Go Vote, America

In just a few short days Americans will wake up with a civic obligation to go to the polls and cast their vote. In the absence of some catastrophic event there are two inevitabilities and two choices facing us on November 8th and beyond. The two inevitabilities are; first there will be an election on November 8th and second there will be a 45th President of these United States.

The two choices facing us are: first, the candidates who do not win will have to choose both to concede and congratulate the winner or to refuse to concede and congratulate the President Elect, whoever that may be.  The second choice each of us must make is how we answer the fundamental question “where do we go beyond this highly contentious election?”

We may disagree but our disagreements must not go beyond the pale of civility and our arguments must be about opposing views with reason and logic as the chief instruments of argumentation. Civility requires that personal, degrading and disrespecting attacks are out of bound. We can choose to sink to the abyss of chaos and become the divided people of America or we can choose to ascend to the heights of community building as the united people of America and become what the founders of this nation described as a city set on a hill shinning the light of freedom, liberty, justice, opportunity, growth, development, hope, aspiration, inclusiveness and progress.

We can choose to minimize our diversity by limiting power, position and privilege to out dated demographics, or we can choose to embrace the vast diversity of our nation and empower all people to enjoy equal opportunity to fulfill their potential without regard to their race, religion, gender, preference, or political affiliation.

When we make the choice to move toward constructive community building we are making the choice to embrace the richness of diversity. It is a movement toward openness. It is a movement toward breaking down barriers. It is a movement toward bridge building. It is a movement toward the brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity. Wither we are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, agnostic, or atheist we are all existentially and ontologically connected.

We have the means, skills and technology to eliminate hunger, poverty and disparity. We have the capacity to build communities that are diverse, integrated and equitable, we must now embrace the moral courage and the political will to do so.

So, in a few days we will elect a President and Vice President, a senate, a congress, governors, state legislators, and municipal leaders. After the election you and I must decide if we will work together to build a constructive, compassionate community or if we will allow our great nation to slip into chaos. I implore us to join together and choose to build community. The future of our great democracy is in our hands not only in terms of how we vote but also in terms of what we do after the election.

Amb. Michael A. Battle, DMin, executive vice president & provost

Race, Religion and Nation: From Black Power to Black Lives Matter

Methodist Theological School in Ohio will offer a timely and compelling graduate-level course, “Race, Religion and Nation: From Black Power to Black Lives Matter,” at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way in Cincinnati.

Classes will be held Jan. 9-13, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enrollment is open to the public. Tuition and fees for non-degree-seeking students total $2,198. Non-credit auditing is offered for a fee of $200, with a reduced audit fee of $75 for those 60 and older. Space is limited. To enroll, contact Benjamin Hall at 800-333-6876 or bhall@mtso.edu.

The three-credit-hour course is offered through a cooperative relationship between MTSO and the Freedom Center, forged to promote justice and theologies of freedom. It will analyze the relationship between race, religion and nation through a historical exploration of the Black Lives Matter movement with attention to critical antecedents, including Black Power activism, hip hop music and culture, and the presidency of Barack Obama. MTSO instructor Tejai Beulah, a Ph.D. candidate in U.S. historical studies and an engaging teacher and activist, will lead the course.

“Race, Religion and Nation” is one of several January Term and Spring Semester MTSO courses that provide opportunities for meaningful continuing graduate education. Details on those courses are available at www.mtso.edu/learnmore.

Ambassador Battle Reviews: The Queen of Katwe

The Queen of Katwe is an excellent movie for multiple reasons; I will mention five of the key reasons everyone should see this movie. The first reason is that The Queen of Katwe demonstrates the very clear connection between learning chess and the development of long-term strategic planning and reasoning skills. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Gloria says that the power of chess is that “the small one can become the big one”. This is a lesson about how life is not determined by one’s size or status but by what ones does with their size and status. With intentional strategy “the small one can become the big one”.

