Legalizing the Fight to Freedom

As I was doing research about the Montgomery Bus Boycott for my #381Days campaign, I didn’t think of looking at the actual city codes of Montgomery, Alabama. It wasn’t until a colleague mentioned that the city ordinance was very ambiguous that I decided to look into it.

One thing many people don’t know is that Rosa Parks was not legally in the wrong for being unwilling to move from her seat. That morning, Parks was sitting in the front row of the colored section, which was largely empty. When the white section started to fill, the bus driver, James Blake, moved the ‘colored section’ sign before ordering Rosa Parks to move back.

The city code of Montgomery in 1955, chapter 6; section 10 states: “Every person operating a bus line in the city shall provide equal but separate accommodations for white people and negroes on their bus.” On the other hand, bus company policy allowed drivers to assign bus seats. So, the situation seems to have been a little ambiguous when it came to whether or not Parks was “breaking the law”.

In my last post, I mentioned that this was not the first time that Parks had encountered Blake on the bus line. In a previous incident, Parks had paid for her bus ticket at the front of the bus and tried to re-enter from the back of the bus. Before she could get on, Blake pulled off and left  Parks at the stop. After this, Ms. Parks wasn’t keen to accommodate this particular bus driver.

Despite the fact that black bus passengers were in the majority at that time, there was very little courtesy given to them. The city bus line was unfair in many ways, such as:

• The City didn’t hire black bus drivers
• Drivers made them move from seats for many different reasons
• Drivers purposefully failed to make stops
• Drivers didn’t comply with the first come first serve policy

Rosa Parks is a prime example that even the smallest of gestures can lead to a bigger journey. Think about what life would be like if she hadn’t used her voice and to stand up for her principles that day. Think about what our world could be like if you stood up for what you believe today as well.

Blog 2 of a 3-part series. Read Part 1: #381Days: Honoring Rosa Parks and 65 Years Since the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Human Rights Day and the Continued Struggle for Inclusive Freedom

Every year on December 10 we recognize Human Rights Day—an UN holiday created to celebrate the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Today is the 70th anniversary of this historic doctrine.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the most translated document in the world (available in 500 languages) and proclaims “the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being –regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

This year, the slogan for Human Rights Day is #StandUp4HumanRights and encourages simple philosophies, such as the idea that we all deserve human rights, that by practicing equality and justice we prevent violence, and stand up our rights and the rights of others. So, what does Human Rights Day mean in the world of museums? How can we encourage those to #StandUp4HumanRights in cultural institutions?

Here at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC), we encourage those to fight for inclusive freedom—an idea emphasized in the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our mission allows us to discuss the difficult histories of America’s past while also encouraging inclusive freedom for her future.

At NURFC, we weave the idea of standing up for human rights into everything we do—from programming, to exhibitions, community led conversations, and guided school tours. Because of our mission, we can talk about our history and the idea of human rights. We are also a certified Museum of Conscience.

A Site of Conscience, or a Museum of Conscience, is a classification given to historic sites, museums, and memory initiatives by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience—a global network of institutions that connect past struggles to today’s movements for human rights. Their slogan—turning memory into action—is a patch we proudly wear here at NURFC.

By being a part of this international network, NURFC can encourage those to continue the theme of Human Rights Day and encourage visitors to #StandUp4HumanRights.

Katie Bramell, Manager of Exhibitions & Collections
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Katie’s passion is sharing the untold stories of history, and she loves to think of new, creative ways to engage museum visitors. She is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University (Masters of Public History) and the University of Central Missouri (Bachelors of History). Her primary fields of study include the Underground Railroad, human rights, and early 20th century American History.

Quality Special Education is a Civil Right

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and we’re thinking about this year’s theme of inclusion and equality, especially in terms of special education as a civil right. Meet #MyNURFC Events Manager Jessica Roncker and her older brother Neill.

Neill battled epilepsy and brain damage from meningitis as a boy, but graduated from Pleasant Ridge Elementary School and Woodward High School despite his disability. Jessica calls Neill “one of the lucky ones” because when their parents were unhappy with his educational options, their mother, Mary Ann Roncker, decided to take the school district to court.

With the help of the Ohio Legal Rights Service, Mary Ann battled the Cincinnati Board of Education from 1979 to 1983 for Neill’s right to attend special education classes in a regular school environment. Roncker v. Walter cited both the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment and the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of 1954 and was finally won in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals when the US Supreme Court declined to hear it.

