residents and volunteers who build community engagement in honor of the spirit of Frederick Douglass 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 Events Reading Douglass 7.11.26 Discussing Douglass 5.27.26 Frederick Douglass Bust Installed Annual Meeting 2026 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 Donate Paypal 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 Get In Touch First name* Last name* Email* Phone* Would you like to be involved ? "What to A Slave..." Reading Gardening History Discussions Creating Community Spaces in the Neighborhood? Questions? Comments? Submit Events To view a brief slideshow that tells the story of the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association, click HERE.

Brockton as a member of the Douglass Bicentennial Community. As part of the world-wide commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Douglass in 1818, the FDNA hosted a number of events, starting with "An Evening with Frederick Douglass" on April 12th. Our travelling exhibit (see details below) was shared with a number of institutions in the city, including the post office, city hall, local schools and the public library. In July, through the generosity of HarborOneBank, the area around our Liberty Tree was cleaned up and a new retaining wall installed. In August of 2018 Dr. Gary Hylander, local professor and historian, led a discussion at the library. His focus was on the time Douglass spent in New England. In October representatives of FDNA travelled to Lynn, Masachusetts for a day that included a tour of the graves of abolitionists in Lynn who were associates of Mr. Douglass, followed by a lively program of spoken word and song at the Washington Street Baptist Church. Our final event of the year was hosted by the Brockton Assembly of God Church and featured local history teacher and scholar Willie A. Wilson Jr who spoke on "Douglass: The Man, The Myth, The Legacy" and his relevance in today's troubled times. Our Douglass Bicentennial Exhibit (see information below) has been traveling Brockton and has been on view at City Hall, the Gilmore School, the Main Post Office, and at the Brockton Public Library where it was part of a July 24, 2018 unveiling and event to celebrate the Library's Immigration Dialogue Series Program. Video of Douglass Exhibit at City Hall Released as part of the Douglass Bicentennial Community Celebration For immediate release February 28, 2018 Contact FDNA - Lynn Smith, 774.381.8050 or madeline-smith@hotmail.com BROCKTON, MA ….. The Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association (FDNA) has released a video highlighting its exhibit on Frederick Douglass that has been on view to the public during the month of February in the historic Brockton City Hall. City Hall historian Bob Martin and local teacher and historical society member Willie A. Wilson, Jr. provided the commentary for the exhibit, and the priceless Civil War paintings that surrounded in in the Grand Corridor of City Hall. Mr. Martin and Mrs. Wilson were joined for the taping by the President of the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association, Lynn Smith. The exhibit is one of several events planned through the City to honor Frederick Douglass, born in 1818, during this nationwide bicentennial celebration. FDNA has joined the Douglass Bicentennial Community. The United States Congress established a commission to plan and carry out programs across the United States to honor Frederick Douglass, one of the most transformative figures in United States history. Escaping from slavery in 1838, he was a writer, orator, and tireless fighter for equal rights and the end of slavery. During the time of the Civil War, Brockton was known as North Bridgewater. City Hall was built from 1892 to 1894. Douglass lived in New Bedford from 1838 to 1842, the year he moved to Lynn, Massachusetts. During this time frame he toured for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and gave many speeches in the eastern counties of Massachusetts. It is believed that he visited Brockton (North Bridgewater) during this period of his life. He spoke at a location not far from our Liberty Tree, on Frederick Douglass Avenue, renamed in his honor in 2014. The video was produced by Brockton Community Access and was filmed by Jay Miller. One of the most impactful moments in the filming was Mr. Martin’s description of “The Spirit of 1861”, a painting depicting a runaway slave escaping north, but facing a cruel pursuit by slave hunters with dogs. “I think that this painting, above all, sets the stage for the current Douglass exhibit,” said Mr. Martin. “The painting almost did not make it into the collection, but it is now an important reminder of the struggle echoed in the exhibit.” Mr. Wilson during his comments highlighted the painting of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment and its connection to the relationship that Douglass had with President Abraham Lincoln. The President asked Mr. Douglass to encourage black men to join the 54th – but among other issues, Mr. Douglass had grave concerns over the unequal pay scale between white soldiers and black. To view the video, visit Brockton Community Access at The Brockton Channels on YouTube and click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUhnp4VYBEE The Douglass Exhibit will travel to the Main Post Office in Brockton on Commercial Street for display during the month of March. Then in August it will move to the Main Branch of the Brockton Public Library. Visitors there will also be able to see the round table made from the 1763 sycamore tree that once stood as a visual cue to Brockton’s stop on the Underground Railroad. Not far from that site is where Mr. Douglass, and many other abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison and Lucretia Mott, spoke out against slavery.

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.”

2017 Happenings Plant and Seed Swap 2017 Plant and Seed Swap 2016 Reading Frederick Douglass 2017 PopUp Village 1917 - 2017 Summer "Sundae" Social The Pergola 2016 The Little Free Library .....and more.......

