Cork is a vibrant and increasingly diverse city with a rich and complex history. Given our city’s past as both an economic beneficiary of the slave trade and a centre for abolitionist activism, we feel it is time for our City Council to accord due recognition to the freed slave and hero of the anti-slavery cause, Frederick Douglass. In 1845, Douglass spent three weeks in Cork giving numerous public speeches against slavery. The naming of a street for Frederick Douglass would be a powerful symbol of the city’s commitment to the struggle against racism and embrace of all its citizens, regardless of national origin, creed and colour. Our city is home to many streets named for members of the British royal family and the colonial administration in Ireland. Let’s make room for an internationally renowned hero of the anti-racist cause with a clear connection to our city. Now is the time for a Frederick Douglass Street in Cork.
Sign our petition and help us commemorate Frederick Douglass in Cork!
You can read more about this campaign in an article by The Irish Post or listen to us on the radio here (interview with Dr Dónal Hassett, Twitter: @donalhassett1).
Photo Credit: Daniel O’Connell (Twitter: @egomotion)