Deconstructing Frederick Douglass: Colman Domingo voices an American legend in new HBO documentary

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He was a Maryland slave who taught himself to read and write, then escaped to New York disguised as a sailor. At just 20 years old, young Frederick Douglass took his first steps to becoming one of the most prominent voices in civil rights history. That journey is the focus of a new HBO documentary Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches.

Part of HBO’s Black History Month programming, the documentary spotlights five keys speeches in Douglass’ career, brought to life by actors Jeffrey Wright, Nicole Beharie, Jonathan Majors, Denzel Whitaker and Colman Domingo.

“I knew the ‘Cliff notes’ of Frederick Douglass to be honest,” Domingo tells ABC Audio.