New York, NY - Congressman Charles Rangel honored abolitionist Frederick Douglass at the dedication of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial at Central Park in New York on Tuesday, September 20, 2011. The event was held at 110th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard with festivities including Tony Award-nominated actor Andre de Shields, Human Rights Activist Kenneth B. Morris Jr., and Harlem-based dance troupe IMPACT.

"Frederick Douglass was one of our nation's most influential abolitionist visionaries and it is an honor that we should have the opportunity to dedicate his memorial in our congressional district," Rangel said. "He was a living counter-example to the argument that slaves did not have the intelligence to live as free Americans. If it were not for courageous men like him, the atrocities of American slavery would have gone unseen."

After escaping from slavery, Frederick Douglass became a well known abolitionist. His most famous work, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was highly influential in gaining support for ending slavery and is still widely read today.

At the dedication, actor Andre DeShields reenacted Frederick Douglass's August 3, 1857 speech, “If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress,” Kenneth Morris Jr., the descendent of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, talked about his family ties to Douglass and Washington sharing some of the stories that were passed down to him by his grandmother. Harlem's own IMPACT Repertory Theatre closed out the program with a performance of their 2008 Academy Award nominated theme song, "Raise It Up."

The plan for the Memorial came from a series of community-based workshops organized by the Central Park Conservancy in the late 1990's with the goal of turning a dangerous intersection and eyesore into a tribute to an American hero. A design competition for the memorial was held by the Cityscape Institute in 2003. The final work was a collaborative proposal by Harlem-based artist Algernon Miller and Hungarian-born sculptor Gabriel Koren.

The Douglass Memorial includes a bronze portrait of a pensive Douglass with granite seating and paving designed with traditional African American quilting patterns.

"The memorial is a gorgeous display of the immense creativity at home in our city," Rangel said. "I am proud that these terrific artists were able to honor this extraordinary American who overcame the evils of slavery and prejudice. This memorial will serve as an inspiration for generations of young New Yorkers to learn from the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass."

Rangel secured $9 million in federal funding for the Memorial through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991.  He has also co-sponsored successful legislation in 2000 to establish a memorial to Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.