Issue 1 billboards: What is the Frederick Douglass Foundation?

If you've driven, biked or walked through the Cincinnati metro area recently, you may have seen billboards depicting Black families and white letters declaring: "Vote Yes on Aug. 8th on Issue 1."

The billboards are sponsored by a group called the Frederick Douglass Foundation of Ohio, the state branch of a Black conservative advocacy group.

Issue 1 is a ballot measure which would increase the amount of votes needed to amend the state constitution from 50% to 60%. The measure also would require people who want to amend the constitution to obtain signatures from all 88 of Ohio's counties, instead of the current 44.

Who runs the Frederick Douglass Foundation of Ohio?

The national Frederick Douglass Foundation was formed to bring "free market and limited government ideas to bear on the hardest problems facing our nation," according to the foundation's website.

Linda Matthews, a member of the Central State University Board of Trustees, serves as the group's state ambassador, overseeing its projects statewide.

According to the foundation's website, the state organization has representatives in 11 of Ohio's counties, most of them surrounding metropolitan areas with higher Black populations like Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.

The Ohio foundation's website declares that the organization is "proud to have dedicated representatives across various counties in Ohio." But there are no names or contact information listed.

According to Mo Riggins, the Hamilton County ambassador for the foundation and former director of development for Cincinnati Right to Life, this is because of safety concerns, specifically fears that the ambassadors may be harassed due to their affiliation with the foundation.

Why Hamilton County was targeted

Black Americans are "taught that we are victims," said Riggins, a perspective he claims is "exploited by the Democratic party."

"All they want to do is give you something, make you feel like you're a victim," Riggins told The Enquirer. He contrasted this mentality with his own attitude: "We can accomplish anything in this country as long as we work hard, as long as we trust God."

Riggins said there have been 21 billboards placed statewide, but Hamilton County was targeted because "the donors who raised funds for these billboards are based in Hamilton County." The foundation raised $20,000 for the billboard campaign, Riggins said.

When asked who the donors were, Riggins said he didn't have their permission to use their names, but he referenced "two gentlemen in particular," one in the construction industry, the other in healthcare, who were helpful to him.

What is the national Frederick Douglass Foundation?

Based in Washington, D.C., the Frederick Douglass Foundation is a Black conservative advocacy organization established in 2008 by the Rev. Dean Nelson, Troy Rolling and Dr. Timothy Johnson, with chapters in 20 states.

Nelson is a prominent figure on the religious right, serving as vice president of government relations for the anti-abortion group the Human Coalition and on the board of the Virginia Christian Alliance. Rolling ran for state representative in Michigan during the 2022 midterms, losing the Republican primary to incumbent Kevin Whiteford. Johnson died in 2015.

In a video on the group's YouTube channel, Nelson listed the methods used by his organization, including community forums, training people on how to be successful activists, and distributing voter guides.

What is the Douglass Leadership Institute?

Nelson also created the Douglass Leadership Institute in 2015, which is active in 25 states, and connects conservative Christian leaders throughout the country to "influence policy on the local, state, and national level," according to the institute's website.

Documents produced by the Frederick Douglass Foundation and its Douglass Leadership Institute partner give insight into the two organizations' ideology.

In a memo titled, "How is DLI Different from Black Lives Matter?" the institute declared the "ideal" environment to raise children as a traditional family, "headed by married biological parents and supported by extended kin."

Another paper, titled "The Enduring Strength of the Black Family," criticized what the institute called "white progressive feminists," who they said have fought to disrupt values and social norms "vital to the health and strength of the Black family." Those ideals include "traditional religion, chastity, husbands as heads of the home, and the affirmation of motherhood as a desirable part of womanhood."

Who is funding and supporting these groups?

The Frederick Douglass Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, meaning it is tax exempt and doesn't have to disclose its donors.

The foundation itself has been slow to renew its IRS forms, which show the group's leadership, the amount of money they have, and how the money is spent. The only available filings online are from the Frederick Douglass Foundation of Washington, D.C. in 2013, a seemingly unconnected group associated with Howard University.

However, a 2022 IRS filing from the Douglass Leadership Institute gives more insight into the foundation and its affiliate's operations.

According to their reports, the institute had overall income totaling $2,221,086, of which $2,220,061 came from contributions and grants.

The institute spent $2,476 on lobbying, $364,214 on legal work, and $341,380 on conferences and conventions.

Where has the money gone?

Examples of the projects the Douglass Leadership Institute undertake include collaborating with the Amistad Project, spending $365,257 in 2021 on a series of trainings for residents in minority neighborhoods to "ensure that their local, state, and federal elections are free from fraud and voter suppression."

Notably, the Amistad Project played a large role in casting doubt on the 2020 presidential election results. Amistad filed lawsuits in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona challenging the election's outcome, while Amistad attorney Ian Northon attempted to deliver a false-slate of pro-Trump electors to the Michigan legislature on Dec. 14, 2020.

Multiple conservative think tanks have endorsed and partnered with the DLI, including the Family Research Council, the Christian think-tank considered one of America's most influential advocacy groups.

Dean Nelson himself is a Senior Fellow for African American Affairs at the Family Research Council and has spoken at their events on a few occasions.

No one from the Family Research Council responded to requests for comment.

Why does the Frederick Douglass Foundation care about Issue 1?

Riggins said Issue 1 is "much bigger than abortion," claiming the anti-Issue 1 side wants to "strip parental rights from parents." Most of his comments focused on how Issue 1, if passed, could stop an effort in November to add abortion rights to the state constitution.

Riggins led a billboard Campaign for Ohio Right to Life in March of this year that stated abortion is the "#1 cause of death in the black community," and claimed people can now "kill your babies at up to nine months." The ultimate goal of abortion, Riggins said, is to "depopulate the world so those left alive are back on the plantation."

Asked what he and the foundation intended to do if Issue 1 failed, Riggins responded, "If Issue 1 fails, then we shift focus to the November 7th election."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Issue 1 billboards: What is the Frederick Douglass Foundation?