Ancestry - Direct Descendant of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington

Summary

The speaker, a descendant of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, shares his family's history and the impact of his ancestors on his life. He emphasizes the importance of knowing one's heritage to shape one's future, inspiring hope and respect in youth. The speaker's personal connection to these historical figures through family stories illustrates the relevance of history in our lives, urging listeners to carry forward the legacy of freedom and equality.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker is a descendant of both Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, highlighting the importance of knowing one's heritage.
• 👵 The speaker's great-grandmother met Frederick Douglass, and his aunt was Booker T. Washington's daughter, emphasizing the closeness of historical figures to everyday life.
• 🌟 The speaker believes that understanding one's ancestry can inspire and motivate, especially for young people facing challenges.
• 🤝 The speaker's grandparents, descendants of Douglass and Washington, met at Tuskegee and married, symbolizing the union of two significant bloodlines.
• 🌱 The speaker encourages everyone to look into their family history to find inspiration and strength from their ancestors' achievements.
• 📚 The speaker has spoken to over 50,000 students, emphasizing the relevance of history and the importance of education.
• 👣 The speaker discusses the physical connection to history through the hands that touched both Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington.
• 🔊 The speaker calls for a deeper listening to the cries of the present, drawing parallels between historical struggles and current societal issues.
• 👟 A poignant moment is shared where the speaker was close to trying on Frederick Douglass's shoes, symbolizing the desire to walk in the footsteps of great figures.
• 💪 The speaker concludes with a call to action, urging everyone to use their own 'shoes' to lead the way to a better future.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the transcript and what is his relation to Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington?

The speaker is the great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington. He is a direct descendant of both historical figures, with his family lineage uniting the bloodlines of these two important Americans.

How did the speaker's great-grandmother and aunt contribute to his connection with Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington?

The speaker's great-grandmother, Fanny Douglas, met Frederick Douglass when she was a little girl, and his aunt Porsha was Booker T. Washington's daughter. Both women shared personal stories and experiences with the speaker, which helped him feel a close connection to these historical figures.

What is the significance of the speaker's family history in his talks to students?

The speaker uses his family history to inspire and educate students, particularly those from economically challenged areas, about the importance of knowing their own heritage. He believes that understanding one's roots can help young people form their identities with more respect and hope.

How did the speaker's grandparents meet and what historical significance does their union have?

The speaker's grandparents, Frederick Douglas III and Netty Hancock Washington, met at Tuskegee in 1940 and married three months later. Their union was significant because it was the first time the bloodlines of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington were united in a family lineage.

What lesson does the speaker draw from his family's history for young people today?

The speaker emphasizes that young people should understand their heritage and the sacrifices made by their ancestors to secure their rights and freedoms. He believes this knowledge can inspire them to respect themselves, their peers, and their history.

Why does the speaker feel a responsibility to share his family's story?

The speaker feels a responsibility to share his family's story because it carries important lessons about freedom, education, and the struggle for civil rights. He wants to use his unique perspective to inspire others and promote a better understanding of history.

What is the main message the speaker wants to convey about the relevance of history to modern life?

The speaker wants to convey that history is not just about the past but is alive in each person through their family lineage. He argues that understanding one's history can help shape a better future and inspire positive change.

How does the speaker describe the experience of visiting the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site?

The speaker describes a poignant moment at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, where he was able to get close to Douglass's personal belongings, including his shoes. This experience was a powerful reminder of the connection between the past and the present.

What question did a young girl ask the speaker at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, and how did it impact him?

A young girl asked the speaker what it must be like to walk in the shoes of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. This question deeply impacted him, reminding him of his childhood desire to try on Douglass's shoes and the realization that he, and everyone, can make a difference by walking in their own shoes.

What does the speaker suggest as a way to honor the legacy of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington?

The speaker suggests that everyone can honor the legacy of these historical figures by taking the 'shoes' they have—meaning their own unique abilities and opportunities—and using them to lead the way to a better future, just as Douglass and Washington did.

