The Enduring Timeliness of Frederick Douglass’s Last Major Speech

Frederick Douglass
A circa 1879 portrait of American abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Credit - Corbis—Getty Images
Premiering on HBO and HBO Max on Feb. 23, a new documentary Frederick Douglass in Five Speeches looks at the life of the most famous abolitionist of the 19th century through five of his key speeches. His last major speech "Lessons of the Hour," in which he spoke out against lynching, is particularly timely today—performed in the above clip by actor Jeffrey Wright