CULTURAL SITES
Cincinnati, OH
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Over 100,000 fleeing enslaved people sought freedom via the Underground Railroad; free African Americans, European Americans, Native Americans and fugitive slaves acted as railroad conductors to freedom; Freedom Center will present 5 permanent exhibits, including a special children’s exhibit that will reveal much about the secret network; there will also be interactive educational programs, family-centered research, and interpretive programs to promote a comprehensive understanding of the horrors of slavery, active resistance movements, and the achievement of freedom against the odds; the Freedom Today section of the website gives visitors the opportunity to examine contemporary issues of freedom internationally, nationally and locally; Freedom Way, Second, Walnut and Vine Streets on the waterfront; 877-648-4838 or 513-333-7500; http://www.freedomcenter.org
Elementz
Possibly the first Hip-Hop Youth Arts Center and certainly an amazing concept that should be copied nationwide; a safe space where 14-24 year olds have access to recording studio resources, DJ sessions, Hip-Hop Dance training; the center is youth-driven and provides a positive creative outlet to their expression; trust and relationships co-mingle in exciting ways that may be the future of Hip-Hop; donations directly to the center are welcome; 1599 Central Parkway; 513-721-5800; http://www.natiyouthcenter.org
African American Museum & Arts Consortium
Founded in 1972, Cincinnati's largest and oldest multi-disciplinary institution overseeing arts education, resident artist services and presentations, theater productions and a black history collection; there is a must-see permanent exhibit, Been Round Natty Town, with photos of African American life in Cincinnati; Wed-Sun 1-5p, FREE admission, $4 parking; Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave; 513-381-0916
Bi-Okoto Drum & Dance Theatre and School of African Cultures
Experienced teachers train you to get your drumming and dancing on; this wonderful school features ongoing quarterly classes at affordable prices; 2511 Essex Place; 513-221-6112; http://www.bi-okoto.com
Harriet Beecher Stowe House
A cultural and educational center that promotes black history, this house was built by Lane Seminary in 1833 to serve as the residence of that institution’s president; Harriet Beecher moved to Cincinnati from Connecticut in 1832 with her father, Dr. Lyman Beecher, who had been appointed president of the seminary; in Cincinnati where Harriet learned about the evils of slavery, which inspired her book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The book is credited with inspiring thousands of European Americans to become abolitionists, joining the fight to end slavery and assisting the Underground Railroad; Tue-Thu 10a-4p; Admission is free; 2950 Gilbert Ave, 800-847-6507 or 513-632-5120; http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/stowe
Ripley, OH
John Parker Museum
John Parker was a free slave who bought his freedom for $1,800 and set up and had a foundry in Ripley, Ohio, an important stop on the underground railroad and about an our east of Cincinnati; at night he brought slaves to freedom and housed them in his home; 300 Front Street; 937-392-1627; http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/oh2.htm
John Rankin House
Located on Liberty Hill in, this important stop on the Underground Railroad about an hour east of Cincinnati, is the home of this widely-known White Presbyterian preacher who aided in the efforts of the Underground Railroad; today visitors can climb the refurbished “Stairway to Liberty” that slaves once used to reach Rankin’s hilltop home and safety; 6152 Rankin Road; 937-392-1627; http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/oh3.htm
Covington, KY
Statue of James Brawley
James Brawley, who purchased his freedom and became one of the first African American students at Lane Theological Seminary and the only African American to participate in the Great Lane Seminary Debates on Slavery; located on Riverside Drive
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