Outlines

00:00

👤 Descending from Greatness: The Legacy of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to share his family's story, highlighting his lineage as a descendant of both Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. He emphasizes the closeness he feels to these historical figures through personal anecdotes about his great-grandmother and aunt, who had direct encounters with Douglass and Washington, respectively. The speaker uses these connections to stress the importance of knowing one's heritage and the impact it can have on self-respect and identity, especially for young people. He shares his experiences speaking to students and the transformative potential of understanding one's roots. The speaker also humorously addresses the skepticism he faced about his ancestry, leading into the story of how his family lines merged.

05:00

🌐 Carrying History Forward: The Impact of Ancestral Wisdom on Modern Society

In the second paragraph, the speaker expands on the idea that history is not just a part of him but is present in everyone, urging the audience to explore their own family histories to find those who made a difference. He draws parallels between the lessons learned from his ancestors—Frederick Douglass's fight for freedom and Booker T. Washington's guidance on living as a free citizen—and the ongoing struggles for equality and inspiration in the present day. The speaker recounts a poignant moment at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, where a young girl's question prompts a reflection on the weight of history and the responsibility each person has to carry forward the legacy of those who came before. He concludes with a powerful message about the potential for each individual to make a significant impact on the world, just as his ancestors did.

Keywords

💡Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was a former slave who became a prominent abolitionist, writer, and speaker. In the script, he is mentioned as a historical giant and an ancestor of the speaker, symbolizing the struggle for freedom and the pursuit of equality. The speaker uses his connection to Douglass to emphasize the importance of knowing one's history and the impact it can have on personal identity and respect.

💡Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington was an influential educator, author, and leader in the African American community, known for his advocacy of vocational education. In the script, he is also an ancestor of the speaker and represents the importance of education and self-improvement. The speaker uses his lineage to Washington to highlight the legacy of resilience and the power of education in shaping one's future.

💡Legacy

Legacy refers to something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. In the context of the script, the speaker discusses the legacy of his ancestors, Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, and how it influences his own life and the lives of others. The concept of legacy is central to the theme of understanding one's roots and the responsibility to carry forward the values and achievements of those who came before.

💡Identity

Identity is the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. The script emphasizes the importance of knowing one's ancestry and history in forming a strong sense of identity. The speaker believes that if young people understand their heritage, including the struggles and achievements of their ancestors, they will have more respect for themselves and others, which is crucial for their personal development.

💡Education

Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. The script mentions the importance of education as a means to empowerment and self-improvement, drawing on the teachings of Booker T. Washington. The speaker uses his family's history to illustrate how education can transform lives and communities.

💡Respect

Respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. In the script, the speaker argues that understanding one's history and the sacrifices made by ancestors can lead to greater self-respect and respect for others. This respect is seen as a foundation for positive change and personal growth.

💡History

History refers to the study of past events, particularly in human affairs. The script uses the term to emphasize the importance of recognizing and learning from the past. The speaker connects his personal history to broader historical narratives, suggesting that individual stories are part of a larger tapestry of human experience and that understanding this can inspire and guide future actions.

💡Inspiration

Inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. The speaker discusses the need for inspiration in young people, particularly those who feel hopeless or disconnected from their past. By sharing his family's story and the legacies of Douglass and Washington, the speaker aims to inspire his audience to recognize their potential and the potential to make a difference.

💡Freedom

Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. The script references the struggle for freedom, particularly in the context of slavery and its abolition. The speaker connects the fight for freedom to the broader themes of human rights and the ongoing struggle for equality and justice.

💡Citizenship

Citizenship refers to the status of a person recognized under the law of a sovereign state or local jurisdiction, and implies the rights, privileges, and duties of a subject of that state or jurisdiction. In the script, the speaker mentions the lessons from Martin Luther King Jr. about the rights of citizens, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's rights and responsibilities as a free citizen.