The win established the basis for the Roncker portability test which questions whether a segregated environment is better than a mainstreaming program and ensures that services be provided in a non-segregated setting if possible. It set a standard for the principle of Least Restrictive Environment, the idea that children in special education should spend as much appropriate time as possible with non-disabled peers.

"On this International Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to work together for a better world that is inclusive, equitable and sustainable for everyone, where the rights of people with disabilities are fully realized." — António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

You can learn more about the International Day of Persons with Disabilities here.

You Can’t Get AIDS From A Hug: Why We Honor World AIDS Day

One of my earliest memories is walking through the hallways of my elementary school seeing posters with sayings like “you can’t get AIDS from a hug and a kiss.” This would have been around the time President Ronald Reagan finally started mentioning the word “AIDS” during speeches and press conferences. By that time over 5,000 residents of the United States – not to mention countless more around the globe -- had passed away from the disease. Many of these individuals were members of populations who faced widespread discrimination. Some of these groups included gay men, transgender women, Haitian immigrants and refugees, sex workers, and people addicted to IV drugs. My uncle Myron who left behind a long-term partner, Pedro, was one of these early deaths.

HIV/AIDS and Marginalization

The vulnerability of oppressed populations to HIV/AIDS infection is a major reason why the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) is honoring World AIDS Day. While it is well known – or should be – that straight, white men of means can and do get infected, African Americans, LGBT folks, and lower income communities are still at higher risk. According to the CDC, in 2016 4,560 African American women received an HIV diagnosis, compared with 1,450 white women and 1,168 Hispanic/Latina women [1]. While this rate of infection is lower than in past years, it is still unacceptably high especially when taking into account the fact that African Americans comprise 12% of the US population.

Meanwhile, while rates of HIV infection among gay men has stabilized, as of 2014 this population comprised 56% of new HIV cases [2]. Young African American gay men – a minority within a minority -- account for more new cases of HIV infection in the United States than any other population [3]. The reasons for this are much the same as back in the 80s when those PSA posters went up around my school; fewer official support networks, more obstacles to public health interventions, and less access to accurate information.

HIV, Trafficking, and Human Rights

HIV/AIDS is also, sadly, highly relevant to NURFC’s involvement in the fight against modern-day enslavement. Sex trafficking is not only a humanitarian crisis, but also a public health one. Survivors of this atrocity are at substantial risk of HIV infection. This is due in part to the factors described above, not least of which are a lack of support networks and access to education. However, there is an even more sinister force at play. According to a 2013 study conducted by Harvard’s School of Public Health, women who are forced into sex work typically experience sexual violence. They are also unable to insist that their clients use safer sex techniques. This increases the likelihood of HIV infection 11-fold, as opposed to women who report entering the sex industry voluntarily [4]. HIV positive trafficking victims have little hope of obtaining treatment and may even be abandoned by their traffickers once they become too sick to service clients. It is also important to remember that women and girls trapped in other forms of modern day enslavement, such as forced labor and domestic servitude, are vulnerable to sexual assault and have few avenues for recourse.

Curbing sex trafficking is a major step towards reducing rates of HIV infection. Framing the fight against modern day enslavement in this way could be a major step towards the elimination of both crises. At the same time, it is important not to demonize people living with HIV/AIDS, particularly if they are trafficking victims. Doing so is a form of re-victimization. Fortunately many organizations, such as the joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, have started tackling issues such as this from a human rights standpoint.

Fight HIV/AIDS, not People Living with HIV/AIDS

It has been over 20 years since I saw those HIV/AIDS PSAs on the walls of my elementary school. Since then I’ve grown up, graduated high school and college, and come out as a gay man. I’ve made many friends, some of them people living with HIV/AIDS, from all walks of life. In some cases, I’ve been with them in the counselor’s office as they receive life changing news.

At the same time, I’ve witnessed HIV/AIDS go from death sentence to manageable medical condition. I’ve seen the stigma of HIV infection lessen (at least here in the US). I’ve also seen hopeful signs that there may be a cure, or at least a vaccine, in my lifetime. HIV medications have also become less hard on a person’s system.

Regardless: people living with HIV/AIDS, be they a classmate or a trafficking victim – or both – are not the enemy. They need love, support, and the occasional hug just as much as anyone. After all, you really can’t get AIDS from a hug.

