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Freedom Center Participating in END IT Movement’s Shine a Light on Slavery Day

Visitors Encouraged to Participate in Support of Modern Day Slavery Awareness

CINCINNATI, OH – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is participating in The END IT Movement’s ‘Shine a Light on Slavery’ Day Thursday, February 23, 2017. The END IT Movement is comprised of 16 global coalition partners who are on the ground everyday bringing awareness, prevention, rescue and restoration to those who are trapped in slavery.

In order to ‘Shine a Light on Slavery,’ the END IT Movement encourages modern day abolitionists worldwide to draw a red ‘X’ on their hands and share the symbol virally as a representation of the estimated more than 21 million people trapped in slavery today. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s End Slavery Now program is hosting a social media activation station in the lobby of the museum from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. for visitors to participate in the viral movement. Visitors are encouraged to draw a red ‘X’ on their hand, take a photo, and post it to their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts with the hashtags #enditmovement and #endslaverynow to engage in conversations about the reality of modern-day slavery. Admission is not required to participate in the social media activation station.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center also invites visitors who participate in ‘Shine a Light on Slavery’ Day to wear red for a community photo, in the shape of a large ‘X’, in the Grand Hall of the museum at 12:00 pm. Admission is not required to participate in the community photo.

“Slavery has been outlawed in every country in the world, and yet it still persists in many forms,” says Lara Green, Modern Day Slavery Initiative Manager at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “The END IT Movement’s ‘Shine a Light on Slavery’ Day educates the public that slavery still exists and provides an opportunity to illustrate what we can do about it. We all have a role to play in ending slavery.”

The END IT Movement’s ‘Shine a Light on Slavery’ Day is Thursday, February 23, 2017 with a social media activation at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is not required to participate. For more information about The END IT Movement and other programs at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, visit www.freedomcenter.org