Frederick Douglass found happiness in Ireland

+ remembering Willie Mays US Edition - Today's top story: What Frederick Douglass learned from an Irish antislavery activist: 'Agitate, agitate, agitate' [View in browser]( US Edition | 19 June 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Protecting families by protecting immigrants]( - [About 1 in 4 US homes have soil with hazardous lead levels]( - [Raw milk risks outweigh potential benefits]( Lead story Before the U.S. Civil War, Frederick Douglass was one of the nation’s leading abolitionists fighting against slavery. Born into enslavement in 1818, Douglass received no formal education. Yet, he became a dazzling orator and prolific writer, thanks in part to his lectures for the American Anti-Slavery Society and the success of his May 1845 autobiography. Despite his self-proclaimed freedom, Douglass was still at risk of being arrested and returned to enslavement. To escape such degradation, Douglass traveled across the Atlantic in August 1845 to spend time in a place with a rich tradition of [fighting to end the trans-Atlantic slave trade — Ireland](. According to Irish history scholar Christine Kinealy of Quinnipiac University, Douglass was an admirer of the Irish nationalist leader Daniel O’Connell, who had played an important role in bringing slavery to an end in the British Empire in 1833. During his three-month visit, Douglass gave almost 50 lectures throughout the country and referred to his time there as the “happiest” period of his life. For Douglass, continued resistance in the U.S. was necessary, and he invoked three words that he had learned from O’Connell: “Agitate, agitate, agitate.” [ [Your support makes these articles possible.]( ] Howard Manly Race + Equity Editor Born into slavery, Frederick Douglass became one of the leading abolitionists in America. Bettmann/Getty Images [What Frederick Douglass learned from an Irish antislavery activist: ‘Agitate, agitate, agitate’]( Christine Kinealy, Quinnipiac University Frederick Douglass was introduced to the idea of universal human rights after traveling to Ireland and meeting with Irish nationalist leaders. Education - [Why expanding access to algebra is a matter of civil rights]( Liza Bondurant, Mississippi State University Districts across the country have struggled to improve access and diversity in advanced math classes for years. A new approach offers hope. Economy + Business - [Court blocks grants to Black women entrepreneurs in case that could restrict DEI efforts by companies and charities]( Angela R. Logan, University of Notre Dame A scholar of nonprofits explains why she’s concerned that the decision in the Fearless Fund case could discourage all efforts focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. 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