The second reason for not missing this excellent movie is that it demonstrates the value of providing access to education to rural and urban populations inclusively by being intentional about access to education for girls. I have traveled extensively throughout the African Continent and have seen the advantages a nations gains by inclusive education and the disadvantages a nation suffers by the denial of inclusive education. When a nation does not provide inclusive access to education opportunities for girls that nation limits its own potential.

The third reason that The Queen of Katwe is a must see is its presentation of the power and resilience of family to love and learn through any adversity. The nuances of the relationship between Nakku and each of her children as well as the nuances of the relationships between each of the children was a remarkable study of family dynamics.  Nakku was dealing with the premature death of her husband while raising a family with values she would not compromise. The conflict Nakku had with Night and the tension Phiona had trying to mediate that conflict were rooted in love. Both Night and Phiona feared the all too common fate of young girls growing up in rural Uganda but chess provide Phiona a different outcome than what Night experienced. Benjamin’s initial tension with Phiona’s developing chess skills and his eventual embracing of her mastery of the game was a rich lesson of love and support.

The fourth reason is that the film's portrayal of life in Uganda is so real that it reminded me of my time in Uganda, a nation with such great possibilities and that is benefiting from its participation in the common market of the East African Communities. This movie brings Uganda to life. While a poor nation, Uganda is poised to benefit tremendously from increased attention to infrastructure development to include an expanded electrical grid.

The Queen of Katwe is a compelling and moving film that showcases the positive change that can be made by active NGOs (non-government organizations) when led by people with a compassion for the development of others. David’s interest in the young people for whom he was responsible demonstrated the power of authentic care and compassion for the total well-being of youth who would have otherwise been left with limited hope.

Amb. Michael A. Battle, DMin, executive vice president & provost

Image Credit: Disney

Introducing Demetrius Williams, Marketing Intern

Hello everyone! My name is Demetrius Williams and I am the new Marketing & Communications Intern for the Fall of 2016. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio where I attended Hughes Center High School. Now, I am a student at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College pursuing my Associates Degree in Audio/Video Production. Once accomplished, I would like to attend Northern Kentucky University and obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Communications.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a place of knowledge, inspiration and peace. I wanted to Intern at here because I have a desire to learn more about history and our freedom heroes. On the technical side of things, I also want to know the procedures that are needed for interacting with the media and marketing promotion. I would like to thank everyone at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for welcoming me aboard and making me feel a part of the team.

In Memoriam of Jerry Gore

Jerry  Gore, a retired  faculty member of  Morehead  State  University and a  lifelong resident  of  Maysville, KY, passed away August  3, 2016, after losing a battle with pneumonia.

Mr.  Gore was a respected  local  historian  who developed  a national  reputation focusing  on the history  of  enslavement and abolition in  the  Maysville Kentucky  Metropolitan Region .

Mr.  Gore was a descendant of Addison White. White fled  enslavement  from  Flemingsburg, Kentucky, only  to  be  discovered  working  on  the  farm  of  Udney Hay Hyde in  Mechanicsburg, OH, more  than  100 miles  North  East of  Flemingsburg . After  a  confrontation  with  slave  catchers  who wanted to  take  Mr. White  back  to  Kentucky, Mr.  White  was  able  to  shoot  his  way  out  of  almost  certain capture.  At least ten White citizens of Mechanicsburg fought a posse that included U.S.  Marshalls, when they  returned  to  Mechanicsburg  the Marshalls were met with  pitchforks and  anything  else the people  could  get  their  hands  on in  an  effort  to  prevent  the  citizens  who assisted  Mr. White’s escape from being arrested. The  running  battle  covered  at  least  three counties, and  several  of the  men  involved  in the  fray  faced  a hearing  in a Federal  Court in Cincinnati, where they were accused  of interfering with  U.S.  Marshalls under the provisions of the Fugitive Slave Act.

In  July 1857, in  the  US  District  Court  room  of  Judge  Humphery  H.  Levit, a  compromise was reached,  as  the result  of the  men  from  Mechanicsburg, OH agreeing  to  pay  Daniel  White of  Flemingsburg  Ky.  $1,000.00 for Mr. White’s freedom.

