residents and volunteers who build community engagement in honor of the spirit of Frederick Douglass The Garden Our Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Garden is a space of inspiration in Downtown Brockton. Thank you to all who have helped and donated . Read More Events Reading Douglass 7.11.26 Frederick Douglass Bust Installed Annual Meeting 2025 Membership Our members embrace the Frederick Douglass Mission and work for unity and peace; educating on Frederick Douglass' life and teachings; in our corner of the world. Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Assocciation is a 501c3 registered non-profit. Learn more here We are Brockton residents and volunteers who honor the legacy of Frederick Douglass in our neighborhood through community engagement and the arts. /our story Our vision Events To view a brief slideshow that tells the story of the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association, click HERE.

An Evening with Frederick Douglass Speakers representing the diversity of Brockton join Mr. Douglass in the April 2018 program Douglass Bicentennial Display 2018 installation at the Brockton Post Office for the Bicentennial of Douglass' birth WAVE project Freedom Path of concrete art with social justice quotes installed by the youth of Brockton Ice Cream Sundae Sunday Dusty the therapeutic miniature horse joins in the festivities, August 2018 2017 Summer Sundae Social We learn about Frederick Douglass Having ie cream & meeting neighbors Delicious Reading Douglass in 12 languages Show More Our story in images 2013-2018

Our fall cleanup in October put the garden to bed for the season....but here are a few photos of the joy the garden gave us this year. See you in the Spring of 2018! 1/1

2015 2015 Year in Review - highlights of events throughout the year Blessing of the Animals, October 4 A 20 minute open-air prayer service was held to honor 12th century St. Francis of Assisi. People of all ages were invited to bring teddy bears, pet photos, dogs, cats and all beloved creatures for this special event in the newly rejuvenated garden. Reverend Jill Wiley presided. Stride Toward Freedom, Together The Sunday, September 20, 2015 Program was funded by a Mass Humanities Grant : Fo more information, see our pages: Program And Grant Reading of Frederick Douglass, June 28 We gathered at our Liberty Tree in Brockton, where Mr. Edward Bennett, Brockton abolitionist, greeted the audience and told the story of his stable, which was a stop on the Underground Railroad in the mid 1800s. Mr. Douglass addressed the city at this very site, most likely while on a speaking tour for the Massachusetts Antislavery Society in 1841. Accompanied by songs performed by members of our Brockton churches, we walked from the Liberty Tree to the Douglass Garden where we read the speech in three languages familiar to our community: English, Haitian Creole, and Cape Verde Creole. The Massasoit Theater Company started us off, and then members of the audience read in the language each chooses. After completion of the communal reading, we enjoyed conversation, community spirit, and ice cream sundaes in the garden. Picket Fence Public Art Installation, August 25 The students in "WAVE": Work-Achieve-Volunteer-Experience, a program of YouthWorks and the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board, dewsigned, painted and installed these welcoming gates to our garden in the summer of 2015. More pictures HERE . Spring Clean-Up, April 21 Members of the Brockton Boys and Girls Club joined with FDNA Volunteers in April of 2015 to rake up leaves, deadhead old plants, pull weeds, spread mulch, and get the garden ready for a busy year.

FDNA tells our story in a 1917 PopUp Village in Brockton, MA.

