Frederick Douglass Brought to Life In Portland

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Frederick Douglass Brought to Life In Portland

PORTLAND, CT--Nationally acclaimed actor Fred Morsell brought Frederick Douglass to life before a crowd of more than one hundred students, parents and area residents last night in his one-man play, Presenting Mr. Frederick Douglass: His Life and Times.

"This was truly a unique and inspiring educational experience," Amy Salvin Collins, Co-Chair of the Portland Library Board noted this morning. "Mr. Morsell brought Frederick Douglass to life in a way that was not only uplifting but masterful in how it illustrated the relevance of his teachings to modern times."

Actor/educator Fred Morsell has brought his "Presenting Mr. Frederick Douglass" performances and workshops to over 500 schools and communities nationally since 1988, sharing Douglass' life, message of justice, and keys to success: believe in yourself; take advantage of every opportunity; use the power of written and spoken language to effect positive change for yourself and society.

"Perhaps the most moving portion of his performance was the illustration of how literacy and higher education have served as the key to freedom for all people in all times--particularly today", Gary H. Collins, founder and CEO of the Collins Foundation, Inc. said.

This free program, which also served as a food drive, was sponsored by the Portland Public Library and underwritten by the Collins Foundation, Inc. To learn more about the Collins Foundation, Inc., which is presently accepting applications for its 2011 scholarship class, go to www.collinsfoundationinc.org.