Addison  White went to Canada  and  started  a  new  life, however, with the advent of the  Civil  War, he  returned  to America  in  1864 and joined  Company E. of the  Massachusetts 54th US  Colored  Troops.  At  the end  of the  Civil War, Addison  White  returned to  Mechanicsburg, OH where  he found  a permanent job  with  the  village  in  the  street department. Mr.  White lived  the  balance  of  his  life  in  peace  in  Mechanicsburg, where he and  his  wife,  Amanda, are now buried  in Maple  Grove  Cemetery. In  2005,  Mechanicsburg and  the  Ohio State  Historical Office erected a plaque commemorating  his legacy—a man who  fought to be  free  and, in  turn,  fought  to  help  free  those  who  were  still  enslaved. Jerry Gore was  in  the  audience  during  that ceremony, where he acknowledged his family’s  history. Now, both their spirits are free.

Carl B. Westmoreland, senior historian and preservationist

Islamophobia – not in our Community!

Thank you, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, for making the Islamophobia – not in our Community! brochure accessible to the public.  Not since the aftermath of “9/11” have American Muslims as a group faced such unwarranted suspicion and outright bigotry as they have this past year.  They are concerned, and rightly so, for their civil rights and for the safety and well-being of their families.  We, too, should be concerned.  This is not a time for us to sit by and watch our fellow Americans, our Cincinnati neighbors, being scapegoated and maligned as Muslims have been of late.  We need to confront ignorant, prejudiced and hateful rhetoric, wherever it occurs.

We need to help educate the uninformed and inexperienced.  And, we must insist on honesty, fairness and social responsibility in our public discourse.  For, as history has taught us and the Freedom Center teaches us every day, bigotry in any form, anywhere, when unchallenged, can and will spread like a cancer to more and more victim groups until it reaches a point when no group is left un-implicated and unharmed.   Read this valuable brochure, learn from it, use it, and share it widely.  Then take the initiative to get to know your Muslim neighbors.  You, and they, will be glad you did!

Robert “Chip” Harrod, chief executive officer of BRIDGES

Supporting the LGBTQ Community After Pulse

It has been nearly two weeks since the attack on Pulse nightclub in Orlando and I have had a very difficult time putting into words exactly how this horrible atrocity has me feeling. Beyond the seething rage that defies description, there is something else.

I don’t feel safe. As Americans, we all feel this to some degree after the latest mass shooting in our country (how disgusting that I can say the words “latest mass shooting” to begin with). But let me be clear about one thing: I have not felt safe since having the realization at an early age that I was different and that my being different could mean violence against me was possible at any moment.

Before I go on, I would say to my young self in this moment to look to hope and love. I was told something I needed to hear this week and it would have helped me years ago. Darkness owns the sky but we always look to the stars. I would tell him not to be ruled by fear and that the very act of existing in his own skin and being who he is, is an act of quiet revolution. His existence can change the world for another like him in the future and make their path a little easier. It is okay to be afraid, as I am now, this will pass. I absolutely refuse to be ruled by fear.

Waking up that morning and being reminded that there are people in the world who would like to see me meet a similar end was terrifying. The LGBTQ community is incredibly vulnerable here in the United States and even more so abroad.  Disproportionately at risk are people of color and those who identify as transgender. These members of our LGBTQ family often bear the brunt of this violence.

Gay men and those suspected of being gay in Syria, are being hurled from multi-story buildings by ISIS extremists. Here in the U.S. trans students are now at risk of attack from their fellow classmates, (with the administration’s permission) for using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. In Uganda anti-gay laws have incited an increase in violence against us. In Jamaica, LGBTQ people face mob attacks, stabbings, death threats and, in some cases, murder. Throughout the world lesbians are subjected to corrective rape. In Russia LGBTQ pride parades are met with violence and anti-gay groups who place false dating profiles in an effort to kidnap and torture those who respond. All of this is recorded and uploaded to the Internet as a warning to the LGBTQ people of the world. These are just a few examples of the violence that our community faces every day.

