Kenneth B. Morris, Jr : Direct Descendant of Frederick Douglass & Booker T. Washington

Last edited Fri Sep 24, 2021, 12:54 AM - Edit history (1)

- Ancestry. Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. talks about his incredible lineage. Ken is descended from 2 of the most important names in American history: he is the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington. Pub. 2011. For more information: http://www.fdfi.org/kbmjr-keynote.html

Ken's extraordinary lineage flows through the maternal side of his family by way of the union of his grandmother, Nettie Hancock Washington (granddaughter of Booker T. Washington), and his grandfather, Dr. Frederick Douglass III (great grandson of Frederick Douglass). When Ken's mother, Nettie Washington Douglass, was born she was the first to unite the bloodlines. Ken is the first male to do so. For more information: http://www.fdfi.org/kbmjr-keynote.html
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- Frederick Douglass in 1879. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass
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- The Legacy of Frederick Douglass: An Interview with Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. By Chris Shell, Nov. 30, 2018. aaihs.

- In today’s post, Christopher Shell, PhD Student in History at Michigan State University, interviews Kenneth B. Morris, the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington. His mother, Nettie Washington Douglass, is the daughter of Nettie Hancock Washington (granddaughter of Booker T. Washington), and Dr. Frederick Douglass III (great-grandson of Frederick Douglass). Mr. Morris continues his family’s legacy of anti-slavery and educational work as co-founder and president of the Atlanta-based nonprofit Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (@DouglassFamily).

The organization brings the guidance of history to the fight against modern forms of slavery. As part of the present-day abolitionist movement. Current FDFI projects include the One Million Abolitionists project, which aims to distribute one million copies of a special Bicentennial edition of Frederick Douglass’s first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, to young people across the country. Follow him on Twitter @kmorrisjr. > Christopher Shell: You are the descendant of two very prominent socio-politically actives figures in African American history. How have their accomplishments shaped your life’s purpose?

Kenneth B. Morris, Jr.: I’ve always known that I descended from Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, but I never embraced it when I was younger. I spent my summers at our family beach house at Highland Beach, Maryland. The house was built for Frederick by his youngest son, Charles (my great-great-grandfather), as a retirement home. It was there, on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, where Frederick dreamed of spending the last years of his life, sitting in “the tower” at the top of his home, looking back to where he had been born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Unfortunately, he passed away a few months before the house was completed.

There were photographs of Douglass and Washington throughout the home. I was probably 5 years old when I started to observe their images printed on money and postage stamps. There were schools and libraries named for them. It seemed that everywhere I turned I could feel their presence. The role of heir to a legacy is never chosen and it is more often a burden than a blessing, no matter how bright or talented those heirs may be. For the descendants of men like Douglass and Washington, who cast as great a shadow as any American ever has, the expectations can be all the more daunting. As a result, I spent the first part of my life decisively disengaged from my family lineage until providence called. In 2005, I read a National Geographic magazine cover story about human trafficking and my world changed dramatically. I had found a new purpose in my life.

Shell: Can you tell us some more about the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives? What inspired you to co-found the initiative?...https://www.aaihs.org/the-legacy-of-frederick-douglass-an-interview-with-kenneth-b-morris-jr/
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- Booker T. Washington, c. 1895. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington
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- Contemporary Abolitionist of the Month: Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. 2015.

- Bankrupt Slavery: Dismantling the Business of Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking, By Emily Balan. The fight to end slavery is rooted in history and extends until today. Each month we will profile some of the brave men and women, both contemporary and historical, who have fought to eradicate slavery. Our contemporary abolitionist of the month is Kenneth B. Morris, Jr.

Ken Morris is a direct descendant of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. He embraced his heritage by founding Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, an abolitionist organization that uses lessons from history to combat modern day slavery. It provides opportunities to young people to learn about and teach human trafficking. Morris believes that building awareness is the first step toward ending slavery in our time.

In 2012, Morris started the “100 Days to Freedom” initiative, where students produced written proclamations of freedom for the victims of modern day slavery modeled after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. His organization created free curriculum modules for secondary school teachers to teach students about labor and sexual exploitation of children around the world and the similarities and differences between slavery in American history and modern day slavery.

Morris has reached around 60,000 middle and high students through the Frederick Douglass Dialogues Tour—and has reached many more through his appearances on CNN, PBS, NPR, and CBS Evening News...

https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/contemporary-abolitionist-month-kenneth-b-morris-jr