National Underground Freedom Center Hosts Local Students in
Nationwide Sing-A-Long of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jamie Glavic
(513) 333-7511
(513) 802-7355
jglavic@nurfc.org
Assia Johnson
(513) 333-7555
(513) 787-2110
asjohnson@nurfc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CINCINNATI, OH – (September 7, 2016) The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center announced today that 1,500 students from the tri-state region will participate in the nationwide sing-a-long of “The Star-Spangled Banner” Friday, September 9, 2016. Other educational partners participating in this national event include the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in New Jersey, Institute of Politics in New Hampshire, Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, iCivics, White House Foods and Destination Imagination.
The request to bring students together is made by the American Public Education Foundation (APEF) which provides free, educational resources on the words, meaning and history of “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Students across the country will come together for the third annual National Anthem movement and simultaneously sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at 1:00 p.m. EST.
“We are honored to host students for 'The Star-Spangled Banner' sing-a-long,” says Dr. Michael Battle, executive vice president and provost of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “By participating in the National Anthem movement, we are educating a new, post 9-11 generation about our national anthem, how much we have overcome as a nation and how far we have left to go.”
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key as he watched British ships bombard Fort McHenry, Maryland, during the War of 1812. The song became the National Anthem by an act of Congress in 1931. Although it has four stanzas, the most commonly sung stanza is the first one.
"We are so proud and grateful for our partnership with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center - which is the largest event in the country," said APEF president, David A. Pickler, J.D. "Through the synchronized 'sing-a-long', we empower our nation's schoolchildren to become engaged citizens and it's partners like the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center who have helped grow this important movement."
The nationwide sing-a-long of “The Star-Spangled Banner” begins Friday, September 9, 2016 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and is presented in partnership with the American Public Education Foundation (APEF). Educators are encouraged to visit theapef.org to download free resources and to sign up for this year’s nationwide sing-a-long.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.
