All Of The Of Powerful Exhibits That You Can See On Your Trip To The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center was officially opened with an enormous celebration of a few important African Americans coming to the event such as Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou and Muhammad Ali. It opened on August 3, 2004 after a decade of planning and fundraising for it says a Cincinnati photographer who specializes in Cincinnati senior pictures. The structure alone is a beautiful one that was designed by a few architecture groups and the materials that were used for the building itself are are meant to symbolize the fields and rivers that the slaves had to cross on their way to gaining freedom. This article will talk about some of the displays in the center as well as the current photographic display that is there at the moment.
The helpful service that is given to visitors to give them a better undertanding of everything they see is that with the membership price, a visitor is given a listening device with an audio tour of the whole place to follow. With hearing the audio, people have a real understanding of all of the symbolism not only in the building structure itself, but also in the location set overlooking the Ohio River where hundreds of slaves had to cross to be free. One of the greatest displays in the building is a preserved log cabin that had been used as a pen to contain slaves who were ready to be put up for auction. It is a powerful exhibit letting visitors see the chains that held the slaves and even the carvings made in the logs by the slaves themselves.
There are also a few ares where films or narrations are done which are very well done. One is a big theatre that shows short animated pieces showing slavery and another one is an interactive one made especially for school groups where the students must make decisions on what to do next while trying to find freedom and find help on the underground railroad. All of these places are fashioned to make the visitor feel as if they are actually traveling along the Underground railroad themselves. A film called the “Brother of the Borderland,” hits home for Ohio residents as it tells the story of a family that took part in the Underground railroad in Ripley, Ohio.
Right now, a very powerful and many times disturbing photography exhibit is at the Freedom Center and will be shown until May. It is called Without Sanctuary-Lynching Photography in America and shows graphic photographs taken of African Americans that had been lynched or hung on trees to die, often in front of a cheering crowd complete with little children.
If you ever travel to or through Cincinnati, be certain to take at least a couple of hours to see this unique museum that is sending the message to abolish all slavery and hope for freedom for all. It also has a powerful way of making the people that walk through it to think about their own freedoms that they often have not fully appreciated.
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