The Globe Lane Initiative / #DouglassWeek

Our mission is to celebrate the enduring legacy of Frederick Douglass by fostering global conversations, creative commemorations, and collaborative actions that connect communities across countries—particularly between the United States, Ireland, and other regions—through history, culture, education, and activism. Inspired by Douglass’s extraordinary life and his transatlantic journey, we seek to build bridges between nations, generations, and disciplines in order to explore our shared histories and inspire action toward a more just and equitable world.

Douglass’s 1845–1847 visit to Ireland and Britain serves as a powerful foundation for our work, providing a historical touchstone for exploring transatlantic solidarity, migration, identity, and human rights. We honor this legacy by organizing interdisciplinary programming that spans historical, literary, musical, creative, educational, and sports-themed events. These include exhibitions, performances, commemorations, tree plantings, discussions, and public dialogues designed to bring people together across lines of race, culture, nationality, and generation.

Our work connects a wide range of participants—students, educators, artists, academics, elected officials, youth groups, sports clubs, community organizers, and cultural institutions—from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. By facilitating this cross-cultural engagement, we highlight the global impact of abolitionist movements and the relevance of Douglass’s message in the context of today’s urgent conversations around racial justice, identity, equity, and inclusion.

Rooted in the transformative power of education, storytelling, and creative expression, we are committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity across all aspects of our work. We believe that fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and international collaboration allows us to amplify underrepresented voices and generate new ideas for addressing systemic oppression and social inequality.

The Globe Lane Initiative—a central component of our mission—extends this vision by deepening the connections between Irish and African diasporic communities, using Douglass’s time in Ireland as a lens for contemporary cultural exchange. Through this initiative, we aim to not only deepen historical understanding but also to support projects that explore the enduring legacies of colonialism, resistance, and solidarity across continents.

Our mission is also about building community at every level. We create inclusive spaces where people can come together to reflect, learn, express themselves, and take meaningful action. We are particularly committed to engaging younger generations, ensuring that the stories of Douglass and other abolitionists are not only remembered but reimagined and reinterpreted in ways that resonate with today’s challenges.

Guided by the principles of liberty, humanity, and progress, we honor the legacy of Frederick Douglass by using history as a tool for justice and transformation. Through education, creative collaboration, and international dialogue, we aim to empower individuals and communities to connect across borders and work collectively toward lasting social change.

The Globe Lane Initiative is a nonprofit organization inspired by American freedom fighter Frederick Douglass and dedicated to promoting history and cultural exchange. We cultivate local and international partnerships, develop understandings and build connections to history across a broad range of communities to create change. We educate, empower, and highlight the intertwined struggles for freedom, equality, liberation and justice through providing historical resources, cultural programming and community engagement opportunities. We are women-led, directed by a diverse board, and proudly rooted in Ireland. Our name honors the place in Cork City where Douglass first spoke during his transformational 1845 visit, and our projects are guided by his powerful story and those of his Irish allies. We draw on Douglass’ example to help connect people around the world to celebrate intercultural exchange, kinship and co-creation and harness history to address contemporary social challenges.