Frederick Douglass’ “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is prefaced by six pages of William Lloyd Garrison convincing the reader that the account is legitimate. I understand that this was a common practice — the “authentication” of slave narratives by white men — but I think it’s important to note that just as Douglass would have likely found difficulty making strides as a speaker and an abolitionist without the facilitation of the white man, without this preface, his narrative would have reached far fewer, if any, audiences. This probability, of course, is completely unrelated to Douglass’ own merit and, and is instead owed to the racism and white perception of black individuals, even among abolitionists. This is not to attack William Lloyd Garrison, as his “endorsement” likely contributed to opening a space for Douglass’ voice within the abolitionist movement; the issue extends beyond one man. However, even in the brief biography detailing Douglass’ life preceding the Narrative, it is clear that Douglass’ power was limited by Garrison in various ways: “Garrison attempted to bully him into shutting down his newspaper, the North Star…Douglass resettled in part to escape the influence of Garrison” (1161). Douglass, while aware of the dynamic in calling for African Americans to “be our own representatives and advocates,” also recognized the reality of the situation, locating this autonomy as “not distinct from, but in connection with out white friends” (1161). According to the biography, though “Garrison…wanted absolute loyalty and control of the movement;” we can only speculate that Douglass himself curated, to an extent, his own statements in order to sustain the necessary support from Garrison and other white abolitionists. In other words, Frederick Douglass could have a voice only on the white man’s terms. I think it’s especially important to recognize such a tension as Garrison assures the reader that Douglass’ success was made possible only by Garrison’s own power and volition, having “endeavored to instill hope and courage into his mind, in order that he might dare to engage in a vocation so anomalous and responsible for a person in his situation” (1165). The white savior narrative: Alive, well, and in perfect juxtaposition with the slave narrative.