Renowned Author David Blight Visits Gonzaga to Discuss New Biography of Frederick Douglass

On Thursday, October 18, professor, historian, and author David W. Blight visited Gonzaga during his national book tour to discuss his latest book, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.

In the book, which has received rave reviews, Blight tells the fascinating story of Douglass’ life and paints a powerful portrait of one of the most important American voices of the 19th century. A longtime researcher of Douglass, Blight decided to write this biography after he came across a long-lost, private collection of artifacts and documents that shed light on Douglass’ later life, a period not many other historians have focused on.

This event was organized at the last minute by Social Studies teacher Mr. Ed Donnellan, who says he sent a “Hail Mary” email to Blight asking him to make a stop at Gonzaga before heading on to a scheduled talk at the nearby National Archives.

A former high school teacher, Blight told the students that he is always “thrilled to be asked to come back and speak at high schools.” He commended Gonzaga students for the slavery research project they began during the summer of 2017, saying that historical fact-finding journeys can often lead to uncovering and facing painful truths. “It’s difficult. I know this,” said Blight. “But this is also what’s so exciting about history and research.”