The American people have this to learn: that where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither person nor property is safe.
-Frederick Douglass (1886)
The 2018 recipient of the Frederick Douglass Underground Railroad Legacy Award is New England based activist, Ray Rickman, who has been a leader in the struggle for civil and human rights for over 40 years. This award honors individuals who continue Frederick Douglass’s and the Underground Railroad’s important legacy of promoting social change and work across racial, class, gender, gender or, political, or any other lines that divide us, to make the world a better place.
The Detroit native’s commitment to social justice began when he was just a teenager, marching in Sunflower County, Mississippi with Civil Rights Movement figure James Meredith in the 1960s. Later in the same decade, as a student in Detroit, he was one of four students to lead the celebrated massive student walk-outs.
Drawn by its history, the historic preservationist and rare-book dealer, moved to Rhode Island in 1979. He previously was involved with the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society. Rickman served for years in the government, holding positions as a state representative and deputy secretary of the state, the highest office held by an African American in the state’s history, continuing his work in the struggle for equality. In the 1980s, Richman served as president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island. He provides diversity and race relations workshops for public and private institutions.
His work in social justice includes addressing healthy living. Previously he was associated with Shape up Rhode Island, an organization concerned with community and workplace wellness. He is also co-founder and Executive Director of Stages of Freedom, a non-profit that in addition to promoting African American history and culture, also focuses on youth empowerment. One of the organization’s highlights is a program that through a partnership with YMCA’s teaches swimming to low-income young people of color, who according to statistics are more susceptible to drowning.
His activism has not only focused on addressing issues here in the United States, but also in other countries. In 2003, he founded Adopt A Doctor, a non-profit organization that financially assist medical doctors serving Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Malawi.
In recognition of his important work, Rickman has been the recipient of several awards, including the 2017 National Community Service Award from the National Association of Black Law Enforcement, and the 2018 State of Rhode Island Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award. Earlier this month Rickman received the Innovation Award by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities for his work with Stages of Freedom.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
