Happy Birthday, Frederick Douglass!

Today marks the adopted birthday of one of my heroes, Frederick Douglass.

Since he was born as a slave, he had no way of knowing when his birthday fell exactly, but he thought Valentine’s Day was as good a day as any to pick for the celebration. We also don’t know for certain what year he was born, but it was probably around 1818. His birth site is pretty clear from his own writings (though the Maryland State Roads Commission doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo).

Whatever the truth is, we can still take a day each year to remember what a great man he was. Happy 196th, Mr. Douglass!