The power of education and the ability of young people to reshape the world were among the broader themes of a historic commencement speech delivered by abolitionist Frederick Douglass in Hudson in 1854 at what was then known as Western Reserve College.
The speech, titled, "The Claims of the Negro: Ethnologically Considered," sharply debunked scientific racism.
Douglass’ words received renewed attention last year when an award-winning documentary called "Just and Perfect" involved current students reciting portions of the speech.
The film won Best Local Documentary honors at the 2025 Chagrin Documentary Film Festival. The documentary short has also been selected for the multi-city 2026 Black History Film Festival which means the film will be shown in the cities that hold the festival: Atlanta, Miami, Oakland and Washington, D.C.
On Jan. 23, the the great-great-great-grandson of Douglass, Kenneth Morris Jr., is scheduled to visit the campus of what is now Western Reserve Academy in Hudson to talk with present-day students in the place where Douglass delivered his speech.
On the “Sound of Ideas” the film’s writer and producer, CeCe Payne joined host Stephanie Haney with Western Reserve Academy’s Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Iiyannaa Graham-Siphanoum to discuss the film and how it resonates for students of today.
Guests:
- CeCe Payne, Writer and Producer, "Just and Perfect," Bicentennial Special Projects Manager, Western Reserve Academy
- Iiyannaa Graham-Siphanoum, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Western Reserve Academy