Carnegie Lecture Series | Kenneth B. Morris, Jr

Edinburgh College of Art welcomes all to join us for the next instalment of ECA's Andrew Carnegie Lecture Series with speaker Kenneth B. Morris, Jr.

Hosted in the Assembly Rooms, where Frederick Douglass repeatedly spoke to thousands of people, we invite audiences to join us in person and online to attend the last in this series of lectures.

Please book your ticket for in person or online here. Details on attending will be sent closer to the event.

Edinburgh Echoes: A Family’s Fight for Freedom

In 1846, my ancestor Frederick Douglass walked the streets of Edinburgh, speaking in churches, halls, and meeting rooms that still stand today, rallying support for the abolition of slavery in the United States. This November, I will walk those same sacred streets and spaces, retracing a journey that helped shape his life’s work and was upheld by the devotion of those closest to him. By his side, though often unseen, stood Anna Murray Douglass and their children, whose courage and sacrifice formed the quiet strength behind his public mission. Connecting this legacy with that of my great-great-grandfather Booker T. Washington, I will explore how the struggles and triumphs of my family’s past call us to confront today’s injustices and embrace our power to help shape a more just and humane future.

The Andrew Carnegie Lecture Series is a programme of annual public talks at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) by some of the most innovative people working in the arts worldwide today. The University of Edinburgh is grateful to the Carnegie Corporation of New York for its generous support of this flagship series.

About Kenneth B. Morris, Jr

Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. descends from two of the most influential names in American history: he is the great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington. He continues his family's legacy of anti-slavery and educational work as Co-founder and President of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI), a nonprofit organization based in Rochester, New York.

Image Credit

Unidentified Artist, Frederick Douglass, 1856. Quarter-plate ambrotype. Washington, D.C.: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. NPG.74.75.

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