EASTON, Md. - A massive mural walking through the intricate life of Talbot County native Frederick Douglass now lines the rails to trails in The Hill neighborhood, the oldest continually occupied African-American neighborhood in the country.
In attendance at the ribbon cutting were direct descendants of the abolitionist, like his great-great-great grandson Kenneth Morris Jr.
"To have an opportunity to come back to the place of his birth, while he was born into the horrific institution of slavery, it's an example to all of us that there's no obstacle that's too great to overcome, no challenge that's insurmountable," he said.
We were there as Kenneth saw the mural for the first time, nearly at a loss for words.
One of Douglass's descendants commissioned muralist Michael Rosato to paint this tribute after seeing Rosato's work on the Harriet Tubman "Take my hand" piece in Cambridge.
Rosato is awestruck by Douglass' life and by the impact of his own artwork.
"Unbelievable. I take it pretty seriously. It's a privilege to be asked to paint these murals. There's a certain trust in the community asking me to represent them so it's like an honor. I feel fantastic. You paint them and you learn about them," he said.
The mural unveiling also featured a soil transfer from the Yoruba ethnic group, traditional dancing and historical recollections of Douglass' life.
