Search all showsMorley Prize Podcast
Series 4 Episode 4: Kenneth B. Morris Jr
In this podcast, Dr Florence Marfo talks to Kenneth B. Morris Jr, co-founder and president of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI), great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass and great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington. Not only do they talk about the legacies of these historic giants, but also the contribution of the women in their lives to the empowerment of Black communities in the US.
It can be easy to forget the suffering that such legends of history experienced, as this becomes obscured by their far-reaching and enduring social impact. Ken’s emotional proximity to his forebears and their pain can be discerned when he reads a second passage from the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Ken and Florence reflect on the relevance of Douglass’s canonical Narrative (dubbed one of the 88 books that shaped America) and reprinted in 2023 by the FDFI.