Douglass in his office in Haiti (National Park Service) Cabral vidaslusofonas.pt Douglass and Anthony, Sculpture Garden Rochester, NY Artist rendition of potential panels in our garden The Garden As Text Many chapters in the life of Frederick Douglass have themes that touch the diversity of Brockton today. Our goal is that the garden's Stride Toward Freedom Path will serve as the “text” to stories that will highlight those connections and create a common ground and bond of understanding. In each instance, we also ask “What would this civil rights activist and freedom fighter’s philosophy, approach and advice be as we grapple with the challenges of our society and our city today?” Haiti : Frederick Douglass served as the minister to Haiti for two years. Toussaint Louverture (1743 to 1803) was the leader of the Haitian Revolution – the only slave revolt which resulted in the establishment of a nation. In a preface to a biography of Louverture by Victor Schoelcher (that was never published), Douglass wrote: “The whole Christian world was at that time against (Louverture). England, France, Spain, Portugal, the United States and Holland were all slaveholders. They could only look with horror upon a great Negro leading his class in rebellion for its freedom. His high character, his valor, his wisdom, and his unflinching fidelity to the cause of liberty are an inheritance of which his people should be proud.” Ireland: Douglass traveled to Ireland and Britain in the 1840s, arriving in Ireland in 1845 at the cusp of the devastating Famine. Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847), Irish campaigner for Catholic Emancipation and Repeal of the Act of Union, played a prominent role in the anti-slavery movement there. In an article that appeared in ‘History Today, author Christine Kinealy wrote: “Visiting Ireland in 1845, Frederick Douglass was appalled by the poverty of the Irish people, likening their condition to that of the most degraded American slaves. When touring the United Kingdom, prior to a lecture in Cork, Douglass was referred to by O’Connell himself as ‘the Black O’Connell’, thus linking the two men in the public mind with the abolitionist cause.” Cape Verde: Douglass worked for several years in the shipyards of Baltimore as a caulker. It is not surprising that he ended up in New Bedford and Nantucket, which in the early 1800s were populated by many Cape Verdeans and Azorians who had arrived in whaling ships. Also prevalent in Nantucket and New Bedford were the Quaker “Friends”, who took an early stance against slavery and inequality. Amilcar Cabral (1924 – 1973) encouraged Cape Verdeans and people of Portuguese Guinea to support the opposition against colonial rule. He helped to organize a liberation movement which eventually became the African Party for Independence for Guinea and Cape Verde. He was assassinated in 1973. He is quoted as saying: “Always bear in mind that the people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone’s head. They are fighting to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children. . .” Brockton Abolitionists: Hotel keeper Edward F. Bennett (1804 -1887) of Brockton was also outspoken in his position against slavery. A huge sycamore tree outside of his stables was a symbol of liberty for the slaves who hid in his building, a stop on the Underground Railroad. That tree and stable was located on High Street – now Frederick Douglass Way – just steps from our Garden. Women’s Rights: Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) spoke out for equal rights for women at our Liberty Tree, as did many other suffragettes. When 300 women gathered in Seneca Falls, New York for the very first women’s rights convention, Frederick Douglass was one of only 40 men to attend. The “Declaration of Sentiments” drawn up at that convention contained eleven resolutions, and the ninth stated it was a woman’s duty to secure the right to vote. In an editorial published that same year, 1848, in The North Star, Douglass wrote, ". . . in respect to political rights . . . there can be no reason in the world for denying to woman the elective franchise.” Douglass and Anthony had a lifelong friendship – but it was not always an easy one. Anthony fought for universal suffrage and did not agree that the black man should receive the right to vote before women did. “Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: From the “I Have a Dream” speech delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.: “We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now . This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.”

