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Frederick Douglass Medal

Recognition based on Frederick Douglass’s mission

The Frederick Douglass Medal is given to distinguished individuals whose scholarship and civic engagement honor Frederick Douglass’s legacy. The award is given out by the University’s Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies.

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Past recipients

Explore a list of past Frederick Douglass Medal winners below.

2023

Harriet A. Washington ’76: A fellow at the New York Academy of Medicine, an award-winning author, and a sought-after lecturer. Her influential research and outreach as a medical ethicist honor Frederick Douglass’s legacy and have shifted the global narrative about race and medical research.

2022

E. Patrick Johnson: Dean of communications at Northwestern University; award-winning author and essayist whose works have driven significant scholarship and community engagement in fields of Black studies.

2018

Paul Burgett ‘68E, ‘76E (PhD): A musician, scholar, teacher, and University leader for over half a century and one of the Rochester community’s most prominent and beloved figures.

Kenneth B. Morris, Jr.: Co-founder and president of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) and great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass.

2017

Constance Mitchell: Social, civic, political, and industrial activist; first woman and first African-American to serve on the Monroe County Legislature.

2016

Frederick Jefferson: University Ombud and Professor Emeritus at the Warner School; pioneer and champion of diversity and inclusivity at the University.

2013

Yolanda Moses: Scholar on the origins of social inequality; former president of the City College of New York.

2012

Garth Fagan: Tony Award-winning choreographer.

2010

Deborah Gray White: Board of Governors Professor of History at Rutgers University; pioneering scholar in the field of African-American women’s history.

Fall 2008

David Kearns: Retired CEO of Xerox Corp. and former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education under President George H.W. Bush.

Walter Cooper: Retired research scientist at Eastman Kodak Co.; one of the founding members of the Rochester chapter of the National Urban League and Action for a Better Community; New York State regent emeritus.

Spring 2008

Lani Guinier: Professor of law at Harvard University

Gerald Torres: Professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin

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