“Learning from Frederick Douglass”

There are few historical figures that better epitomize resiliency, integrity, and strength of personality than Frederick Douglass. Few can match how he maintained his sense of self-worth against all odds and rose to the pinnacle of prestige. If it is true that, as Douglass said, “We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future,” what how can we make his life useful to us today?  Hugh Taft-Morales honors Black History Month by exploring how Frederick Douglass can teach humanists principles and habits to enrich our lives today and contribute to a better world.

Hugh Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. He also serves as Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. His presence in Ethical Culture has been termed “invigorating.” Taft-Morales lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife Maureen, a Latin American Analyst with the Congressional Research Service, with whom he has three beloved children, Sean, Maya, and Justin.