Frederick Douglass · The Soda Fountain

Characters / Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass is a figure from history who enters Odyssey in an unusual way. His portrait hangs at Whit's End, and it comes to life before a young visitor named Olivia. Olivia would rather sing than study, and Douglass whisks her back in time to Fisk University. That school was built to teach newly freed slaves after the Civil War. Through him, Olivia sees the hardships its hungry students faced and hears the spirituals their families passed down through slavery. His role is that of a guide to the past. He opens a door for Olivia into a story of sorrow, faith, and hope, and sends her home eager to hear those songs for herself.

Appearances

3 episodes Art Text No.

3 of 3 0666 The Jubilee Singers With Fisk University on the brink of collapse, a weary group of student singers must decide whether to keep performing on a grueling tour that has cost them their health, their dignity, and nearly all hope.

2 of 3 0665 The Jubilee Singers A Fisk choir and their determined director set out on a perilous tour to sing their school out of debt, facing hostility and hardship at every stop.

1 of 3 0664 The Jubilee Singers When Olivia dismisses school as pointless, a portrait of Frederick Douglass introduces her to the students of a struggling university whose only hope may be the songs they carry.