Ambassador Andrew Young, Bono, Angela Bassett, Sean P. Combs, Dr. David
Blight, Dr. James Horton, Bob Johnson and others to participate in festivities
CINCINNATI, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio Governor Bob Taft, Senator Mike
DeWine, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Congressman Rob Portman will
join a broad range of leaders from the entertainment, academic, government and
business communities participating in the Grand Opening Dedication for the
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Monday, August 23, 2004.
The 23rd is the International Day for the Commemoration of the Abolition
of Slavery as declared by the United Nations. The date was chosen to honor and
highlight the Freedom Center's focus on historical and contemporary issues of
freedom and slavery. A fundraising dinner will be on the eve of the Public
Dedication-August 22.
"We are thrilled to have such strong support locally and nationally from
individuals and organizations coming together to dedicate the nation's newest
monument to freedom," said Dr. Spencer Crew, Freedom Center Executive Director
& CEO. "Their participation is a powerful testament to the witness and hope
offered by the Underground Railroad and the value and impact of the Freedom
Center experience."
On Sunday night, festivities will begin with a special fundraising dinner
to honor supporters-donors, scholars, government officials, celebrities and
friends. The event is being chaired by Freedom Center board members Melody
Sawyer Richardson and Dr. O'dell Owens. The 1,300-person event is sold-out.
Special guests expected at the dinner include sports greats Oscar
Robertson and Lynn Swann; television personalities Robin Roberts (ABC) and
Harry Smith (CBS); Brad Martin, CEO of Saks, Inc. and Clarence Avant, (ret.)
CEO of Motown Records; Underground Railroad scholars Dr. David Blight and Dr.
James Horton; human rights activists poet Nikki Giovanni and former United
Nations Ambassador Andrew Young; Tony award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, pop
artists Bono and Lionel Richie as well as actors Angela Bassett and Courtney
Vance, and others still to be announced.
The evening includes a special salute to John E. Pepper, former Chairman
and CEO of The Procter & Gamble Company, philanthropist and co-chair of the
Freedom Center's $110 million capital campaign; AG Lafley, Chairman of the
Board, President and Chief Executive, The Procter & Gamble Company; and Robert
Johnson, Founder and CEO, Black Entertainment Television (BET). The
presentation includes the formal naming of the Freedom Center's three
pavilions: Courage, Cooperation and Perseverance.
On Monday, August 23, activities begin with a live broadcast from the
Freedom Center grounds by CBS Early Show, featuring Harry Smith. Other special
broadcasts and tapings that day will include the NBA, ABC Good Morning
America, MTV, Chat the Planet, C-Span as well as WCPO-9 live news and web
cast. Additionally, a live satellite feed will broadcast to the Harriet
Beecher Stowe House in Rochester, Connecticut, where a dedication party is
being hosted. Lastly, the History Channel will broadcast a special documentary
on the Underground Railroad in honor of the opening on the 23rd.
Public events begin at 9 a.m. with the launch of the Freedom Center's
first scholarship work, Passages to Freedom, a historic book published by the
Smithsonian Press. This videotaped program consists of presentations by the
scholars who guided the development of the Freedom Center history exhibits
including Dr. James Horton, George Washington University, and Dr. David
Blight, Yale University.
NOTE: The building will close to the public immediately following the book
launch. It will reopen after 10 p.m.
At noon, Nick Lachey, of 98 Degrees and MTV's hit television show
Newlyweds, will kick-off an all-day free festival for youth and families
featuring local entertainers and radio personalities, and national speakers
and entertainers. Music Television's (MTV) "Choose or Lose" will tape
activities during the day for later broadcast. Activities and participants
include: Readings and performances by Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass
re-enactors as well as Daryl Harris and Children's Theater; storytelling by
Freedom Train; voter registration by the Democratic and Republican parties;
and demonstrations by Annie Ruth, Mad Cap Productions and others. The festival
will run from noon to 8 p.m. in the lot south of the Freedom Center off
Mehring Way.
Also mid-day, the Freedom Center's National Honorary Board will hold its
Annual Meeting with the theme: The Struggle Continues-Introduction to the
Institute for Contemporary Slavery & Freedom. The keynote speaker for the
luncheon is Ambassador John Miller, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of
State; Director, Office to Monitoring and Combating the Trafficking in
Persons. Among those expected to attend are: Susan Taylor, Essence Magazine;
Bess Stephens, Hewlett Packard Foundation; Dorothy Height, National Council of
Negro Women; Diane Miller, National Park Service; Kathy Behrens, NBA; Roger
Fishman, Creative Artist Agency; and John McCarter, Field Museum.
