National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Jeopardy

[theHandpuppet]

This truly is a sorry state of affairs and I found some of the comments within the article downright offensive. (See the text in italics below.)

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060319/NEWS01/603190400

Saving the Freedom Center
'Fundamental miscalculation' means millions in taxpayer dollars needed
BY CLIFF PEALE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Unable to generate enough money to support its operations, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center finds itself at a crossroads - one its leaders knew was coming as long ago as 2002.

Chief executive officer John Pepper, the respected former chairman of Procter & Gamble Co. brought in to manage the riverfront cultural center in early December, said last week that the Freedom Center needs at least $2 million in annual funding from local, state or federal taxpayers starting in 2008.

In the meantime, Pepper is trying to raise $10 million from private donors to cover a deficit of $5.5 million accumulated since the center opened Aug. 23, 2004, and future shortfalls expected through 2007.

"This is no drill. We have to raise this money," said Pepper...

(snipping)

"It has an interesting topic but not a topic of wide appeal," said Dennis Barrie, former director of Contemporary Arts Center here who helped open the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and now is director of cultural programming at a Cleveland architectural firm. "It's never going to draw the numbers it probably needs to sustain itself."

MORE...

(OP's opinion)
Pretty sad that this is not considered a "topic of wide appeal". The stated purpose of The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is to document the battle to end slavery in the U.S. and to support the global fight for freedom and human rights. Pretty boring, huh?

Despite its current reputation as the hub of RW neocons, Cincinnati was once a hub for the Underground Railroad. I grew up in Portsmouth, Ohio, a small, impoverished town on the Ohio River about 120 miles east of Cincinnati and also a hub for the URR. When I went away to college in the Queen City, I drove along that historical river route too many times to count, stopping at places like the John Rankin House in Ripley, where escaped slaves were hidden away in secret passages, ones that can still be visited by people today.

Sometimes, just sometimes, it's important to sustain places like the NURFC not on the condition that they can make money, but because a price cannot be placed upon history.

Related Links:
http://www.angelfire.com/oh/chillicothe/ugrr.html
http://www.ohioundergroundrailroad.org/Marker_Trail.htm
http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/southeast/prac/%235%20Ohio/frontpg.html
http://www.fergusbordewich.com/PAGESjournalism/FBmuseum.shtml

[Divernan]

1. More important than W's future presidential library - for sure.

And god knows that won't attract enough visitors to be self-sustaining - especially since you know he's going to slap a 100 year seal on all his records.

[ShoePolish]

2. Yes, I think that constantly...

[jacklambert]

3. This is a beautiful building on the banks of the Ohio...

However, I think its focus as a place to visit is too narrow. It needs to be repositioned strictly as a Freedom Center and not just an Underground Railroad museum. There are too many reasons for conservative Cincinnatians to stay away. I've heard it called the "White Guilt Museum" too many times already.

They should have lectures from progressive activists, programs for schoolchildren and university students. They should make the space available for large corporate gatherings, etc.


They need $$$, and what they're doing now is not working. They need people with new vision to get it moving again.