ROCHESTER, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) – The airport in Rochester, NY is being renamed to honor abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
The Monroe County Legislature voted Tuesday night to change the name to Frederick Douglass – Greater Rochester International Airport, according to a report.
Douglass, who escaped slavery, lived in Rochester for more than two decades and was buried in the city’s historic Mount Hope Cemetery after his death in 1895. He gave his famous speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” in Rochester on July 5, 1852.
“Each time residents and visitors arrive to our airport, they will be reminded of Douglass’s life and legacy of fighting oppression,” read a statement from legislators Vincent R. Felder and Karla M. Boyce.
The decision does not need to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, but the airport must file paperwork to report the change to the federal agency.
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(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