/ Douglass and Brocktonians Brockton is a city of diversity, whose cultural roots reach many parts of the world. Amazingly, many chapters in the life of Frederick Douglass intersect with those roots, and our knowledge of that history can help create common ground and pathways - first to understand, and then to address the political and social challenges of today. The Marin Independent Journal reported on the first celebration of National Negro History week in February 1950, in Marin City, CA. It became an annual event, and inspired the creation of two quilts. One of Harriet Tubman, and this one of Frederick Douglass giving his famous Fourth of July speech. The quilt was finished in 1953 by Bernice Vissman, Martha Johnson, Essie McKee, Detta Wright, Birdie Smith and Betty DePrado. From University of Louisville Archives and Records Center, Kentucky Quilt Project. Index, www.quiltindex.org CAPE VERDE: as a slave in Maryland, Frederick Douglass would gaze out at the ocean and sailing ships and dream of taking to the water and being free. He worked for several years as a caulker in the shipyards of Baltimore. When he finally made his escape, he put on the typical seaman’s clothes – a red shirt and tarpaulin hat and a black cravat, tied in a sailor’s knot. In this disguise, and with “borrowed” papers, he headed north by train to Philadelphia and settled eventually in New Bedford, Massachusetts. During the peak of the whaling industry, sailors and shipbuilders of all colors were paid well for their services. In the 18th and early 19th century, crews were drawn from men of many backgrounds, including many skilled tradesmen from the Azores and Cape Verde islands. According to a posting by the New Bedford Historical Society, “Cape Verdeans acquired old whaling ships....and eventually they came to own almost all that remained of the New Bedford fleet.” It is quite likely that Douglass worked alongside these Cape Verdean immigrants. It is also interesting that his first public speech in front of a white audience was give in 1841 in Nantucket, another major center of the whaling and shipbuilding industry. Many historians believe that this speech was the catalyst for Douglass’ brilliant speaking career. IRELAND : Frederick Douglass believed in equality for all - men, women, black, white, all people, whatever race or religion – and his experience as a slave spurred him on to travel the world promoting his beliefs. Douglass traveled to Ireland and Britain in the 1840s, arriving in Ireland in 1845 at the cusp of the devastating Famine. In total, he spent two years traveling around this part of the world, and one of the cities he visited was Waterford, in October 1845. Douglass spoke in the Large Room in the City Hall, on the evening of Thursday 9 October 1845, and it appears that he arrived in Waterford from Wexford on 8 October and left for Cork the day after his speech. VETERANS: President Lincoln called on Frederick Douglass to help enlist free black men into the Army during the Civil War. Two of the soldiers who served in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment - whose story was told in the movie "Glory" - were Mr. Douglass' own two sons. Mr. Douglass lobbied the President hard for equal pay for white and black soldiers. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw inspired his unit to conduct a boycott until this pay inequality was rectified. There is a memorial bronze relief sculpture to the 54th on Boston Common. WOMEN: When 300 women gathered in Seneca Falls, New York for the very first women's rights convention, Frederick Douglass was one of only 40 men to attend. The "Declaration of Sentiments" drawn up at that convention contained eleven resolutions and the ninth stated it was a woman's duty to secure the right to vote. In an editorial published that same year, 1848, in The North Star, he wrote: "....in respect to political rights..........there can be no reason in the world for denying to women the elective franchise." HAITI: Because of his service as Minister to Haiti, Frederick Douglass was invited to be the keynote speaker at the dedication of the Haitian Pavilion at the World’s Fair held in Jackson Park, Chicago, in 1893. This exhibition celebrated the 400 year anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage, and is often referred to as the “World Columbia Exposition”. Two cities fought for the fair – New York and Chicago. A New York reporter wrote with disdain that the people of Chicago were so full of hot air promises that it was a “windy city” – and this phrase, originally meant as an insult, is used to describe Chicago to this day. CIVIL RIGHTS: One month after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Frederick Douglass called this the first step towards healing a nation scarred by the institution of slavery. “The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.” “We are all liberated by this proclamation. Everybody is liberated. The white man is liberated, the black man is liberated, the brave men now fighting the battles of their country against rebels and traitors are now liberated… I congratulate you upon this amazing change—the amazing approximation toward the sacred truth of human liberty.” * * *

Years In Review Each Year our community grows. First the garden, now the street. First an annual event, now several a year. We learn, we build and we share. We are the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood. 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 Archives

2017 information: Images from our 2016 Swap Full of visitors I'm a description. Click to edit me So many plants! Choices, choices How does your garden grow? Welcomed by Ruth and Nancy I'm a description. Click to edit me The Garden Club in the house Eric and Ann, the petunia winner I'm a description. Click to edit me We can plant! I'm a description. Click to edit me Good Samaritan donates to the Garden I'm a description. Click to edit me Show More

