Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Celebration Events

Hosted by the Heritage Foundation and Douglass Leadership Institute  

Two hundred years after his birth, Frederick Douglass endures unequalled as the invincible adversary of racial despair and disaffection – the preeminent apostle of hopefulness in the American promise of liberty and justice for all. In America’s dedication to principles of natural rights set forth in the Declaration of Independence, Douglass found reason to love and identify with his country, despite the injustices that he and his people had suffered. A formidable thinker, activist, and polemicist, Douglass produced the most powerful argument for the affirmation of America’s Founding principles in the history of African-American political thought.  

Peter C. Myers is a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and the author of Frederick Douglass: Race and the Rebirth of American Liberalism. Reverend Dean Nelson is a licensed minister and ordained pastor who currently serves as the chairman of the Douglass Leadership Institute. Diana Schaub is a professor of political science at Loyola University Maryland and the author of several essays on African-American American political thought.

Register here >

Details to come

The U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, in collaboration with the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for African-Americans (WHIEEAA), hosts the "Honoring MLK Jr.’s Drum Major Legacy: Innovative Pathways to Success" event.  

DLI's chairman, Rev. Dean Nelson, will speak on the panel: Honoring Each Child’s Uniqueness: Ensuring Parents and Primary Caretakers have Multiple Schooling Options. This panel will begin around 10am. 

When: Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 8:30 pm – 12:00 pm 

Where: Washington, D.C.

Contact Ashley Cash for details: acash@dlinstitute.org 

The Douglass Leadership Institute presents the Citizenship Academy as a part of the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Series. The one day event is a seminar event on the historical record and importance of faith based groups in the American government. In addition, the event will have presentation by Rev. Dean B. Nelson, a member of the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission, on Frederick Douglass' view on government and faith. 

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Raleigh - Brownstone - University | 1707 Hillsborough Street | Raleigh, NC 27605

The event is free and open to the public. 

Attendees are asked to RSVP no later than Friday, March 23, 2018. 

Please refer all questions to Kevrick McKain at 919-935-9220.  

Join us for the Strengthening the Black Family forum in Pompano Beach on Saturday, March 17!  

This free forum event will celebrate the importance of family in the black community while highlighting the challenges facing many children today due to single parent households, divorce and poverty.  

During the event, participants will hear from and receive leadership training from respected political and policy experts, including FFPC’s President John Stemberger and Rev. Dean Nelson, chairman of the Douglass Leadership Institute.  

The goal of this Saturday morning conference is to discuss how black churches and families can be strengthened, as black American families are disproportionately disadvantaged in many ways.  

Watch event here >

When: Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm 

Where: Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church 890 NW 15th St, Pompano Beach, Florida 33060

Contact Ashley Cash for details: acash@dlinstitute.org 

Hosted by Douglass Leadership Institute.  

Rev. Dean Nelson will deliver a sermon inspired by the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass.  

When: Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 11 AM - Noon PM EST  

Hosted by Shawn Akers, Dean of the Helms School of Government, Liberty University

ABOUT THE SPEAKER  

Jeremy Hunt contributes to the Douglass Leadership Institute as a Leadership Strategist and assists with the organization’s outreach efforts to youth and young adults. At the invitation of Shawn Akers, Dean of the Helms School of Government at Liberty University, Jeremy will explore the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass as a formidable statesmen in United States History. Jeremy will deliver lectures to undergraduates studying criminal justice class and to several government honors classes as well as meet with students leaders in formal and informal settings. He is a writer and commentator whose articles have been published by The Washington Post, The Star Ledger in New Jersey, The Hill and Fox News. Jeremy has also appeared on Fox News & Friends and Tucker Carlson Tonight. Finally, Jeremy Hunt is an active duty United States Army officer, currently stationed in Georgia. 

FRC Speaker Series by Rev Dean Nelson, Senior Fellow of African-American Affairs, Family Research Council and Colin Hanna, President of Let Freedom Ring. 

When: Thursday, February 15, 2018 at Noon

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS  

Reverend Dean Nelson is the executive leader of the Douglass Leadership Institute and the Frederick Douglass Foundation as well as the Senior Fellow of African-American Affairs at Family Research Council. He has worked for other major pro-life and Christian organizations, including CareNet and Global Outreach Campus Ministries. Rev. Nelson also served as part of the Wellington Boone Ministries' senior strategic planning team, which planted ministries in capital cities like Richmond, Va., Atlanta, Ga., Raleigh, N.C., and the greater Washington, D.C. area.  

Dean is an executive leader and organizational consultant with over twenty years of experience in ministry and over ten years in political activism on local, state, and national levels. He is a sought-after speaker for churches, media outlets, and other organizations, giving frequent interviews on ABC and NBC affiliate networks in the Washington, D.C. area and also appearing on the 700 Club, CBN News, and MSNBC. He is also a frequent guest on Christian radio programs including the Bott Radio Network and American Family Radio.  

Rev. Nelson is a licensed minister from Salem Baptist Church and an ordained pastor with Wellington Boone Ministries. He is married to the love of his life, Julia Nelson, who works as a freelance writer. Dean and Julia have three godly children who they are very proud of.

Colin A. Hanna is President of Let Freedom Ring, a public policy non-profit promoting Constitutional government, economic freedom and traditional values. Their newest project is a full-length film: Mr. Douglass -- An American Narrative. Expected release date is 2019.  

Colin has been a regular radio contributor to American Radio Journal (airing on over 200 stations nationwide), Conservative Solutions to Liberal Problems (Salem’s NewsTalk 990 WNTP Philadelphia) and The Morning Matchup with Chris Stigall (Talk Radio 1210 WPHT CBS Philly).  

Colin was a Chester County Commissioner from 1995 to 2003. Television appearances include MSNBC’s Hardball, Fox News Hannity, Glenn Beck, Fox & Friends and many others. Colin graduated from University of Pennsylvania. He is a U.S. Navy veteran and lives in West Chester with Pricie, his wife of 50 years. 

An AWC Family Foundation Lecture by Lucas Morel, Professor of Politics, Washington & Lee University

When: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 - Registration 6:00pm, Talk 6:30pm

ABOUT THE SPEAKER  

Lucas Morel is professor of politics and head of the Politics Department at Washington and Lee University. He earned his Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University. A trustee of the Supreme Court Historical Society and former president of the Abraham Lincoln Institute, Dr. Morel is a consultant on the Library of Congress exhibits on Lincoln and the Civil War. He is a former member of the scholarly board of advisors for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and he was recently appointed to the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which will plan activities to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Founding of the United States of America. He is the author of Lincoln’s Sacred Effort: Defining Religion’s Role in American Self-Government and editor or co-editor of Lincoln and Liberty: Wisdom for the Ages, Ralph Ellison and the Raft of Hope: A Political Companion to “Invisible Man,” and The New Territory: Ralph Ellison and the Twenty-First Century.