💡Change

Change refers to the process of becoming different. The script suggests that by listening to the past and understanding history, individuals can inspire change in the present and future. The speaker uses the metaphor of 'walking in the shoes' of historical figures to convey the idea that each person has the potential to effect change by building on the lessons of the past.

Highlights

The speaker expresses honor and privilege in sharing his family story and lineage.

Acknowledgment of Southern California Edison for the invitation to speak.

The speaker is a descendant of both Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington.

Personal connection to historical figures through family members who met Douglass and Washington.

The importance of knowing one's heritage and the impact on personal identity and respect.

The speaker's experience of sharing his family history with over 50,000 students.

The significance of understanding one's roots to shape one's future.

The unique connection to history through direct family ties to influential figures.

The question of how the speaker is related to two non-related historical figures.

The love story of the speaker's grandparents uniting the bloodlines of Douglass and Washington.

The speaker's role as the first male to unite the bloodlines of these two families.

The message that history lives within all of us, not just the speaker.

The lessons learned from Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington about freedom and citizenship.

The speaker's call to action for the audience to carry forth their history and make a difference.

The challenge of modern times to hear the 'cries' of history and current struggles.

A personal anecdote of being at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site and the impact of history.

The speaker's reflection on the question of walking in the shoes of Douglass and Washington.

The conclusion that each person can make a difference and affect the lives of others, just like Douglass and Washington.

Transcripts

good morning morning thank you Chris for

that uh wonderful introduction I am so

honored and privileged to be here to

talk to you and I want to thank Southern

California Edison for inviting me back

so that I can share my family story this

incredible lineage this blood that runs

through my veins as Chris introduced me

did he say I'm the great great great

grandson of Frederick

Douglas and he said the great great

grandson of Booker T

Washington not only is it a mouthful

trying to spit all those greats out but

it sometimes makes me Fe feel very far

removed and you may be having a hard

time trying to imagine what my

connection is to these two historical

Giants it's like trying to picture what

a billion dollars looks like with all

those

zeros I heard

[Music]

