52 Anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing

Today is the anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, where four little girls, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins, died in an attack orchestrated and carried out by members of the Ku Klux Klan.  An attack, as described by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that was "one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetuated against humanity."  Over 50 years later and just months after the horrific church shootings in Charleston, we, as a nation, still have more work ahead of us.

To commemorate the anniversary, the city of Birmingham is presenting a week of activities called Empowerment Week, where the entire community is asked to focus on “service, kindness and community impact.” At 10:22 a.m. bells will ring in Birmingham at the exact time of the bombing in 1963, followed by a wreath laying at 10:40 a.m.

The bombing marked another major turning point of the Civil Rights Movement, which, paired with the assignation of President Kennedy, moved a grieving nation to support the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed into law that summer by President Johnson. Passage of the Voting Rights Act would follow in 1965. The special anniversary exhibition celebrating the Voting Rights Act, Power of the Vote, explores the history of voting rights in America, beginning from the Reconstruction Era to present day. See and experience this powerful exhibition before it closes September 26.

Want the latest on upcoming special exhibitions, events and programs? Click here to plan your visit. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @FreedomCenter, and on Facebook for more historical posts and images.

Assia Johnson
Public Relations and Social Media Coordinator 

Remembering Louis Stokes

Today we share our condolences with the family and friends of Louis Stokes and echo the sentiments of Rep. John Lewis, "he [Stokes] was a gifted public servant who brought dignity to the office and contributed to the public good of the entire nation."

Louis Stokes was a trail blazer, an icon and a friend of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. He was Ohio's first African American U.S. Congressman, serving 15 terms, headed the Congressional Black Caucus and was the first African American on the House Appropriations Committee. A bill cosponsored by Stokes and then Representative Rob Portman to preserve Underground Railroad sites in 1998 paved the way for the founding and development of our institution on the banks of the Ohio River. We honor Stokes' legacy, thank him for his public service and for representing and advocating for equal opportunity for all Americans.

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

Today the United Nations observes International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. The day is meant to remind people of the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade and give people a chance to think about the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of the slave trade. This day also pays tribute to those who worked hard to abolish slave trade and slavery throughout the world.

Here at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center you can learn about several people who fought to abolish slavery, like Quakers Catharine and Levi Coffin. The Coffins helped thousands of fugitive slaves to safety in Newport (now Fountain City), Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio through the Underground Railroad.

In 1839, the Coffins had a two-story, eight-room brick house built with several modifications to create better hiding places. The home became a point of convergence for three major escape routes from Madison and New Albany, Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio. It is said that they helped as many as 2,000 runaways during the years they lived in Newport.

By 1847 the Coffins left Newport and moved to Cincinnati. They moved houses several times, until they found a home that could be used to continue their efforts of helping fugitive slaves. The large home they purchased had rooms that were rented out for boarding. With the constant flow of guests coming in and out, it was a perfect cover to create a station for the Underground Railroad. The Coffins continued to hide, feed and clothe runaways. Catharine Coffin started creating costumes in order to better disguise them. She dressed them as cooks, butlers and other household workers.

As time went on, the Coffins focused on other ways of freeing slaves, but never gave up being abolitionists. They are known for leading so many slaves to freedom. Luckily, they were never caught for their great acts and passed away in the late 1800s due to natural causes.

-Katie Johnstone
Marketing and Communications Intern

Sam DuBose: Black Lives Matter

The eyes of the nation are on Cincinnati. Today the Hamilton County Grand Jury returned an indictment for murder in the tragic shooting death of Samuel DuBose during a routine traffic stop just over one week ago. During that time the DuBose family has called repeatedly for only nonviolent responses while seeking answers from the criminal justice system.  That answer is now at hand and the family’s continued calls for nonviolent response to ensure that his peaceful way of life can be remembered purely should be respectfully honored. At the same time our community must continue to have open and transparent dialogue as we look deeper into our nation’s racial disparities and seek freedom and justice for all.  The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center stands ready to be a convener and provide a safe haven for these conversations. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the DuBose family during this difficult time. We echo their call for peace and join them in their belief that the judicial process will reflect integrity and yield a just outcome.