Jonathan Turbin, Modern-Day Slavery Coordinator
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

As Coordinator of Initiatives against Modern Day Slavery, Jonathan oversees the site End Slavery Now and works to build relationships among anti-trafficking organizations in and around Cincinnati. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Oregon.

Sources:

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/racialethnic/africanamericans/index.html (accessed 11/27/2018)
[2] https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/factsheets/cdc-msm-508.pdf (accessed 11/27/2018)
[3] Ibid (accessed 11/27/2018)
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3626049/ (accessed 11/28/2018)

#381Days: Honoring Rosa Parks and 65 Years Since the Montgomery Bus Boycott

December 1, 2018 is the 63rd anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In Ohio, it’s also Rosa Parks Day, the anniversary date of her famous arrest on December 1, 1955. We will honor the great Rosa Parks during the month of December through a social media campaign called #381Days.

The deeper story of Rosa Parks’ life was the inspiration for this campaign. The fact that she was such an educated woman that stood up for what she believed in, despite the fact that her whole world changed is pretty remarkable. Many know that when Rosa refused to move from her seat in 1955, she became an iconic face in the civil rights movement. What many don't remember is that she was intensely active in that movement as well.

Parks had a previous run in with bus driver James Blake about a year prior to the day of her arrest. Ever since then, she worked with the NAACP to fight for the rights of the African American community. Following her arrest, the Women’s Political Council called for a 1-day boycott in which they expected 60% of the black community to participate. To everyone's surprise, 90% of the black community became involved.

Due to the large percentage of the community participation, the black leaders of Montgomery called a meeting to form the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), electing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as President. At this meeting they issued a formal list of demands in which the city later refused to comply. Their initial demands did not involve changing the segregation laws, but inserting more courtesy within the existing laws. For example, hiring black bus drivers and implementing a "first come, first serve" policy where whites would fill the front of the bus and blacks would fill the back.

Responding to the denial of the demands and to keep the boycott going, the MIA created a carpool system to support the community protesters. This boycott lasted for 381 days while leaders such as E.D. Nixon and Martin Luther King Jr. suffered turmoil like death threats to themselves and their families, as well as house bombings.

We remember these strong leaders that have encouraged us and put their life on the line to stand up for what they believed in, and more importantly what is right. After the long days of the bus boycott, the buses were officially desegregated on December 21st, 1956. But the fight always continues.

Blog 1 of a 3-part series. Check back next week for Part 2.

Merrisha Dickerson, Marketing Intern
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Merrisha is a student at Northern Kentucky University. Throughout Merrisha’s internship she has worked to create content for social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for the Freedom Center. She has enjoyed learning how to communicate with different types of people in different departments around the museum and learning something new each day.

Meet Jim Brock: #MyNURFC Docent and Veteran

Meet one of our fantastic docents: Jim Brock, a long time member of the #MyNURFC family and veteran of the US Marine Corps.

He shared these photographs with us and the story of how he got connected to the museum:

"After serving in the United States Marine Corps and ending a successful career in the US Postal Service, I had a desire to serve my community and contribute to the development of our youth. The agonizing question was where and how? Hadn’t I done enough when I enlisted and put myself in harm’s way for the betterment of our country?"

Jim Brock (right) and two good friends from his company, Clayton Barnett of St. Louis (left) and Robert Carter of San Francisco (center).

"Out of curiosity, I went to an orientation describing the need for an education facility where the entire community could gather under the same roof to discuss our differences and explore opportunities to alleviate those differences. The orientation was presented by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and from that point going forward, I never left. As a Volunteer Exhibit Interpreter, I now know there are new and multiple solutions to old cultural problems, and I am helping to make the difference."

We're grateful for Jim's service to both our country and our institution. We continue to honor all #veterans this month with free general admission with military ID through November 30. We hope you'll share this with the veterans in your life and come see us this week!

Mandela Fridays: Exhibition Tour

Fridays at 1:00 p.m. through December 14, 2018
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
50 E Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Included in general & special exhibition admission.

Join National Underground Railroad Freedom Center staff and docents for a guided tour of MANDELA: THE JOURNEY TO UBUNTU for Mandela 100, a year of commemoration engagement lead by The Nelson Mandela Foundation, challenging and inspiring organizations and individuals around the world to, "be the legacy." MANDELA: THE JOURNEY TO UBUNTU commemorates the life and legacy of former South African President Nelson Mandela through photographs by Willman as he revisited many of the locations that played an important role in South Africa’s route to racial equality and Mandela’s personal fight for freedom.