billion but I've bet everybody in here

knows or knew your

grandparents and just by a show of hands

how many of you know or knew your

great-grandparents to just about the

whole

room well that's how close I feel to

both Frederick Douglas and to Booker T

Washington because you see my great

grandmother whom I was very close to she

actually met Frederick Douglas when she

was a little girl she lived to be 101

years old she lived well into my

20s and my aunt Porsha whom I was also

very close to she lived to be 95 years

old she was Booker T Washington's

daughter and I remember being a little

boy and sitting on my great grandmother

Fanny Douglas's lap and she would tell

me what it was like to meet and she

called him the man with the great big

white

hair and I remember sitting on my aunt

Porsha's lap and she would tell me about

her father Booker T

Washington so when I stopped to think

that h hands that actually touch the

Great Frederick Douglas and hands that

touch the great Booker T Washington also

touch

mine in a sense I can say that I stand

just one person away from that

history we're not that far removed from

our

history I have the privilege of

traveling around the country and talking

in the past three years to more than

50,000 students mostly in economically

challenged areas and they think this

history happens so long ago and that

slavery happened so long ago but when I

talk about my family and I talk about

just being one person removed one

generation really removed and we talk

about knowing from where you came

because you need to know from where you

came in order to know where you're

going and I truly believe that our young

people who are in trouble who feel that

they don't have any hope when they're

forming their identity

if they knew that they descended from

great people that made a difference that

they descend from people that fought and

died just for their right to sit in the

classroom and get an education and that

they stand on the shoulders of those

that came before them I truly believe

that if they had this information when

they're forming their identities then

they would have more respect for

themselves they'd have more respect for

their peers and they certainly wouldn't

be disrespecting those that came before

them

now I often get the question how is it

you related to Frederick douglason and

Booker T Washington when they weren't

related to each other good

question well here's how it happened now

when I was growing up I certainly knew

that I descended from these great men

but I never told people about it because

the few times that I did nobody ever

believed

me and I I just never felt that it was a

point worth arguing but today I'm going

to tell you how the two families came

together my grandfather Frederick

Douglas III was Frederick Douglas's

great grand uh

great-grandson my grandmother Netty

Hancock Washington was Booker T

Washington's granddaughter the two of

them met at Tuskegee in 1940 they were

walking across campus and they literally

bumped into each other didn't know that

the other descended from an historic

family it was love at first sight and

they were married 3 months

later

and when my mom was born nedy Washington

Douglas she was the first person to

unite the Bloodlines of these two

historical families she was an only

child so I have the honor and privilege

to be the first male to unite the

Bloodlines of these families so that's

how the two families collided as we like

to

say and history lives in each of us it

doesn't just live in me because I

descend from two people that we've heard

of that are famous but history lives in

all of us I guarantee that if you go

back and look at your family tree you

would find people that made a difference

and shoulders that you stand upon yes

history lives in each of us but the

future depends on how we carry that

forth because we are the sons and

daughters we are the grandsons and

granddaughters we're the products of

slavery

and we're the products of the abolition

of

slavery from Frederick Douglas we

learned that we have a right to be free

and from Booker T Washington we learned

how to make our way in the world as free

citizens and from Martin Luther King Jr

we learned that as free citizens we have

the same rights as all

citizens when I was growing up the

challenges faced by great men like

Frederick Douglas and Booker T

Washington were apparent to me because

it just so happens their blood runs

through my

veins but the fact is all of us we live

far from the cotton

fields and we're worried more today

about who's going to win the Super Bowl

on

Sunday than we are about the threat of

being beaten by our

overseers we live in Modern Times And

The Echoes of slavery are hard to hear

from where we

stand but if we all listen close enough

we'll hear cries and not Echoes from the

slaves of today we're we'll hear cries

and not Echoes from our young people

that need inspiration and need hope and

when we listen to that that's when

change will

happen last February I was in Washington

DC at the Frederick Douglas National

Historic Site it's the home where he

spent the last 17 years of his life and

I was celebrating his birthday on

February 14th and by the way he didn't

know when he was born there were no

records they were like property they're

like sheep cattle pigs and he chose

February 14th because his mother used to

call him her little

Valentine and I was speaking to the

group and a young girl who was probably

about 10 years old she asked me a

question she said Mr Morris what must it

be like to walk in the shoes of

Frederick Douglas and Booker T

Washington and I thought man that is a

deep question and it reminded me of

being a little boy in Washington which

was where I was born and we used to go

on field trips to the Frederick Douglas

National Historic Site and upstairs in

his bedroom on his bed is his night

shirt and next to the bed on the chair

is his hat and on the floor is a pair of

his shoes and you know how when you go

into a museum they always have that

Velvet Rope that blocks off the room so

you can't get

in I remember being a little boy and I

always wanted to sneak pass that Velvet

Rope to try those shoes

on and this day in

February they actually took us on a VIP

tour and they took down the rope and

they brought there's a group of about 20

or 25 of us into this room and it's a

little room so we were crammed you know

shoulder-to-shoulder kind of like we're

sitting down here

today and we're we're crammed shoulder

to- shoulder and you know where they put

me right next to the

shoes and I looked down and I

said there they

are all I would have to do is just slip

off my shoes and nobody would ever

know and I could just step right into

them but I never

did I never tried those shoes on because

I knew that they wouldn't

fit those shoes are too big for any of

us to fit in

but what I realized at that moment is is

that I can take the shoes that I've got

and you all can take the shoes that

you've

got and we can lead the way to a

brighter future we can lead the way to a

better tomorrow and each and every one

of us can make the difference in the

lives of those around us and in doing so

just like Frederick Douglas and Booker T

Washington go on to affect the lives of

millions and millions of people thank

you for listening and God God

bless than

you