The Legacy of Abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818–1895)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

This online conversation with Celeste-Marie Bernier, Judith Butler and Isaac Julien, explores Frederick Douglass’ legacy and the influence of key historical figures featured in Lessons of the Hour.

While widely acknowledged as an icon of abolitionism, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) is less understood as an early figure in the intersectional pursuit of human rights, a dissonance which informed filmmaker and artist Isaac Julien’s immersive moving-image installation Lessons of the Hour—Frederick Douglass (2019). In this wide-ranging conversation, Julien is joined by the celebrated philosopher and educator Judith Butler and acclaimed Douglass scholar Celeste-Marie Bernier to explore Douglass’ legacy as well as the influential role of figures such as his wife Anna Murray-Douglass, the suffragettes and others important to his life and voice. Butler’s renowned scholarship in the fields of philosophy, ethics and feminist, queer and literary theory guides her moderation of the conversation.

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