Frederick Douglass — the former Maryland slave who later emerged as a prominent abolitionist leader — will receive an honorary doctorate posthumously next week from the University of Rochester.
The upstate New York institution will honor Douglass at its commencement on May 20, with the Honorary Doctor of Laws 123 years after Douglass’ death.
Jessica Lacher-Feldman, assistant dean and the Joseph N. Lambert & Harold B. Schleifer director of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, said the decision to honor Douglass came amid numerous activities across Rochester celebrating the 200th birthday of the early civil rights leader.
Lacher-Feldman floated the idea of giving Douglass an honorary degree and, several months ago, the university’s board of trustees approved the measure.
“It’s very exciting,” said Lacher-Feldman, who oversees the Douglass collection, which includes, among other things, letters written by Douglass, a spoon that he owned and a lock of his hair.
Douglass, who settled in Rochester and founded the North Star in 1847, is considered an icon in the city, which erected a statue of the orator and statesman — the first statue in the country to memorialize an African-American.
