CINCINNATI – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is offering free admission for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 19, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Museum visitors will have the opportunity to see the opening of the Freedom Center’s newest exhibit about the Fisk Jubilee Singers®, learn how to get involved with Cincinnati’s service organizations, sit in on engaging speakers and participate in a community blood drive hosted by Hoxworth Blood Center.
The day of free admission is made possible through the support of the Fifth Third Foundation as part of the Freedom Center’s Fifth Third Community Days.
“Educating ourselves and connecting with one another is an essential step in realizing Dr. King’s dream of freedom and equality,” said Woodrow Keown, Jr., president and COO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “We are grateful to Fifth Third Bank for creating a free and accessible entry point for the public on MLK Day to visit the Freedom Center, see our exhibits and engage with our programming.”
A highlight of the Freedom Center’s MLK Day activities is a conversation between Gen Z historian Kahlil Greene and Megan Gerhardt, PhD, Professor of Management at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University. Greene and Gerhardt will discuss ways people across generations can come together and collaborate for social justice.
“Each generation inherits a different understanding of justice, one that is shaped by the struggles they witnessed and the tools they were, or were not, given,” said Shawnee Turner, VP Education and Interpretation at the Freedom Center. “However, we are all are asking the same question: how do we make the world more fair than we found it?”
Additionally, Freedom Center Social Justice Curator Trudy Gaba will present the history and contributions of Historically Black Benevolent and Mutual Aid Societies. Visitors will also get to drop in on a home ownership symposium presented by Union Savings Bank and Guardian Savings Bank between 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
