Learn From the Past at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center 50 E. Freedom Way, The Banks Recently named the best history museum in the country in USA Today’s 10Best, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is renowned for its focus on how oppression and slavery have impacted society. The museum does this by sharing stories of slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil Rights movement and those who are enslaved today. Permanent exhibits include “Slave Pen,” an 1800s holding pen recovered from a farm in Mason County, Kentucky, that’s a somber and sobering reminder of slavery’s history in the United States and our region. There is also “ESCAPE! Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad,” which uses storytelling, roleplaying and interactive activities to share stories of those who resisted slavery. The museum also hosts various traveling exhibits, events and programming aimed at promoting its mission of social justice and inclusive freedom. Photo: Facebook.com/FreedomCenter

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will offer free admission and special programming on Monday, Jan. 15.

MLK Day at the Freedom Center will kick off with the annual King Legacy Celebration with this year’s theme being Advocacy & Action. Dr. Adren Wilson, vice president of Youth Opportunity Programs for the Obama Foundation and executive director of its My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, will give the keynote address focusing on youth-driven, community-up change. Guests will also hear from the Freedom Center’s teen docents and enjoy a continental breakfast. Emmy Award-winning composer Adrian Dunn and Chicago’s only all-Black professional choral ensemble, the Adrian Dunn Singers, will perform.

Tickets to the King Legacy Celebration are $40 for Freedom Center members and $50 for non-members. You can buy those here. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.

Following the breakfast, the Freedom Center will open at 11 a.m. While admission to the center is free, visitors are encouraged to register in advance.

Programming highlights for the day include a performance by Adrian Dunn and The Adrian Dunn Singers at 2 p.m. Guests can also enjoy story times at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. and self-guided activities throughout the day. Hoxworth Blood Centers will also be hosting a community blood drive from 11 a.m. to the center’s close at 5 p.m. You can register here or walk up day of.

“As we reflect upon Dr. King’s legacy and celebrate his life, we’re honored to do so with our community. Together, we connect across generations, across politics to remind ourselves where we have come from, what we have accomplished and how far we still have to go in this march toward justice and equity,” Woodrow Keown Jr., president and COO of the Freedom Center, said in a press release.

The annual Freedom March will kick off at the Freedom Center, which will also offer a warming station for marchers.

To complement MLK Day activities and encourage guests to visit and take part in the march  the Freedom Center’s sister museum, Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC), will honor Dr. King’s legacy with a celebration of Black empowerment on Saturday, Jan. 13. Programming at CMC will highlight the history, present and future of Black excellence through art, performances, speakers and more throughout the day. Businesses, nonprofits, artists, freedom fighters and community leaders will also be there to share their stories.

CMC will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, The Banks. More info: freedomcenter.org. Cincinnati Museum Center 1301 Western Ave., West End. More info: cincymuseum.org.

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This article appears in Jan 10-23, 2024.

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...