About the project
Founded in 2019 and formally launched in January 2020, the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice embodies the values and legacy of the great 19th-century champion of education, emancipation, equality, and justice.
Our multi-state Prison Visitation Program enables community members around the country to visit local correctional facilities and engage in open, face-to-face conversations with incarcerated people.
We believe that these unique encounters spur understanding and empathy—for both the visitor and the incarcerated individual—that will, in turn, drive meaningful personal and systemic change.
Our Mission
The Frederick Douglass Project creates a bridge of understanding through structured meetings and respectful conversations between people incarcerated and free society.
This initiative fosters learning, builds powerful human connections, and ignites a mutual transformation that enriches lives and reshapes our broader community.
Our Vision
We believe in a society where every human being is treated with dignity, acknowledged through understanding, and nurtured by compassion.
Key Beliefs
Frederick Douglass Project for Justice seeks to break down the myths and misconceptions about prisons and incarcerated individuals by establishing direct personal connections that will inform and humanize us all. We bring outside visitors into prisons, and all parties benefit and grow from the experience.
Our flagship Prison Visitation Program is structured around four key beliefs that define how we approach our work.
The Power of Personal Connection
When people have the opportunity to meet and converse in person, empathy and humanity blossom.
2. Accountability
We all need to take responsibility for our choices and their impact on others. We can’t change our past, but we can transform, grow, and connect in new and positive ways.
3. Transformation is Possible
People should not be defined by their worst moments. With proper support and opportunity, change can and will take place. Regardless of our situation, everyone has something to teach, and we all have more to learn from others.
4. Dignity
Everyone has the right to be treated fairly, to feel safe, and to have basic needs met with respect and compassion.