Film Screening: Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s Promise
April 24 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
One event on April 25, 2026 at 11:00 am
One event on April 26, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Film Screening: Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s Promise
Friday-Sunday, April 24-26
Join us on the weekend of April 24-26 in the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Van Lennep Auditorium for immersive public screenings of “Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s Promise,” presented across an expansive 18-foot-wide screen for a truly captivating one-hour experience.
This powerful film traces the journey of Frederick Douglass from enslavement on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to global prominence as an abolitionist, writer, and statesman who challenged the nation to live up to its founding ideals. Structured around his early years in bondage, his fiery oratory and advocacy, and his late-life reflections, the film invites audiences to confront the gulf between the Declaration of Independence and the lived reality of enslaved people. Offered as part of the America 250 commemoration, these public screenings highlight Douglass’ enduring role in extending the promise that “all men are created equal” to all Americans.
While you’re on campus, you’re invited to explore Bear Me Into Freedom: The Talbot County of Frederick Douglass, which is now on view on the second floor of the same building. The special exhibition guides guests through key moments and locations in Douglass’ life—from his birth and formative years as an enslaved person to his escape to freedom and later returns as a free man—and reveals how the Eastern Shore landscape influenced an American icon. It features mural-style prints of black-and-white photographs from local photographer and historian Jeff McGuiness’ book of the same name as well as historical documents and images, hands-on activities, and a closed-loop artificial intelligence interactive that draws from primary and secondary sources written by and about Douglass.
Film Screening: Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s Promise
Location: Van Lennep Auditorium
Cost: $15 per participant, with a 20% discount for CBMM members
Friday, April 24, 5:30pm
CBMM MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
NON-MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Saturday, April 25, 11am & 2pm
CBMM MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
NON-MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Sunday, April 26, 2pm
