LYNN — A formal reveal of the Frederick Douglass sculpture by 99-year-old Nahant artist Reno ‘Ray’ Pisano highlighted the official dedication of the park, named after the prominent American abolitionist, on Wednesday morning.
Project participants, state and local officials and a crowd of about 50 spectators gathered in the park at the intersection of Union and Exchange streets to cheer on the sculptor and pay respects to Frederick Douglass. State Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn), who pushed legislation advocating for the park, emceed the event.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee said in his speech that the location of the park was appropriate, as it is situated right across from the place where Douglass had been thrown off a train on Sept. 29, 1841 for protesting passenger segregation on the Eastern Railroad Company. The incident led to the Massachusetts legislature proposing a law prohibiting common carriers from discriminating against any class of passengers. The Eastern Railroad ended up abandoning second-class cars before the bill was passed in 1843.
“This park and statue will help us to never forget Frederick Douglass,” said McGee. “We owe it to him to continue to be a city where, regardless of your background, people can find a home.”
Before the sculpture was revealed, its creator, Pisano, rose up from his seat on the stage to say a few words. The crowd gave him an ovation.
“Alright, already,” joked Pisano, who thanked the Lynn administration, state senators and specific people who had helped him with this project.
“Today is Frederick Douglass Day,” said Pisano, sharing his sentiment about the dedication. “He believed that we are all cousins. That, to me, it is a big deal. That was the essence of the Frederick Douglass purpose. The oneness of us. We are not separated. We are of each other and that’s the thing that I felt most of all.”
The appearance of the sculpture was significantly influenced by Tom Dalton’s book, “Frederick Douglass: The Lynn Years, 1841–1848,” and the illustration on its cover, Pisano said. Dalton was also present at the event.
Saying “I think I will ask him to join the party now,” Pisano gave a cue to City Councilor-at-Large Buzzy Barton and state Rep. Daniel Cahill (D-Lynn) to unveil the statue. The attendees saw a stone pillar with a bronze-cast plaque that depicted a raised likeness of Douglass from the chest up; the bust also incorporated a writeup on the train incident and a quote from the famous abolitionist: “…justice must be done, the truth must be told, the wicked must be exposed, freedom and righteousness must be vindicated … I will not be silent.”
The statue stands to the left from the “Stories of Lynn” mural, which was completed in 2014 and which also features Douglass presiding in the middle of a group of prominent Lynn residents.
“This is way long overdue since Frederick Douglass has had such a footprint on Lynn,” said Nicole McClain, founder and director of the North Shore Juneteenth Association, who attended the dedication. “He experienced some discrimination here, he lived in the city and a lot of our children don’t know (that), so I feel like it is a proud day. Very honored to be here today.”
Andrea Gayle-Bennett, from the Lynn-Swampscott E.F. Gilmore Chapter of the Disabled American Veterans and a trustee of North Shore Community College, echoed the sentiment, saying “It is a source of pride for Lynn. You hear ‘Lynn, Lynn, city of sin’ all the time but look at all the wonderful things that are here in Lynn.
“It should be Lynn Lynn, city of him, and her, and her,” added Gayle-Bennett, pointing at the mural.
Frederick Douglass Park is now officially a Department of Conservation and Recreation public property, available for daily use and events. Beside the statue, the space features a wooden stage in front of the mural, a lush lawn and benches both in the sun and in the shade of some trees. According to Doneeca Thurston, director of Lynn Museum/LynnArts, the museum is working on putting a legend in the park.
