National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Open Mondays In May
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 (May 1, 2016) – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center announced today that it will be open to the public each Monday in May from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum’s regular hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The additional hours of operation are needed to accommodate the demand for school group visits throughout the month of May. Nearly 8,000 students will visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center this month.
“It warms my heart to see school buses surrounding the Freedom Center,” says President Clarence G. Newsome. “The hundreds of students we see each day in May, and year round, are our future and we are proud to be a lauded and sought out destination for educators across the country.”
Students from across the region will visit the museum this month, as well as students from Iowa, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia.
The additional hours for school groups provide more opportunities for the public to visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and see rare, original copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and Thirteenth Amendment. The exhibit featuring both freedom documents side-by-side closes June 30, 2016. Visitors will also have the opportunity to tour ENSLAVED: A Visual Story of Modern Day Slavery opening Saturday, May 7, 2016. ENSLAVED features images by world-renowned humanitarian photographer Lisa Kristine, that not only document the lives endured by slaves but also celebrate the freedom they never dreamed possible.
“It’s my favorite time of the year,” says Richard Cooper, director of museum experiences. “Our staff, docents and volunteers have prepared for the increased traffic and increased hours. When you have a team that believes in and embodies the mission of your institution it shows – and we do.”
For more information about exhibits and programs at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, visit freedomcenter.org.
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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.