Program 4.12.18 The stage is set The presenters are ready Lynn Smith welcomes the audience Mayor Bill Carpenter Willie A. Wilson Jr Elenaor Wentworth/Susan B. Anthony Jean Derenoncourt/Haiti Adriano Cabral/Cape Verde Show More

IStride Toward Freedom, Together Our event on Sunday, September 20, 2015 was well attended, and well received. To view the two hour video of the event, follow this link to YouTube. We thank Brockton Community Access and videographer Michael Simmons for the recording, edited down by about 30 minutes to a two hour format to fit our local Brockton cable programming schedule. https://youtu.be/zXZLtvsyQyo * * * * * * * * * To learn more about the program, here is a narrative: What did Frederick Douglass learn from the leadership of Toussaint Louverture of Haiti? When Douglass visited Ireland in 1845 and stood next to Daniel O'Connell and experienced the poverty and struggle of the Irish people as they faced the great potato famine, what traits of nonviolent activism did they share? When Douglass lived in New Bedford, did he work with the skilled shipbuilders of Cape Verde, free and proud black craftsmen? What lessons did freedom fighter Amilcar Cabral learn and put into action from Douglass and O'Connell and Louverture almost 150 years later? As we negotiate the social contract today, who are the voices of equality? Who leads the fight against injustice? What qualities are critical in our leaders today? As income inequality, and racial conflict, and police interaction, and immigration issues dominate current events, how can we learn from these icons of nonviolent protest and masters of change? Professor Lee Farrow of Stonehill College, Charlot Lucien of the Haitian Artists Assembly, Dr. Joao Rosa of Bridgewater State University, and Willie A. Wilson Jr. of the Brockton Historical Society will be our guides during this exciting discourse. The program begins at 2 pm and ends at 4:30 pm with a networking reception that will include light refreshments. Our thanks to Mass Humanities, who funded the major cost of this event, the Just Checking In Foundation, the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, Mayor Bill Carpenter of the City of Brockton, Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, Susie Q. Shaw, our Artist in Residence, and the volunteer/members of the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association for their support of our ongoing work in the community, and of this program.

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

I Please join the City of Brockton's Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association as we unveil, dedicate and celebrate our "Stride Toward Freedom, Together" Walkway and signs. The date is November 15, 2015. The panels will tell the story of four civil rights icons from around the world whose lives are connected to that of Frederick Douglass. Meet the artists, the scholars, and the students who have worked tirelessly to make this Walkway a reality. During the one hour ceremony we will hear about the history of the Avenue and the Underground Railroad in Brockton, the story of the fire at the Ardmore Hotel that once stood on this site, and the story of our four honorees. Most importantly, we will get to thank all of the volunteers, supporters and members who walk with us as we build common ground, community spirit, and pride in our neighborhood and our history. The garden is located on Frederick Douglass Avenue, which runs one way from Main Street to Warren Avenue. Parking lots are available on the street next to the garden for your convenience. The event will take place rain or shine.

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

2025 It was a blooming year! Our garden spilled over ... and now flowers can be seen all along the road. Discussing Douglass What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? We gathered in the Driscoll Art Gallery at the BrPL Main Branch to engage !!! Hosting our first "Discussing Douglass" meeting. We had a wonderful turnout with thought provoking stories and community conversations about Frederick Douglass and his famous speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?". Mayor Sullivan presented FDNA with their very own piece of the famous Liberty Tree in Brockton where Frederick Douglass made his speeches. This event was made possible in part with a grant from the Creative Impact Fund and Black Owned Brockton. Hope you will join us for the next "Discussing Douglass" event! Discussing Douglass “I Am a Radical Woman Suffrage Man” May 6, 2025 Driscoll Art Gallery BrPL Together, we reflected on the question: How can two people, raised the same way, end up with different rights? What’s changed — and what hasn’t? Our second "Discussing Douglass" event was a success! We were honored to be joined by State Representatives Rita Mendes and Michelle DuBois. Rep. Mendes shared exciting news: a $25,000 earmark for FDNA is included in the State Budget—pending approval! Gardening The garden near Paddy Lane is in full bloom! Many thanks to the volunteers and donations. Our garden is a respite of beauty in the middle of the city, thanks to you!! 🧤 Garden Meetups We’re organizing monthly garden days to keep everything looking great. Join us: 📆 Last Wednesday of Each Month at 5:00 PM Reading Frederick Douglass Together Saturday July 12, 2025 ~ In the Garden https://lightroom.adobe.com/shares/b0fecc8dbb754fc1aa5f583b281f4b61 Discussing Douglass The topic of our last “Discussing Douglass”event was Anna Murray Douglass, first wife of Frederick Douglass and a catalyst in his journey for freedom. She provided the foundation which made his work possible! Rev. Jill Wiley gave a powerful oration called “I Am Anna”. Willie Wilson gave an informative presentation, both of which sparked deep conversation among the attendees. The Liberty Tree Quilt provided a beautiful backdrop to the conversation. International Douglass Week Our members attended many of the events during Douglass Week (Sept 28-Oct 4). The organizers, Globe Lane Iniative, put together some fantastic activities in collaboration with the many historical groups across our region. Here are some photos of the historical walking tour of New Bedford that Willie Wilson and I attended, sponsored by Mass Humanities. Also in attendance that day was a descendant of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington! Kenneth B. Morris Jr. is the great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass and the co-founder of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives. He is also a descendant of Booker T. Washington, having both ancestors' legacies of anti-slavery and educational work. Morris has dedicated his life to advancing these legacies, and his organization works to end human trafficking and build strong children. It was a beautiful fall day! We were so proud that Globe Lane chose Boston as their 2025 location! ~ Cindy Click the link to see the schedule of events that were held. https://douglassweek.org/events2025

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 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