Kerner Commission Established on this Day, 1967

On July 27, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (AKA the Kerner Commission), tasked with assessing the causes of widespread urban rioting at the time. President Johnson asked the 11-member commission, “What happened? Why did it happen? What can be done to prevent it from happening again?”

This came about soon after the infamous 12th Street Riots in Detroit, Michigan, which left more than 40 people dead and 1000 injured.

The report, issued on February 29 of the next year, blamed the more than 150 riots between 1965 and 1968 on “white racism” instead of African-American political groups like some believed. Specifically, it identified confrontations between predominately white police forces and the predominately African-American communities they served. It also cautioned against radical responses by the black community, such as the policy of separatism advocated by some.

It concluded that “our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white – separate and unequal” and called for “programs on a scale equal to the dimension of the problems” in response. The authors recommended nation-wide changes to policies that could increase aid to African American communities in order to halt further racial violence and polarization, especially in employment, education, welfare and housing.

A confluence of events and political opinions in the following years, including the assassination of civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., led to the recommendations of the Kerner Commission Report being largely ignored; President Johnson accepted the report but not the conclusions. This milestone document did pave the way for progress in future decades on issues of racial inequality, but its findings unfortunately still ring true today.

Elizabeth Cychosz
Marketing and Communications Intern

Freedom Center’s Hathaway debunks myths about human trafficking

Brooke Hathaway, manager of anti-trafficking programs for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, recently wrote a post published on the International Human Trafficking Institute’s website addressing myths about modern-day human trafficking.

Hathaway is also the executive director of End Slavery Now, which advocates for awareness of human trafficking and seeks to inspire everyone to take the courageous steps against slavery today.

In the post, she calls out sensationalist social media posts for perpetuating the myths that trafficking is a crime of kidnapping, that trafficking is an impulsive crime, and that middle-class women and girls are the most vulnerable.

On the contrary, Hathaway explains, human trafficking is much more commonly based on trusting relationships between the trafficker and victim, which develop purposefully over time, and it disproportionately affects minorities and disadvantaged groups.

“While interest in human trafficking demonstrates growing awareness about the issue, it does not translate to any increased understanding of the human pain and tragedy,” she cautions, encouraging readers to gain deeper knowledge about the realities of trafficking. “Consequently, it does not result in any change in individuals’ behaviors or attitudes.”

Click here to read Hathaway’s piece and to watch an interview with her about these myths.

Elizabeth Cychosz
Marketing and Communications Intern

#FlameFriday: Toni Stone

On this day, July 17, 1921, batter Toni “tomboy” Stone, was born in Saint Paul Minnesota.  Stone was the first of three women to play professionally in the Negro Baseball Leagues.  As a child, Stone loved to play ball, but her parents did not approve of her behavior. They tried to solve the problem by having the local priest talk her out of liking baseball. However, by the end of their conversation, Father Keith had asked Stone to play on his team in the Catholic Midget League.

By age 15, Stone was working her way to earning a reputation as a very talented female baseball player. She started playing with the Twin City Colored Giants, a traveling men’s baseball club, and played for clubs competing in the men’s meat packing league. During the 1940s, Stone moved to San Francisco and shortly after started playing with an American Legion club. In 1949, she joined the San Francisco Sea Lions, a Minor League Negro Team and then played for the New Orleans Creole’s for a couple years as well. Playing for these teams gave her exposure to high profile managers and team owners.

In 1953, Stone’s talent finally paid off and she signed with the Indianapolis Clowns. She was brought onto the team to bring more fans to the games, but she worked hard to show she was there for more than that. Stone appeared in 50 games that year and got a hit off the legendary pitcher, Satchel Paige. She also had the chance to play with some excellent young players, including Willie Mays and Ernie Banks.

Stone’s time with the Clowns was brief, and playing as a woman was not always easy. She was insulted by fans and sometimes even teammates, who refused to accept that a female was competing in a “men’s” game. Her opponents showed her little respect as well, often coming hard at her on a slide with their spikes pointed up. After the Clowns, Stone was traded to the Kansas City Monarchs, but due to her age she was unable to play much longer. At the end of the year she retired from baseball, leaving behind an unforgettable history.