/our vision We are Brockton citizen residents and volunteers who honor the legacy of Frederick Douglass in our neighborhood through community engagement and the arts. In May of 2004, a street in downtown Brockton, Massachusetts was renamed for Frederick Douglass, an orator, statesman, and abolitionist who had once been a slave. Some call him America's first civil rights activist. Not far away was the location of the stables of Edward E. Bennett. During the years around the Civil War, the stables were one stop of the Underground Railroad. At this location stood a sycamore tree which was the symbol of liberty for the slaves who hid in this building. It was also a place where great human rights activists such as Mr. Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, Lucretia Mott and Amelia Bloomer addressed the issues of the day. In 2004 the tree had to be cut down due to damage from a storm. A slice of that tree is on display at the Brockton Public Library. A clone of the tree was planted at the Brockton Historical Society Museum. In 2014, the 10th anniversary of the renaming of Frederick Douglass Avenue, our neighborhood association was born. Our mission in 2014 was to bring attention to the 10th anniversary by enhancing the community garden and hosting community events to bring neighbors together in celebration and unity. Our year was a great success, and you can enjoy those events on our 2014 in Review page. We are committed to organizing our neighborhood, effecting meaningful change, and honoring the legacy of Mr. Douglass and his connections to the ethnic diversity of Brockton today: he worked with Cape Verdean shipbuilders, served as Minister to Haiti, stood with Daniel O'Connell as Ireland fought for independence, supported Susan B. Anthony and women suffragettes , fought for equal pay for black soldiers during the Civil War, and is our inspiration as our country's first civil rights activist as our city and country struggle with modern issues of fairness, equality, and racial harmony. As Mr. Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress”. If you live, work, worship or play in our neighborhood, come join us ! Click here to learn about our "Stride Toward Freedom" project completed in 2015. "In conclusion, my dear young friends, be not discouraged. Accept the inspiration of hope. Imitate the example of the brave mariner, who, amid clouds and darkness, amid hail, rain and storm bolts, battles his way against all that the sea opposes to his progress. You will then reach the goal of your noble ambition in safety." — Frederick Douglass, Blessings of Liberty and Education, Manassas, Va., 1894

