ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Students at the Rochester City School District honored Frederick Douglass on his 200th birthday.

“He inspires me to just keep on trying. Just like he had challenges, even though I have challenges, I can overcome them and become something greater and just become something memorable in life,” said 11^th grader, Andino Nyong.

Northeast College Prep High School celebrated Douglass' birthday with a song, cake and ice cream.

The celebration also included students from three other Rochester schools.

“Frederick Douglass was a humanitarian. He was a man that believed in justice, righteousness and loved people and he loved the City of Rochester,” said civil rights pioneer, Lulu Westbrook-Griffin, who spoke to students at district headquarters.

“I`m here today to share my story, hoping that young people would see that someone was always there to pave the way for us,” said Westbrook-Griffin.

Griffin was a part of the Leesburg Stockade. She was put in jail at 12 years old for protesting against segregation in 1963. She was incarcerated for 40 days along with more than a dozen other girls from Leesburg, Georgia.

“My innocence was stolen from me but I knew the dream had to be there."