View source for Statue of Frederick Douglass (College Park, Maryland)

{{Short description|Statue in College Park, Maryland, U.S.}}
{{Infobox monument
| image         = Frederick Douglass Statue.jpg
| name              = Frederick Douglass
| designer             = [[Andrew Edwards (sculptor)|Andrew Edwards]]
| open               = 2015
| material               = [[Bronze]]
| location               = [[University of Maryland]], [[College Park, Maryland]], United States
| coordinates = {{Coord|38|59|17.44|N|76|56|31.68|W}}
}}
'''''Frederick Douglass''''' is a public artwork in front of the Hornbake Library at the [[University of Maryland]] in College Park, Maryland. The statue memorializes African-American [[abolitionist]], [[suffragist]], and labor leader [[Frederick Douglass]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.afro.com/univ-of-md-to-dedicate-monument-in-frederick-douglass-square/|title=Univ. of Md. to Dedicate Monument in Frederick Douglass Square|last=Hunter|first=Jonathan|date=November 13, 2015|work=Afro American|access-date=March 10, 2018}}</ref>
==Description and history==
Unveiled in 2015, the statue was designed by sculptor [[Andrew Edwards (sculptor)|Andrew Edwards]], who was inspired by artwork representing then-president [[Barack Obama]] and [[Moses]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.dbknews.com/archives/article_f18ca2e0-8663-11e5-89e4-f7d73edfd9bb.html|title=UMD unveils Frederick Douglass statue on Hornbake Plaza|work=The Diamondback|access-date=2018-03-10}}</ref> The statue portrays Douglass in the middle of a speech, with one arm outstretched, and a copy of his autobiography under the other arm. The square surrounding the statue features stone pavers and a vertical Corten steel wall with Douglass's words inscribed on them.<ref name=":0" /> The cast bronze statue was designed in Ireland and cast in Wales. It stands on a 3-foot-tall base and weighs nearly half a ton. <ref name=":1" /> Each of the sides of the base has different words.The side when you first look at Douglass has the words "Frederick Douglass 1818-1895." The side to the right of the statue has the words "Abolitionist, Suffragist, Labor Leader." The back side of the base has the words "Statesman, Diplomat, Founding Father of the Second American Republic." Lastly, the left side of the base has the words "Orator, Journalist, Scholar." Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., Douglass's great-great-great-grandson, said that "I love that the statue shows him in his fiery abolitionist years."<ref name="WaPo">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/dc-area-monuments-honor-the-irish-and-others-with-ties-to-emerald-isle/2016/03/09/2c9ae572-d989-11e5-925f-1d10062cc82d_story.html|title=D.C.-area monuments honor the Irish and others with ties to Emerald Isle|date=2016-03-10|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2018-03-10|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
The statue was the result of years of efforts on the part of campus leaders to honor this important Marylander and to reaffirm commitment to social justice. History professor Ira Berlin was part of this group, who called themselves the North Stars after [[The North Star (anti-slavery newspaper)|the abolitionist newspaper]] Douglass edited. According to Berlin, "The vision of myself and the North Stars was to have Frederick Douglass on campus to speak to the question of social justice."<ref name=":0" /> Efforts to raise the more than half a million dollars for the square and the statue began in 2011. The statue itself cost $200,000.<ref name="WaPo"/>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{University of Maryland, College Park|state=collapsed}}
{{Frederick Douglass}}
[[Category:2015 sculptures]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Frederick Douglass]]
[[Category:Statues of activists|Douglass]]
[[Category:Statues of politicians|Douglass]]
[[Category:Statues of writers|Douglass]]
[[Category:Bronze sculptures in Maryland]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Maryland]]
[[Category:University of Maryland, College Park]]
[[Category:2015 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:Sculptures of African Americans|Douglass]]