The Frederick Douglass Society is dedicated to fighting for radical and universal human liberation, as Frederick Douglass—truly a giant standing astride history—did throughout his entire life. We seek to educate the public about the true meaning of the values expressed in our founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights; as well as the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th, 24th and 26th amendments, and the life and work of this great man.
Current Campaigns
Currently, the Frederick Douglass Society is focused on two campaigns and one major website project/campaign combination:
The Right To Sleep - this manifests itself in Santa Cruz County specific activism around a campaign to end the sleeping and blanket ban, which prevents homeless people from covering up with a blanket anywhere in the City of Santa Cruz, from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. either on the street or in a vehicle. This is being done in coalition with Santa Cruz area groups like HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom) and the Green Party of Santa Cruz County, CA and statewide entities like the CHCROP (California Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project) which is currently engaged in the Right To Sleep Walk, a protest/march accross the state from San Diego to Sacramento, designed to highlight cruel and unjust laws aimed at homeless people in localities accross the state.
Justice for Janitors At Yahoo - this is an Internet based campaign that we've decided to adopt and promote, based on the Frederick Douglass Society's commitment to improving the lives of those most oppressed by the structures of the society we live in. The situation at Yahoo, where a "sub-contractor" handles the janitorial work, is a classic example of how corporate America has attempted to shift responsibility and accountability for the health and well being of "employees" to anonymous third-parties that convert the working class into anonymous "units" with no individual identity. The friendly janitor of yesteryear, the life-long employee who was a critical part of the corporate culture and did so much more than merely empty wastebaskets and wipe down counters, has been converted into an "alien", a "ghost" who moves silently through the office when no one is there, never speaking to or being seen by anyone, except in brief and awkward late-night encounters that the corporate heirarchy never participates, "Is ok to vacuum?" ... "Sure." or "Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom." (hurried evacuation) or a silent encounter on the elevator where the fumes from the cleaning materials leave you light headed. See our Letter To Yahoo CEO Terry Semel.
SavageStupidity.Com - this is a web site targeting Michael Savage (aka Michael Weiner), an extreme right-wing hate radio talk show host, and his show, "The Savage Nation". We are organizing a consumer education campaign and boycott of the show's sponsors, as well as identifying and developing an extensive set of resources for members of the media and other people who seek documented evidence of this man's history and extreme political and social views. The site provides an extensive array of commentary, branded merchandise, and organizing and informational resources in support of these goals.
We welcome your comments and feedback on these projects - email us at campaigns@frederickdouglass-society.org. Thank you for your interest and support.
Historical Projects being supported
Begun in 1973, the Frederick Douglass Papers Project aims to collect,
edit, and publish the voluminous papers of Frederick Douglass, one of the
foremost reformers of the nineteenth century...
http://www.iupui.edu/~douglass/
Frederick Douglass Society Dinners
Once a month, our host, Thomas Leavitt, offers new and existing members of the
Frederick Douglass Society an opportunity to meet and greet each other. Go to the sponsorship page for more details!
The Frederick Douglass Society Mailing List
To keep up to date with what's going on, join the mailing list! All you need to do is enter your email address below.
Latest site update: June 23rd, 2:13 p.m.
