The mission of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives is to build strong children and to end systems of exploitation and oppression. FDFI was founded by the descendants of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington: mother and son Nettie Washington Douglass and Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. Through local, national, and international programs, the organization keeps discussions of freedom and equality alive by advocating for a more equitable world.
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives partners with universities, non-profits, and local governments to educate youth and promote policies that advance equality. The organization creates curricula for awareness programs on human trafficking and antiracism in K-12 schools and builds opportunities for young people to react to these curricula through civic engagement and service projects.
Additionally, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives channels energy and passion for its work through its namesake. Since its founding, through working with the community, the organization has erected 13 statues of Douglass throughout the city of Rochester, New York; successfully petitioned to have the local airport named after him; and changed the name of a local school that resides on the site of their former home to honor his revolutionary wife, Anna Murray Douglass. The organization is currently creating a museum dedicated to his life in Rochester.