T for Tuesday

 T Stands For is hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard

Rochester New York

It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the States yesterday so I am featuring this striking sculpture, a tribute to the friendship between Frederick Douglass (1818 [chose to celebrate on 2/14] – Feb. 20, 1895) and Susan B. Anthony (Feb. 15, 1820- March 13, 1906).

 It is called “Let’s Have Tea,” and that’s just what they are doing: sitting together, with a table between them set with a teapot, two cups, and two books. “They’re not talking about any particular issue,” says the sculptor Pepsy Kettavong, “but they both are anxious to hear what each is thinking. You’re not quite sure who’s talking or who’s listening, so you have that balance.” 

They were unlikely friends, but the struggle for equality that Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass shared created a bond that lasted almost fifty years. These two momentous personalities in American history each had a fiery passion for human rights and equality. When they met, they had only known each other’s reputations, but they became fast friends. They decided to combine their efforts and work together to win equality for African Americans and for women.

Their friendship endured the harsh words and looks of their society. Their friendship lasted in the face of hostility and anger. Their friendship persisted even through their own disagreements—and they could fight like cats and dogs. But these two intellectual giants knew that fighting for what was right was the most important work they could do.