Descendants of Frederick Douglass and John Brown warn against backsliding on civil rights

Two direct descendants of prominent abolitionists reflected on the legacy of slavery and the challenges facing Black Americans during a visit to WHYY on Juneteenth.

Kevin Douglass Greene, the great-great-grandson of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, criticized the recent court ruling allowing the Trump administration to replace the President’s House Site exhibit focused on the nine people enslaved by George Washington, calling it a “whitewashing” of history.

Brian Evans, the great-great-grandson of abolitionist John Brown, echoed Douglass Greene’s concerns about how American history is remembered and taught.

“I think it’s very important on the 250th [anniversary] that we don’t venerate the founding fathers the way we have been taught to through school. They were not persons who wanted democracy. Remember, they were all slaveholders. They were not going to change that themselves,” Evans said.