(Feb. 1, 2007)

Media contact: Lynn Stewart, Centenary News Service, 318-869-5120

Frederick Douglass IV to Speak Feb. 5 at Centenary College

Frederick Douglas IV

SHREVEPORT, LA — Frederick Douglass IV will speak to Centenary College students, faculty and staff at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, in the Whited Room of Bynum Commons.

Frederick Douglass IV identifies himself* as the great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist, orator, editor, statesman, author, suffragist and publisher. Frederick Douglass IV travels throughout America to perpetuate the legacy of Frederick Douglass by lecturing about him, giving his speeches and re-enacting key episodes of the abolitionist's life.

Though some dispute Frederick Douglass IV's claims to the Douglass lineage (see Washington Post article outlining the controversy), the speaker has received numerous honors, including the Heritage Award by Martin Luther King III, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, as well as other awards from diverse institutions and organizations, including Ball State University, Central Michigan University, Paine College, Chattanooga Museum of African American History and Adrian College.

The program is sponsored by the Centenary Office of Student Life, Alpha Phi Alpha and the Convocations Subcommittee.

*See 2007 Washington Post article detailing controversy over this claim.