You can learn more about Toni Stone and many more game changers in baseball at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Diversity in Baseball, open now.

-Katie Johnstone
Marketing and Communications Intern

Honor Nelson Mandela this Sat with 67 min of service

This Saturday, July 18, the United Nations and the Nelson Mandela Foundation honor the equal rights activist Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) during Nelson Mandela International Day.

In 1991, Mandela became the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa after working for decades toward an end to the injustices and inequalities perpetuated by apartheid (1948-1991), a set of laws that segregated the majority nonwhite South Africans from their white counterparts.

In 1991, Mandela became the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa after working for decades toward an end to the injustices and inequalities perpetuated by apartheid (1948-1991), a set of laws that segregated the majority nonwhite South Africans from their white counterparts.

He is also known for being a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience and an international peacemaker. He helped found the Youth League of the African National Congress in 1944 and in 1994 jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize with former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk “for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa.”

Mandela’s tireless work and many sacrifices in the pursuit of freedom and equality for all in South Africa have been inspirational to generations of activists. Take the time this Saturday to honor the call of Nelson Mandela International Day to dedicate 67 minutes of time to helping others in the same way Mandela served humanity for 67 years.

Elizabeth Cychosz
Marketing and Communications Intern

14th Amendment Ratified on this Day, 1868

On July 9, 1868, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, granting citizenship and its benefits to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States” – a right that was previously denied to formerly enslaved persons.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment ended slavery, at the end of the Civil War people still had a lot of questions about what would happen to those who only recently gained their freedom. Along with the 13th and 15th Amendments – collectively known as the “Reconstruction Amendments” – the 14th Amendment widely expanded the rights of former slaves in the United States.

The authors of the amendment took care to ensure that those civil rights would remain protected, forbidding states from denying anyone “life, liberty or property, without due process of law” or the “equal protection of the laws.”

Commonly referenced by that second phrase, the 14th Amendment has played a key role in many important Supreme Court cases that have shaped the past two centuries.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954), for example, struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine – which structured the Jim Crow south – because it violated the “equal protection” clause of the 14th Amendment. Based on cases against segregated schools in Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia and Delaware, Brown challenged the widely enforced Jim Crow laws that, here, limited black children’s access to the same quality education that their white peers experienced. The court ruled that, even if the schools had access to the same tangible factors (like pencils, science lab equipment, or teachers), the act of separation itself was an act of discrimination that violated the 14th Amendment.

The amendment was a milestone in the history of abolition and civil rights in the United States and has continued to protect people from discrimination throughout the decades. Because of the 14th Amendment, our Constitution upholds the idea that “all” – not just white males – “are created equal”. Learn more about the 14th amendment in From Slavery to Freedom, located on the third floor.

#FlameFriday: Remembering Officer Kim

Today we honor local hero and Cincinnati Police Officer, Sonny Kim. On the morning of Friday, June 19, Officer Kim, responded to a 911 call, when he was fatally shot by Trepierre Hummons who later died at the hospital.

Kim was a dedicated public servant, faithfully serving the city of Cincinnati for 27 years. Throughout his career as an officer, Kim earned 22 commendations and was praised in 2012 by the U.S. department of Justice for his service. He left behind a wife and three children, who the city has deeply showed their support for.

Yesterday, thousands from around the region paid their respects to Kim and his family during a public visitation held at the Cintas Center at Xavier University. Officer Kim's funeral service will be held at the Cintas Center this morning at 11 am. The general public is welcome to attend and will be asked to sit in the “bowl area,” where fans sit for Xavier sporting events. Doors will open at 9 am and those in attendance should be seated by 10 am. The funeral is expected to last a little over an hour. His funeral will be live streamed at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center beginning at 11 am for those who wish to gather and watch there.

After the funeral, there will be a 14-mile motorcycle procession to the Gate of Heaven Cemetery. The public is encouraged to line the procession along Montgomery Road from Cleneay Avenue to the cemetery. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley is asking everyone to wear blue on Friday to remember Officer Kim and to show support for law enforcement. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and the City of Cincinnati.

Katie Johnston
Marketing and Communications intern