Descendants of Frederick Douglass and John Brown on Juneteenth warn against backsliding on civil rights

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An NAACP flyer campaigning for the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 1922, but was filibustered to defeat in the Senate. Dyer, the NAACP, and freedom fighters around the country, like Flossie Baily, struggled for years to get the Dyer and other anti-lynching bills passed, to no avail. Today there is still no U.S. law specifically against lynching. In 2005, eighty of the 100 U.S. Senators voted for a resolution to apologize to victims' families and the country for their failure to outlaw lynching. Courtesy of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

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Claude, age 23, just months before his 1930 murder. Courtesy of Faith Deeter.

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June 19, 2026

Tom Macdonald, Whhy

Douglass Greene and Evans called out acts of the current Trump administration and Supreme Court, while discussing the lasting impact of slavery in the United States.

Kevin Douglass Greene, a direct descendant of Frederick Douglass, and Brian Evans, a direct descendant of abolitionist John Brown, visit the President’s House slavery exhibit on Independence Mall. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Two direct descendants of prominent abolitionists reflected on the legacy of slavery and the challenges facing Black Americans during a visit to WHYY on Juneteenth.

Kevin Douglass Greene, a descendant of Frederick Douglass, said he has little sympathy for people who believe they have lost rights or privileges, noting that African Americans spent generations fighting for basic rights and opportunities.

“I can’t feel sorry for … certain populations in the United States [who] felt that they lost their rights and privileges. Just think about the amount of time that it took for African Americans in this country to achieve those rights and privileges,” Douglass Greene said.

Douglass Greene said the glass ceiling that has long obstructed advancement for Black Americans has been covered in cement.

“It’s harder to get through cement than glass,” he said. “We just have to do better.”

Discover why Greene criticized a recent court ruling that impacts the Black community.

Learn about the civil promise of Juneteenth.

Stop by our Breaking News for more articles about Juneteenth.

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