We must press on and, whatever we do, we must not allow this most recent attack to drive a wedge between us, and our similarly marginalized brothers and sisters in the Islamic community. I entreat my LGBTQ family, and anyone reading this post, to not respond to hate with hate and to not judge an entire group of people based on the actions of a few. We are better than that. We live in a climate of fear. We are tired. We are angry. Despite all of this - we must remain strong.

The LGBTQ members of your community are suffering and they need you now more than ever. When you hear a slur, a joke, a derogatory comment, or anti-gay rhetoric, know that it directly contributes to a culture that has allowed this violence against us. To do nothing is to be complicit.

We all have a direct responsibility as human beings to help end hate. It is up to all of us to stand up and speak up. I refuse to sit quietly any longer. I hope you’ll join me.

Jesse Kramer, Art Director

Images: NYDaily News, WSBV-Atlanta

Here's Why We Should Not Boycott Roots

By now you may have read Snoop’s comments about the reboot of Roots and his call to boycott the series. His comments, which he delivered this week via Instagram—from his account that boasts a following of 10. 5 million users—has already driven numerous responses, including comments from the producers of the series reboot, Roland Martin & Levar Burton, the latter of whom played Kunta Kinte in the original 1977 miniseries. But Roots is much more than a story about slavery, it’s a story about the black experience in America.

So, here's why we should NOT boycott Roots.

1. History

It's important. In the 150 plus years since the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the enactment of the Thirteenth Amendment, the latter of which abolished institutionalized slavery in America, never before have we been more equipped to tell the story of the people that endured the system and the subsequent atrocities that followed its end, by the descendants of those who endured it. Prior to the miniseries, stories about slavery and the Civil War in mainstream culture and media— print, film and music— were predominately told by Southern sympathizers, like D.W. Griffith and Margaret Mitchell, who romanticized the period and further perpetuated derogatory stereotypes of black people, diminishing them to caricatures. Roots was the first time that America’s dark history –from slavery to the contemporary issues of the day—was told from the black perspective, with strong, unapologetic characters like Kunta Kinte, to a prime-time audience.

2. A Brief History of the Black Image in Media

Roots was revolutionary—not in subject matter alone, but in presentation and representation.  The original Roots aired a little more than a decade after the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1965.  In an address at the National Broadcast Editorial Conference of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in July of 1964, the then president of CBS, Frank Stanton, called upon broadcasters to launch a "mighty and continuing editorial crusade" in support of civil rights. Albeit the call was initially was made to focus on blacks as the subjects of documentaries in alignment with Lyndon B. Johnson’s vision of the “Great Society,” the shows produced during this time period—The Sammy Davis, Jr. Show, Julia, Star Trek and The Mod Squad, to name a few—placed black actors in leading and supporting roles, introducing mainstream America to black culture and issues.

Prior to this shift, films starring black actors made by black filmmakers – Oscar Micheaux, Spencer Williams and James and Eloyce Gist—in order to contradict negative stereotypes, were suppressed by major studios, especially to Southern audiences. Films produced during the Golden Age of Hollywood that featured or starred black actors, such as Gone with the Wind, Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather, Imitation of Life and Pinky, were few and far between and mostly catered to white audiences, perpetuating archetypical “black” characters. The shift that Stanton called for in 1964 had already begun playing out in Hollywood with the arrival of Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Ruby Dee, Ozzie Davis and more, many of whom made the leap from theater to the silver screen. But, for all the progress made in front of the camera, there was still progress to be made behind the camera. The original Roots screenplay and series directors included Alex Haley and Gilbert Moses, co-founder of the Free Southern Theater Company whose establishment was part of the Black Theater Movement, in alignment with the Civil Rights Movement. Having black writers produce work for mainstream consumption was still considered a risky investment.

