Mural celebrating Frederick Douglass unveiled in Cork city
The Frederick Douglass mural at the Unitarian Church on Cork's Prince's Street.
A mural celebrating the 1845 visit to Cork of the great American anti-slavery leader, Frederick Douglass, one of Barack Obama’s political heroes, has been unveiled in the city centre.
Douglass’s great-great-great-grandson, Kenneth B Morris, was the guest of honour at the unveiling of the striking piece of street art on a wall in the courtyard of the historic Unitarian Church on Prince’s St on Monday night.
Members of the Unitarian church helped arrange Douglass’s visit to Cork almost 180 years ago. The city’s mayor at the time, Richard Dowden, a noted philanthropist and an associate of Fr Theobald Mathew, was also a member of the church.
Minister of the Unitarian Church, Rev Mike O’Sullivan, said the church community said ‘yes’ immediately when the city council approached them with a view to using the wall for the mural.
“It was just a plain wall and now it’s an amazing bright, colourful and welcoming mural,” he said.
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“We are a very inclusive church, and Douglass’s message rhymes with our message, it fits our ethos as an inclusive, welcoming church.”
The mural, by the artist Zabou, was created in association with the Walls Project, thanks to funding from Creative Ireland.
Mr Morris, who continues his family’s legacy of anti-slavery and educational work as cofounder and president of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, a nonprofit organisation based in Rochester, New York, said he likes to think that the spirit of his famous ancestor “lives in all of us”.
Referring to Douglass’s 1845 published autobiography, , he said: “That book became a bestseller and it’s been impacting the lives of countless people all over the world ever since it was published more than 175 years ago.
“I’ve seen the way his life and legacy impacts on people.
“People are still interested in Frederick Douglass, interested in what he has to say to us, in the times in which we live.
“There’s a lot of conflict in the world, certainly where I live in the US with the political climate and the divisiveness. But Douglass has always transcended any kind of conflict.
“His spirit, I believe, can be a healing balm on the wounds that we all feel and suffer.
“And so when you see a mural like this, it’s a reminder, if you know who he is, that this is somebody that inspired me to believe that I can do, and be anything possible.
“And if you don’t know who he is, then you’re going to start asking questions, and when you see artwork like this, it’s something that will inspire you to connect to that legacy.”
Frederick Douglass was one of the leaders of the abolitionist movement in America.
An orator and writer who fought against slavery and for women’s rights, he was the first African-American citizen appointed to high ranks in the US government.
He spent time in Cork during the Famine where he made three very important public appearances which attracted thousands of people.
During his term as US President, Barack Obama referred to Douglass’s legacy, and described him as one of his political heroes. Many observers also drew parallels between Douglass’s skills as an orator and Obama’s inspirational campaign speeches.
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