglass statue to the park, told WROC.

Where there's negativity, there's positivity...

Young descendants of Frederick Douglass read and react to excerpts of his famous speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" in a short film for NPR.

The five descendants - Douglass Washington Morris II, 20, Isidore Dharma Douglass Skinner, 15, Zoë Douglass Skinner, 12, Alexa Anne Watson, 19 and Haley Rose Watson, 17 - recited the speech that pointed out the hypocrisy in the holiday and in the Founding Fathers' ideals. Peep the clip above.

Photo: Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat & Chronicle via AP

 

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