Photo Friday: Knowldge was “the pathway from slavery to freedom,” Frederick Douglass House, Anacostia, Washington, DC

Study, Frederick Douglass House, “an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman.”

This week’s photograph was taken at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, which I visited after writing these two blog posts about what I learned about obesity in DC.

I spoke about Ward 8, where Anacostia is, and that I had never been there. So I went.

Wikipedia says,”walking from the (Anacostia) station is often discouraged by National Mall information workers and tourist guide books, who recommend taking a taxi,” and I will be honest, there was a noticeable police presence in the neighborhood and in the parking lot of the visitors center. Nevertheless, the tour was terrific, and I enjoyed discovering parts of our heritage with other citizens.

The photograph is from Douglass’ study. He was self-taught and there’s literally a wall of books, many hundred in number that he read. The second thing (of many things) pointed out that impressed me was the Greek Slave figurine on the piano (see the photos below), that were a visual marker at the time of sympathy with the abolitionist movement.

Frederick Douglass legacy and honors are significant. Of course, I was thinking, there are patients in our health care system today, also self-taught, also securing knowledge and freedom to care for themselves and their loved ones. It can be done.

The rest of my photos are below. Enjoy.

Ted Eytan, MD