3. Something that "happened 200 years ago" ABSOLUTELY relates to contemporary issues.

When Roots aired in January of 1977, the nation was still recovering from the Vietnam War, civil unrest and economic crisis. The manufacturing jobs that drew southern black families north during the Great Migration began to dwindle in the mid-60s and were being outsourced to other countries where the cost of labor was cheaper.  But the burden of a national trend affecting cities across the country was disproportionately suffered by black and brown, working class families, as white families began moving out of cities (see white flight) to avoid the desegregation of schools and Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968—the Fair Housing Act—which prohibited housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. What does slavery have to do with this? Systemic Racism—Jim Crow, employment and housing discrimination, incarceration, the school- to prison pipeline, the wealth gap, the war on drugs and infant mortality all stem from the systematic stripping of constitutional rights established during the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877).  Roots is a saga—and it begins with slavery because that’s where the story of blacks in America begins.

4. Should we watch Soul Plane instead or nah?

You're right about one thing—we need more black stories in mainstream media. Stories and images that showcase who we are culturally and celebrates our diversity, because we are not a monolith.  Please!—make movies and media that tell multiple stories of a rich culture and diverse people. In the last decade, television has seen a resurgence of black characters in leading roles in the coveted prime time television spot. The rise of social media and streaming services has also provided previously unknown black actors, writers and producers— like Issa Rae— with a powerful platform in which our stories can be seen and consumed by the masses, jettisoning black actors and black stories back into traditional media outlets. Shows like Martin, Living Single, Girlfriends, A Different World and many more, have reintroduced the contemporary black experience to new audiences and a new generation of viewers. What’s more is that the characters are three dimensional, beautifully nuanced roles written, produced and directed by people of color. The creation of these complex roles provide more to mainstream media consumption than bland, unrealistic,  stock "black" characters, previously written by writers who knew nothing of what it is like to be black in contemporary America.

So yes, Snoop, I will be watching—well, streaming—because in a time where states are violating voting rights and where activists have to remind society that Black Lives Matter, it is extremely important that we go back to our roots.

Assia Micheaux Johnson, Public Relations and Social Media Coordinator

Images: Roots (2016) Via History Channel, Still from Stormy Weather  via MGM and allposters.com

Comments on The Image of Harriet Tubman on the U.S. $20 Bill

The richness of American diversity and the multifaceted contributions to American democracy is making an appearance on American currency. Harriet Tubman’s image on the American $20 bill represents a recognition of the role people of color and women played in making the United States of American a beacon of hope for the world. Tubman is known primarily as an abolitionist, fighting against slavery, and as the matriarch of the Underground Railroad, navigating the route to freedom for persons bold enough to escape from slavery. She was also an indispensable part of the military efforts of the Union Army. Tubman served the Union Army as a cook, a nurse, a scout, and a resourceful spy who risked her life moving through the south gathering intelligence which aided the union cause. Tubman represents the depth of American liberty. About liberty she stated, “I would fight for liberty so long as my strength lasted.” It was most appropriate that when she died Harriet Tubman was buried with military honors. She was a solider for the cause of the Union of the United States. She was also a solider for justice, for women’s rights, for the rights of all persons to enjoy the American dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I am particularly pleased that Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, who I had the honor of meeting when he served as Deputy Secretary of State and I served as U.S. Ambassador to the African Union, has taken the bold step in recognizing Harriet Tubman’s contribution to American democracy by placing her image on one of our nation’s most widely used pieces of currency. As Executive Vice President of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the home of the Harriet Tubman Theatre, I am hopeful that the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will be one of the places for a public unveiling of the currency and a public discussion of contributions to American democracy made by Harriet Tubman.

Dr. Michael A. Battle, Executive Vice President/Provost of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

In Memoriam: Remembering & Celebrating the Life of Mrs. Jackie Wallace

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center family is mourning the loss of a beloved colleague, friend and life-long educator, Mrs. Jackie Wallace. Her passion for the work of the Freedom Center was immeasurable and her love for the people she worked with was even more so. Mrs. Wallace was more than a co-worker – she was a dear friend, mother and caregiver to many. There are no words for the loss that is already felt in our hearts.

At this time, we ask that you hold Mrs. Wallace’s family up in your thoughts and prayers.