The abolitionist, orator, author and former slave is making headlines and doing amazing things from the grave.
For those wondering, yes, Frederick Douglass is indeed dead.
Douglass, who died in 1895, is getting a lot of attention and praise this week for doing an “amazing” job. The accolades are expected during Black History Month. What wasn’t expected is how the abolitionist, author, orator and former slave rocketed to the top of trending lists and became a topic for late-night comedy bits.
At a Black History Month event Wednesday, President Trump talked about Douglass as if he were alive saying, “I am very proud now that we have a museum on the National Mall where people can learn about Rev. King, so many other things, Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice. Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and millions more black Americans who made America what it is today. Big impact.”
Trump’s campaign for the presidency and now his administration have given “The Late Show with Seth Meyers” an unending amount of material to lampoon. Meyers and one of the show’s writers, Amber Ruffin, were on top of Trump’s Black History Month speech.
A columnist from the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y., where Douglass is buried, had some fun with the president’s comments and went to Douglass’ grave to try for an interview.