At 6:30 p.m., Nick Lachey will return as Master of Ceremonies for the
Dedication Concert featuring music by the Freedom Center's 600-voice choir
directed by Dr. Cathy Roma and Rev. Todd O'Neal; the award-winning Blessid
Union of Souls; and a special guest performance to be announced in the next
several days.
The formal dedication at 8 p.m. will start with a 1,500-person "Parade of
Light" beginning at the site for the proposed Freedom Park in Covington,
Kentucky, near the foot of the Roebling Bridge. The procession will be met by
Garth Fagan Dance, of Lion King fame, at the edge of the bridge and continuing
through to the dedication platform. The Parade of Light will close with the
Grounds for Freedom roll-call of participants including the Underground
Railroad Coalition of Delaware (Del) and Friends of Oberlin Underground
Railroad (Oh), as well as delegations from both Canada and Mexico.
The speaking portion of the formal program, emceed by Angela Bassett,
includes a dedication prayer, remarks by Executive Director Dr. Spencer Crew,
Sean P. Combs, Bono and special guests. It will conclude with the lighting of
Freedom's Flame on the second balcony of the Freedom Center and follow with a
fireworks display.
The formal dedication is chaired by Freedom Center board members Rev.
Damon Lynch, Jr. and Barbara Gould. The ceremony will take place on the
Freedom Center's two-acre Freedom Park facing the Ohio River. After the
ceremony, expected to end at 10 p.m., all guests will be invited to take an
abbreviated tour of the Freedom Center, which will be open until 1 a.m.
Free-admission tickets, good for 30 days, will also be distributed.
Event organizers recommend that people planning to attend activities
arrive early to accommodate necessary security precautions.
The Grand Opening Dedication Committee includes the following individuals:
Co-chairs: Paul Bernish, Damon Jones, Melody Sawyer Richardson, Dr. O'dell
Owens, Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr. and Barbara Gould; as well as members: Michael
Bourke, Yvonne Robertson, Francie Hiltz, Theresa Henderson, Susan Pichler,
Anne Garber, Rev. Todd O'Neal and Dr. Cathy Roma.
Sponsors include: AARP, American Financial Group, Ashland Oil, AXA
Advisors, BKD LLP, Bank One, Richard Kuertz, Blackburn Architects, Black Rome
LLP, Cargile Construction, Catholic Healthcare Partner, Cintas, Cincinnati
Bell, Cincinnati Bengals, Cinergy Foundation, Citi-Group, Greater Cincinnati
Convention and Visitors Bureau, Corporate Express, Convergys, Culligan Water,
Deloite & Touche, Ernest & Young, Ethicon Endo Surgery, Executive Jet, Famous
Dave's, Eye 1, Fidelity Investments, Fifth Third Bank, Glenwood Electric,
Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, Ralph Dreese, Harpo Productions, Health Alliance
of Greater Cincinnati, Hilltop, HP Philanthropy & Education, Huntington Bank,
Jack Rouse & Associates, Johnston Controls, Inc., Kendel, Key Bank, Knowledge
Works, Kroger, LaSalle Bank, Luxottica, Megan Construction, Nor-Com, Ohio
Legislative Black Caucus, Outback, Pepsi, PNC Bank, Prestige Audio Video,
Provident Bank, Procter & Gamble, River Capital Fund, Rumpke, Schiff Krieder
Shell, Time Warner, Trane HVAC, Toyota Manufacturing, UPS, US Bank, Vincent
Lighting, Vitas, Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley, Western Southern Life,
and Xavier University.
Situated in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the banks of the Ohio River, the waters
that once separated slave and free territory, the Freedom Center will
celebrate the legacy of courage and multicultural cooperation embodied in the
story of the Underground Railroad. Of equal importance, the Freedom Center
will use a wide array of exhibits to educate the public about the historic and
continuing struggle to establish universal for freedom in both the U.S. and
around the world. For additional information, contact 513.333.7500 or visit
http://www.freedomcenter.org.
SOURCE National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
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Related links:
http://www.freedomcenter.org
CONTACT:
Bonnie Bastian, +1-513-287-1869, for National
Underground Railroad Freedom Center
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