The most interesting and moving part of the Town of Easton Council meeting last night was the public comments related to the newly installed art mural on Washington Avenue depicting the great American hero Frederick Douglass.
Rising in opposition to the recently installed mural were those who talked movingly about the harm done by having Douglass contextualized with 21st-century cultural references like basketball shoes and watches. One in favor of the work, a student at Washington College, made the case that it would help reach younger Americans with the Douglass story.
At times like this, the Spy recalls that Douglass willingly became the most photographed American in the 19th century. While it is impossible to channel what he would have made of this current debate in the land of his birth, it might be comforting to feel that Fred would be thrilled about a conversation on the importance and power of an image.
Citizen Comments Highlights
Council Member Remarks
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