ILittle Free Library Project - MAY 5 INSTALLATION DAY! On May 5, 2015 we introduced our Little Free Library Project to Brockton! Joining us were the students of Southeastern Vo-Tech, Eduardo, Ryan and Denzel - the install team! We were joined by our sponsors and artists, and everyone who has worked so hard on this inspirational project - The Boys and Girls Club, The Family Center, LoveALLiance Church, FDNA members and members of the City Mayor's Office. Rev. Jill Wiley of Messiah Baptist Church, the artist of our quilt-themed LFL, spoke to the crowd about the inspiration for her design. Lynn Smith, Treasurer of the FDNA, welcomed the children in attendance to place the inaugural books into the LFL. Then, so the children of the Family Center could participate, we had another unveiling On May 27th at 3:00p in Finnegan Park; and so the students of the Torch Club could join in, a third unveiling in the park next to the Boys and Girls Club on May 20th at 4 pm. Come have some fun with us! And bring a book to donate to your favorite LFL! LFLs are located in Finnegan Park next to the telephone building on Crescent at Montello; in the Douglass Garden on Frederick Douglass Avenue at Paddy Lane; in the park next to the Boys and Girls Club on Warren Ave close to Belmont; and on City Hall Plaza between city hall and the garage, on VFW Parkway. * * * * * * * * * * * * On January 19, 2015, the Martin Luther King Jr holiday, a day of service, members of the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association (FDNA) are excited to announce that by the spring of 2015 they plan to install four “Little Free Libraries” (LFL) in various locations in the vicinity of Frederick Douglass Avenue in downtown Brockton. Little Free Libraries (LFL) are wooden boxes typically built in the shape of houses. They are located where anyone walking by may pick up a book (or two) and exchange another book to share with others. A coalition of partners will be involved in building, installing and maintaining the four diminutive structures. Students of Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical School are in charge of design and construction; and members of FDNA, the Boys and Girls Club, Community Connections of Brockton, and Love ALLiance Church are volunteering to add colorful paint and architectural details and stock the libraries/boxes with donated books. The installation of our four LFLs is scheduled for May 5, 2015, from 11 am to 12 noon. Check our Facebook page for updates on weather, locations, etc. More information about the Library Projects across the U.S. is at the bottom of this page. JANUARY 2015: Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical School creates our LFLs Keon Scott attaches a knob Keon and Nicolas Ross adjust door Mr. Raimondo and Mr. Blanchard supervise Four LFLs just need that finishing touch! FEBRUARY 2015: LFLs are delivered to our nonprofit partners for decorative paint MARCH 2015 : our artists are hard at work decorating our four LFLs. Here is a peek at one work of art in progress. April, 2015: We present our request to the City of Brockton Parks Commission to allow us to install our libraries where children and adults can enjoy them while in our parks. The Parks Commission says YES ! Mr. Douglass in his office in Haiti. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service. To the left, in the park at the corner of Montello and Crescent Streets, next to the telephone company building and across the street from the Family Resource Center. To the the right, next to the Boys and Girls Club in the park at Belmont and Warren. A montage of our four LFLs, taken by Andy P. One theme is The Four Seasons, one is Helping Hands, one is Quilts Tell a Story, and one is The Torch Club Lights the Way. The Torch Club of the Boys and Girls Club of Brockton will honor Frederick Douglass and our city's boxing history on their LFL. The Love ALLiance LFL will reflect the four seasons. The first Little Free Library was built in 2009 by a Wisconsin man to honor his schoolteacher mother who loved reading. It was a model of a one-room schoolhouse that he put on a post in his front yard with a sign on it saying “Free Books.” The idea caught on and by January 2014, the number of registered Little Free Libraries in the world was conservatively estimated at nearly 15,000. The website http://littlefreelibrary.org/ shows many photos of LFL and identifies where most are located, including sites in Massachusetts such as Dedham, Needham, North Attleboro and Cambridge. While the Little Free Libraries movement is not part of the local public library system, the FDNA sees its LFL project as a unique way to promote the cause of reading for which Frederick Douglass was a shining symbol in his life’s work as a noted author, journalist and speaker. Frederick Douglass was convinced at an early age that reading was his way out of slavery. As it was illegal to teach slaves to read in the 1800s, Douglass learned innovative ways to learn: he would snatch up scraps of newspapers from the ground, for example, and read them when no one was looking. There is an outstanding Public Library here in Brockton that everyone should be proud of. These small houses are simply another way to make books accessible to folks on a whim as they pass one by. Louis Lemieux, pastor of the Love ALLiance Church in downtown Brockton, one of the partners in this project, summed his congregation’s involvement up this way: “We love the opportunity to create pockets of community in our neighborhood. This is one way to bring people out of the isolation of their daily life to discovering, sharing and discussing the books they have found in the little libraries. In this way a Little Free Library can have a large impact on the culture of our neighborhood.” Here are some random images from around the Web on some beautifully decorated LFLs in various U.S. locations.

/ join To join, volunteer, donate, or stay in touch, here's our contact information. Follow updates posted on this website and our Facebook page. Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association The Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association (FDNA) takes its name from America’s early civil rights leader and the street in Brockton named in his honor, which runs from Main Street to Warren Avenue in downtown. We believe that everyone deserves to live in a beautiful and vibrant neighborhood. We are an all-volunteer group of citizens who live, work and worship in the area around Frederick Douglass Avenue. We honor the legacy of Frederick Douglass and the threads in his life that are woven today within the diversity of our city through community education, engagement and the arts. Together, we work to enrich our neighborhood by : • Encouraging the beautification of our neighborhood through the arts and maintenance of the privately owned land currently used as a garden on Frederick Douglass Avenue; • Building appreciation for the history of Frederick Douglass, the Underground Railroad, and the connection of that history to the Brockton community of today; • Organizing social gatherings to build community; • Supporting local businesses by contributing to economic initiatives; • Serving as a forum and a facilitator for neighbors to convene on shared topics of concern to the area. Visit us or message us via Facebook HERE . EMAIL US at: fdnabrockton@gmail.com To learn more about us, you can watch our slideshow by following this link: Smilebox about FDNA To watch an innovative presentation about Frederick Douglass click here . Our thanks to all our members, supporters and volunteers, and of course to all of the great people of our City of Champions: Brockton, Massachusetts.