According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, Frederick Douglass, born in 1818 in Maryland, U.S., was an abolitionist, political activist and author, known for his work “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”.
In his early life, Douglass was enslaved by Captain Aaron Anthony, and sent to live with Aaron’s son-in-law Thomas Auld. Sophia Auld, Thomas’s mother, taught Thomas and Douglass to read. At the time, teaching literacy to slaves was frowned upon, so when Sophia’s husband found out about this, he forbade her from continuing to teach Douglass. But Douglass had an inclination to learn, and exchanged bread for lessons from white boys in the neighbourhood.
Eventually, Frederick was leased to another farmer, Edward Covey. Covey, who was physically and psychologically abusive, fought Douglass. Douglass fought back and won. Covey never attacked him again. He was then sent to slave holder William Freeland.
While working with Freeland, Frederick started a small school where he taught Black people how to read and write. The group plotted to escape by taking a canoe to Pennsylvania but they were caught and arrested. So, Fredrick was sent back to work for Sophia and her husband Hugh Auld. Frederick worked there as a ship caulker and was paid for his wages. Hugh would take a large percentage of those wages.
In 1838, he escaped by dressing as a sailor and traveled to New York City. At the time, black sailors were able to travel with protection. Fredrick changed his last name to Douglass and began working as a free man in Massachusetts.
He attended an Anti-Slavery Society convention in 1841, where he was invited to address the general body, and after his speech, was recruited as an agent. He traveled the country with this society to promote abolition. His book The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass became popular in Europe. He lectured throughout the UK and returned to the U.S. to start his own newspaper “The North Star”.
As civil wars erupted, Frederick advocated for inclusion of black soldiers in the union army. He even went to visit Abraham Lincoln in the White House in 1863 to advocate for better pay and conditions for soldiers. Douglass subsequently met with Lincoln twice more to discuss strategies for Black people in the case of a union loss.
He supported the women’s rights convention and stood with Susan B. Anthony in 1848. Douglass eventually moved to Washington D.C. in 1872 and became the first Black U.S. Marshal in 1877. He eventually was appointed as the U.S. minister resident and consul general to the Republic of Haiti.
After he died, his white wife Helen Pitts Douglass established the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association to preserve his legacy. His home was dedicated to the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in 1988.
So, what are the three lessons that entrepreneurs can take away from Frederick Douglass?
- Don’t stop fighting and advocating for what you believe in – even if others aren’t yet on your side.
Frederick didn’t stop fighting for his own freedom. He didn’t want to be confined to physical or psychological abuse. So, when his slave holder Edward Covey attacked him, Frederick stood up for himself until he showed Covey that he could hold his own and not to come after him again. While this is a literal example, this strength and resilience mentality can be applied to entrepreneurs today in a more metaphorical sense. If you are part of the BIPOC community, a woman, or transgender, you may find it more challenging to access funding, to be taken seriously, and you may still face sexism, racism, discrimination or transphobia, but you can’t let the abusers win. You need to keep fighting for your seat at the table.
Moreover, if you have a business idea that can fill a major gap or pain point in the market, don’t give up on it. Keep trying to make it happen, even if others are telling you not to and especially when others don’t believe in you. All you need is one person to believe, and that one person can be you.
- Mentor others and build them up. You can accomplish more as a team than you can solo.
Frederick started a small school to teach other black people how to read and write (while being enslaved). By educating others, you can build a strong, capable team that can take you further than you could ever take yourself. It really does take a village.
As an entrepreneur, it is crucial to hire people that are smarter than you, to listen to their ideas, to get an outside perspective on how you can improve your business. But there will be times when you hire interns, or young folks who are capable of great things and they need to be mentored. Invest time in them and build them up so that they can go on to do great things too, and hey, if they stick around, they will be a fantastic asset to your company.
- Don’t wait for opportunities to happen. Create them for yourself. And never stop learning or progressing.
From his early days finding creative ways to learn to read and write (like feeding white boys bread in exchange for lessons), to his involvement in women’s suffrage, and advocating for black soldiers, Frederick made it clear that where there is a will, there’s a way. Once Sophia stopped teaching him literacy, there wasn’t any opportunity for Douglass to continue learning as a slave. But, that didn’t stop him because he cultivated opportunities for himself.
For entrepreneurs today who were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth (and that’s okay, because most of us weren’t) it is your responsibility to make opportunities for yourself. Start networking, read business books, take online classes, hire consultants to help you progress, have coffee chats with industry leaders who you look up to. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s possible. If you want your business to succeed, you will have to keep up with the ever-changing landscape and commit to a lifetime of learning and progressing. It is the only way.
Jackie Marson | Contributing Writer