Aiden N. Tilery, a West Chester University senior and lifelong borough resident, will become the first student to deliver the annual DeBaptiste Douglass Lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

The milestone carries deep family roots. Tilery is the great-grandson of Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste, West Chester Borough's first African American mayor, whose financial gift created the lecture series. His aunt, Mayor Lillian DeBaptiste, delivered last year's sixth annual lecture.

Tilery will speak at 3 p.m. in Philips Autograph Library inside Philips Memorial Building, at South High Street and University Avenue. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, email [email protected].

His talk for the Seventh Annual Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste Frederick Douglass Institute Lecture is titled "Self-Empowerment through Education: Becoming 21st Century Students of the Scholar Frederick Douglass." It will focus on education and personal development through the legacy of the abolitionist, writer and statesman, according to a West Chester University news release.

The son of Elizabeth DeBaptiste, Tilery graduated from West Chester East High School and has worked full time as a store manager while completing his business management degree, MyChesCo reported. After his expected graduation in May 2027, he plans to study funeral and mortuary science at Northampton Community College before joining the family business, DeBaptiste Funeral Home.

The lecture series, now in its seventh year, is hosted by the Frederick Douglass Institute at West Chester University. The program commemorates Douglass' last public lecture, delivered on the university's campus on Feb. 1, 1895, just 19 days before his death. A 10-foot bronze statue of a young Douglass, created by sculptor Richard Blake and dedicated in 2013, stands in the Clifford E. and Inez E. DeBaptiste Plaza on campus.

Dr. DeBaptiste, who was elected the borough's first Black mayor in the 1990s, served two terms and helped revitalize West Chester's downtown. According to a 2024 House floor speech by U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, the number of restaurants in the borough rose from 15 to 57 during his time in office. He also served 13 terms as chairman of the Pennsylvania State Board of Funeral Directors.

Previous Douglass lecture speakers have included Rev. Dr. Kyle Boyer, Dr. Brenda Allen and former state Sen. Andy Dinniman.