Rochester airport to be renamed for Frederick Douglass
Rochester, New York's airport will be renamed to honor Frederick Douglass, one of its most famous and influential residents.
County lawmakers in the Monroe County Legislature voted Tuesday night to change the airport’s name to the "Frederick Douglass – Greater Rochester International Airport," appending the famous abolitionist's name to the existing airport moniker.
The bill was sponsored by the legislature’s Democratic Minority Leader Vince Felder and Republican Legislator Karla Boyce, reports the Democrat & Chronicle, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.
"Each time residents and visitors arrive to our airport, they will be reminded of Douglass's life and legacy of fighting oppression," Felder and Boyce said in a joint statement issued after the vote. "Our remembrance through the airport renaming serves as recognition of our past and a promise of the work our community will do to make Monroe County a welcoming place for all."
Douglass was one of the leading voices for human rights in the 19th century, with his speeches and writings helping to drive the U.S. abolition movement.
His contemporaries described him as a living counter-example to slaveholders' arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens.
After escaping from slavery in Maryland, Douglass fled to New York City and then to Massachusetts, publishing his autobiography in 1845. Douglass lived in Rochester from 1847 to 1872, where he founded and published his North Star Newspaper. He is buried in Rochester's historic Mount Hope Cemetery.
Direct descendants of Douglass said the vote to change the airport's name was an incredible honor.
"I got very emotional when I heard the news,” said Nettie Washington Douglass, the great-great-granddaughter of Frederick Douglass. “I can’t wait to hear the captain say, ‘Welcome to Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport!'"
Nettie Washington Douglass is also Chair of the Rochester-based Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI).
Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., president of FDFI and Nettie Washington Douglass’ eldest son, reflected on what the name change means both historically and for the future of Rochester.
"Douglass called Rochester his home and he chose this as his final resting place," Morris said. "By honoring this particular historical figure in this way, I believe that Rochester is saying something important about itself: it wants to be a national center for individual rights and justice.”
Renaming the airport in honor of Douglass has been discussed before. The latest push picked up steam last month, with a Change.org petition that garnered more than 4,900 signatures. That petition was to go to Monroe County Executive Bello, who endorsed the idea, saying Douglass "holds an unparalleled place of prominence in the history of Rochester and Monroe County."
Once Bello signs the legislation, officials can notify the Federal Aviation Administration of the change for the county-owned airport.
Once all the paperwork is done, there will be new signage, the addition of historical information and, likely, a bronze statue, to be privately financed, officials said.
In its early years, Rochester's airport was known as Britton Field, the Rochester Municipal Airport, and the Rochester Monroe County Airport. It became known as the Greater Rochester International Airport in the 1980s.
The airport is owned and operated by Monroe County.
Currently, the state Senate is considering a bill to rename the 570-mile state Thruway after Douglass. The highway has been named for late Gov. Thomas Dewey since 1964.
Contributing: Victoria Freile
Sean Lahman is a watchdog reporter for the Democrat & Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at slahman@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @seanlahman.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester, New York, airport new name to honor Frederick Douglass
