National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Summer Hours Begin May 28
MEDIA CONTACT:
Will Jones
(513) 333-7558
(513) 288-4834
wjones@nurfc.org
Jamie Glavic
(513) 333-7511
(513) 802-7355
jglavic@nurfc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CINCINNATI, OH (May 23, 2017) — The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center announced today that it will be open on Sundays throughout the summer, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., beginning May 28. The museum will also be open to the public on Memorial Day from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Additional summer hours will provide the public with opportunities to engage in historical programming, tour permanent exhibitions and experience special exhibitions, including Mandela: The Journey to Ubuntu. This powerful exhibition, open now through August 20, commemorates the life and legacy of former South African President Nelson Mandela through photographs by Matthew Willman as he revisited many of the locations that had played an important role in South Africa’s route to racial equality and Mandela’s personal fight for freedom. The Mandela: The Journey To Ubuntu presenting sponsors are John and Francie Pepper, Macy’s, and The John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee. Supporting sponsors include ArtsWave and Cincinnati Bell. Community partners include Northern Kentucky University’s Public History Department and Gleason Builders.
“Our extended summer hours provide visitors, from right here in Cincinnati and around the globe, with more flexibility in connecting and engaging with the history of the Underground Railroad,” says Richard Cooper, Director of Museum Experiences. “Whether it’s after a church service or community fellowship, or an afternoon in the park with your family enjoying The Banks community - our doors are open for all to experience the museum and be inspired by stories of courage, cooperation and perseverance.”
Visitors will also have the opportunity to see two new additions to the museum since last summer – The Rosa Parks Experience and the Open Your Mind: Understanding Implicit Bias Learning Lab. The Rosa Parks Experience, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, is an immersive virtual reality experience that commemorates Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks’ historic demonstration, just four days before the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. The Open Your Mind: Understanding Implicit Bias Learning Lab is designed to assist the public in understanding and recognizing bias and other forms of discrimination, as well as to explore recent debates in the realm of implicit bias research. The learning lab is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation and Procter & Gamble.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s summer hours begin this Sunday, May 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., through Labor Day weekend. The museum will also be open to the public on Memorial Day from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To learn more about exhibits and programming 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.
