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Black History Exhibit Comes To The Florida State Fair
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Motivational speaker, author and actor, Donald L. Dowridge Jr., always saw the Florida State Fair as a great place to self-promote and being a native of Baltimore, Mary- land, to experience something new.
This year, Dowridge, who has won acclaim for his por- trayal of Frederick Dou- glass, will be occupying a booth at the Fairgrounds to give patrons a Black History lesson about the life of Fred- erick Douglass.
Dowridge went to great lengths to not just be a speaker of Mr. Douglass’s achieve- ments, but he also grew a beard and allowed his hair to grow longer, and everyone has mar- veled at how close he looks like the great leader.
“No wigs or make up,” said
Dowridge.
“What you see is what you get.”
From a life of total hardship to a total life changer, thou- sands have been motivated and inspired by Dowridge, who has authored 13 books, and ap- peared on HBO’s “The Wire,” NBC’s “Seaquest,” and other hit television shows.
“What prompted me to take on the role of Mr. Douglass was after reading about his childhood as a slave and his rise to prominence, it really sparked my interest, due to harsh and inhumane treatment I endured as a foster child, and later life in the South Bronx.
“I felt portraying Mr. Dou- glass was perfect for me be- cause we have similar backgrounds.”
Joining Dowridge at the Fairgrounds will be Ersula Odom. Together, they will be performing three shows, start- ing Friday at 11 a. m., and run- ning until 8 p. m. The booth and setup will stay in place until the last day of the Fair on February 15th.
On Wednesday, February 17th at 3 p. m., Dowridge will be at the West Tampa Library, 2312 West Union Street.
On Monday, March 21st at 5:30 p. m., Dowridge will be appearing at the Robert W. Saunders Library 1505 North Nebraska Avenue.
Dowridge said this is a great educational opportunity for both the young and old, and he invites everyone to come out and enjoy his portrayal of one of this country’s greatest forefa- thers.
DONALD L. DOWRIDGE, JR. As Frederick Douglass
This is the display that will be appearing at the Florida State Fair in observance of Black History Month.
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