John Brown Institute Fall Lecture

Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington, is the keynote. Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., is the keynote speaker for the 4th annual John Brown Institute (JBI) Fall Lecture to be held on Wednesday, November 18th. The title of his talk is “History, Human Rights and the Power of One.” The great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington, Mr. Morris has recently returned from Scotland where he led a tour of places his ancestor spoke. A prolific and accomplished public speaker, Ken continues his family's legacy of anti-slavery and educational work as co-founder and president of the Rochester, NY-based nonprofit Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI). He has appeared on CNN, Democracy Now!, PBS, NPR, Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, and the CBS Evening News. Mr. Morris has recently visited Akron and Summit County in 2026 for the Footsteps to Freedom Underground Railroad tour and a speaking engagement at Western Reserve Academy where his great-great-great grandfather spoke in the 1850s. Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ohio State University history professor, author, and inaugual JBI Fall Lecture keynote speaker, will be the returning moderator. Doors open at 5 p.m. with light refreshments at the City of Joy Enrichment Center, 610 W. Exchange Street, Akron. The program will start at 6 p.m. Early bird and discounted tickets are available along with patron and sponsorship opportunities. GinaKaye Maddox is the chair of the John Brown Institute and a board director of the Summit County Historical Society. Thank you to the Lisle M. Buckingham Fund at Akron Community Foundation and the County of Summit, Executive Ilene Shapiro, for sponsoring the keynote speaker and moderator.