African-American Exhibits Bypass Freedom Center

Even developers of freedom-themed shows avoid NURFC

Subsidized with more than $65 million in tax dollars, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center has tried to position itself as a center for African American culture and study in the Cincinnati region. However, those who develop and fund exhibits with themes involving the history of slavery and the civil rights movement in America have consistently bypassed this institution bloated with tax dollars that it does not deserve.

Here is just a partial list of prestigious exhibits that have avoided the Freedom Center in favor of the Museum Center, less than two miles away.

• 2006- Celebrating 100 Years of Service: The Alpha Kappa Alpha Story: The story of the nation's first African American Greek sorority.


• 2007- National Geographic 'Real Pirates' Exhibition – The story of the Whydah, a real pirate ship that began as a slave ship, and the stories of the diverse people whose lives converged on the vessel.


• 2008- Freedom’s Sisters is the first and most comprehensive traveling exhibit on women in the Civil Rights movement. Produced by Cincinnati Museum Center and touring nationally by The Smithsonian.


• 2009-“America I Am: The African American Imprint” A commercial enterprise created by the noted African American television personality and author Tavis Smiley with Cincinnati Museum Center.


• 2009- RACE: Are We So Different? An award winning exhibit from the Science Museum of Minnesota. It explores races from a sociological and scientific basis.


• 2009-Inauguration coverage. Cincinnati Museum Center, with support from Radio One and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1099 (UFCW) presented a community viewing of the inauguration events. The NURFC tried to accomplish the same type of thing, but failed miserably.

It appears that even projects devoted to themes of slavery, African American freedom and civil rights avoid the Freedom Center like the plague. Why can’t our lawmakers figure this out?

The Museum Center, in contrast, appears to be an institution that has responsibly used its tax dollars and leveraged these and other tremendous exhibits that bring praise for our community. Some other CMC facts:

• The CMC combines the formerly independent boards of the Historical Society, Natural History Museum, Museum Center Foundation, and Children’s Museum into one entity.


• Instead of devouring public funds to construct a new building, they took over Union Terminal, a national historic landmark that Cincinnatians wanted to preserve, and gave the building a new purpose in our community.


• The CMC had 1.3 million visitors last year; more than the Art Museum, Contemporary Art Center, Taft Museum and Underground Railroad Freedom Center combined!

Today’s point is that CMC has been remarkable in their success and has developed a national reputation for the Museum, our city and amazingly exhibits on African American issues and history.