At the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, our mission isn’t just to preserve history — it’s to bring it to life in engaging ways that resonate and inspire our Cincinnati communities. This season, we’ve been busy sparking vital conversations and collaborating with local organizations to keep the importance of the stories of our ancestors alive.
Learning From the Past, Together!
Our education team has been connecting with students and communities across Greater Cincinnati. Novella Nimmo-Black, Manager of Docents and Special Projects, led another successful round of K–12 school events, sharing presentations that highlight courage, resilience and the journeys of freedom along the Underground Railroad. She also brought these stories to local historical sites like the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Rankin House, John Parker House and the Warren County Historical Society, allowing us to grow our audience in spaces with shared missions.
Connecting With Our Community
Our Social Justice Curator Trudy Gaba has been leading new outreach initiatives that center on listening, learning, and perhaps most importantly, improving trust. She shared thoughtful presentations on The Negro Motorist Green Book, a recent temporary exhibition housed at the Freedom Center this past year. Through talks at Episcopal Retirement Services’ Manse Hotel and The Cottages (Alzheimer and Dementia Unit), as well as collaborations with the Triiibe Foundation, Home Cincy, Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition and Poverty Liberation Collective, Trudy has carved a new path. A highlight for us was seeing the launch of the new program series, Accessible Actions where Cincinnatians were invited in for evenings of creativity, connection and community empowerment.
Trudy has also been working with local coalitions including the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, Home Cincy, Black Power Initiative, Cincinnati Homeless Congress and Cincinnati Action for Housing Now to make programs like Connected Communities more impactful and accessible for everyone in the city.
What’s Coming Up?
We’re excited for the start of all-new programs that delve deeper into historical narratives and their significance in modern, timely ways. On January 19, 2026, Trudy will present “Lifting as We Climb: A Glimpse into Historically Black Benevolent and Mutual Aid Societies”, exploring Cincinnati’s nineteenth- and twentieth-century history and encouraging ongoing community engagement. On February 17, 2026, she’ll present research at the Ohio Statehouse on the residents of Little Africa, Little Bucktown and Bucktown, showing just how accessible archival research can be.
One of our newest onboarded team members, Manager of Performance and Time-Based Programming Christian Casas, will also be leading a Workshop Series in February, April and June, bringing people together to learn of lesser-known historical figures, discuss their importance to American history, and how to use this knowledge to take action in ways both big and small.
Why This Matters
We hear you, and we know you know this: community engagement isn’t a one-off event; it’s a commitment. It takes genuine trust and an awareness of the value of maintaining and pursuing ethical, mutually-beneficial relationships. At the Freedom Center, we’re dedicated to understanding our community’s needs, promoting equity and supporting even more mission-aligned organizations with our belief that every conversation, workshop and presentation is a step toward building a stronger, more connected community.
