Actor Nathan Richardson, above, captures physical and spiritual essence of Frederick Douglass in a performance/lecture Monday just for Appling Middle School students in grades 7 and 8. Speaking at the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center, he tells of his escape from slavery and his rise as a great writer, orator and abolitionist. He explains such real-life details as how slave children too young to work got two shirts per year as their only clothing, and how he used biscuits to cajole his young master into teaching him to read. He also entertained the teens with a question-and-answer session in character after the performance. One of his more famous quotes is, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” At left, three Appling Middle School eighth-graders joined an actor in character as Frederick Douglass on stage Monday to help him recite one of the historical figure’s favorite poems. Photo by Carolyn Bahm.Three Appling Middle School eighth-graders joined an actor in character as Frederick Douglass on stage Monday to help him recite one of the historical figure’s favorite poems. Photo by Carolyn Bahm.
