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National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Joins Smithsonian Magazine Annual Museum Day

CINCINNATI, OH — The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will open its doors free of charge to all Museum Day ticketholders on Saturday, September 22, 2018, as part of Smithsonian magazine’s 14th annual Museum Day, a national celebration of boundless curiosity in which participating museums emulate the free admission policy at the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, DC-based museums.

Museum Day represents a nationwide commitment to access, equity, and inclusion. Over 250,000 people downloaded tickets for last year’s event, and Museum Day 2018 is expected to attract more museumgoers than ever before.

“We take great pride in being a Smithsonian Affiliate,” says Jacqueline K. Dace, Deputy Director of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “We welcome the community to visit and experience our permanent exhibitions and Emancipation Day programming on Smithsonian magazine’s 14th annual Museum Day as we join the 155th commemoration of President Lincoln’s preliminary proclamation.”

Ohio regards Emancipation Day as a state holiday every September 22. Visitors to the museum can experience dramatic readings of the African American folktale The People Could Fly, participate in a conversation with senior historian Carl Westmoreland, and join a screening of Civil War: The Untold Story.

Visitors to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center can also purchase tickets for MANDELA: THE JOURNEY TO UBUNTU and The Rosa Parks Experience. MANDELA: THE JOURNEY TO UBUNTU commemorates the life and legacy of former South African President Nelson Mandela through photographs by Matthew Willman as he revisited many of the locations that played an important role in South Africa’s route to racial equality and Mandela’s personal fight for freedom. Tickets are $10 per person. The Rosa Parks Experience is a virtual experience commemorating Parks’ historic demonstration, just four days before the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. Tickets are $5 per person.

Museum Day tickets are available for download at Smithsonian.com/MuseumDay. Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues on September 22, 2018. One ticket is permitted per email address. A list of participating museums can be found at Smithsonian.com/MuseumDay/Search.

For more information, please visit Smithsonian.com/MuseumDay