Frederick Douglass and the White Negro

Frederick Douglass is a major figure in American history – an ex-slave, a renowned abolitionist, a successful writer and a friend of President Lincoln. This Irish film traces his story to Ireland where he travelled as an escaped slave, spreading the word to end slavery in America. He witnessed the Great Famine and was hugely affected by what he saw. This experience and the positive reception he received in Ireland from ordinary people influenced him for the rest of his life.

While in Dublin, Douglass was a guest of Dublin’s Quaker Community, and in 1845 he spoke at the old Friends’ Meeting House in Eustace Street, now the IFI. His visit is marked on a plaque at the IFI entrance.