12-year-old Maia Thompson, a seventh grader at Mason Middle School, has stepped up to make a difference in her community. Hearing the December 2011 news reports that the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center has concerns for its long term financial sustainability, Maia decided to take action.

In a mere two takes, Maia produced a YouTube video explaining why she believes the Freedom Center is so important.

In her video, she asks viewers to support the Freedom Center by making donations; and, she provides the Freedom Center address. Maia is also careful to remind viewers, “It only takes a spark to start a wildfire,” and asks everyone to help the Freedom Center “Fan the Flame.”

To add to her impassioned plea, Maia also designed a t-shirt, which she and her friend Kendall Watkins plan to sell as a fundraiser for the Freedom Center. To support the efforts of these young fundraisers, the Freedom Center is providing an advance order opportunity through its website at https://www.freedomcenter.org/. The t-shirts, priced at $20 each, made of 100% organic cotton, will be ready for delivery in early February, just in time for Black History Month.

NURFC CEO Kim Robinson states,

Maia and Kendall are two outstanding examples of what the Freedom Center mission is all about, “inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom today.” We are all so impressed with their understanding of the important role the Freedom Center plays in helping everyone become a modern day abolitionist. The initiative and the proactive steps these young girls have taken to ensure that our mission shows us that America’s next generation of Freedom Fighters is well on their way.Our thanks to Maia and Kendall for helping us “Fan the Flame.”

In its Sunday, December 18, feature on the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, The Cincinnati Enquirer editorial stated that the Center is “too vital to fail.” It would seem Maia feels the same way.

For more information; or, to arrange an interview with young Maia Thompson, please contact NURFC External Relations Manager Stephanie A. Creech at screech@nurfc.org or 513.333.7506.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2011
Contact Stephanie A. Creech
513.333.7506

Ilyasah Shabaz:
Author, Activist & Daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabaz
To Speak At Freedom Center
“Prince Among Slaves” Film Screening & Dialogue

CINCINNATI, OH — On Saturday, July 9 at 1:00 p.m. the Freedom Center, in partnership with Bridges for a Just Community and the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, is hosting a free screening of Prince Among Slaves. The documentary explores the incredible true story of African Prince, Abdul Rahman Sori. Abdul Rahman Sori, heir to the throne of one of the largest kingdoms in Africa, was captured in an ambush and sold to English slave traders for a few muskets and some rum at the age of 26. His story of courage and forbearance under the meanest of circumstances is a powerful drama that not only speaks directly to the African American experience, but also to the human experience. It expands our idea of what it means to be human, what we’re capable of surviving, and how our dignity can remain intact, even when under relentless assault.

Following the film screening, a panel discussion and Q&A will take place featuring special guest Ilyasah Shabaz. Ms. Shabazz is an author, activist and lecturer dedicated to preserving the Shabazz Family legacy of service to humanity. Ms. Shabazz’s writing emphasizes the importance of promoting literacy among African American youth, a theme that plays a powerful role in the film Prince Among Slaves, and one that will help expand the Dialogues in the Humanities project to new audiences. She is an award-winning author of Growing Up X and the daughter of African American Muslim activist, thinker and civil rights leader Malcolm X. Growing Up X has won critical acclaim-including nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction Literary Work, a United Press International book of the week, and a BET.com best book list. Ms. Shabazz will be joined by Dr. Nikki Taylor, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Cincinnati.

Saturday, July 9 at 1:00 p.m.

Harriet Tubman Theater
This program is free and open to the public.
Seating is limited.
To ensure your space, RSVP to 513-333-7710.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FREEDOM CENTER

Cincinnati, OH  –  Today, June 2, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center President and CEO Donald W. Murphy announced his intention to retire from his role at the Freedom Center, effective July 1. The Freedom Center Board of Directors has named current Director of Advancement, Kim Robinson, as the Freedom Center’s new President and CEO. Robinson joined the Freedom Center in April 2010 after a 28-year career at the Procter & Gamble Company and has worked closely with Murphy, as well as the Freedom Center Board and staff.

With his youngest family member now through college, Murphy is eager to return to his native home of California. In a statement earlier today, Murphy commented, “I did not want to leave the Freedom Center until we found someone we all agreed could really continue the Center’s growth and expand its local and national impact. Kim Robinson brings a depth of professionalism and personal passion for the Freedom Center’s mission that will take the Freedom Center into a new day.”

Murphy became President and CEO of the Freedom Center in January 2007. During the past four and a half years, Murphy has overseen a great many accomplishments at the Freedom Center. In October 2010, the Freedom Center opened Invisible: Slavery Today, the world’s first and (to date) only museum-quality permanent exhibition on contemporary slavery and human trafficking. Murphy also brought to the Freedom Center the attendance record-breaking exhibition Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America, which powerfully revealed the true nature of hate crimes.

Annually, Murphy has welcomed to the Freedom Center approximately 200 guests through the U.S. Department of State and World Affairs Council. These government officials and dignitaries from developing democracies around the world are part of a State Department program that serves to assist them in establishing democracy within their countries. The exhibitions of the Freedom Center serve as a platform on which to illustrate the evolutionary, and often slow, process of reaching a fully democratic state.

Under Murphy’s leadership, the Freedom Center’s bond debt was fully retired; and, the annual budget was reduced by more than 57%. Attendance has stabilized and was up by 4% through April 2011.

During Murphy’s tenure, the Freedom Center had the honor of presenting its prestigious International Freedom Conductor Award to U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton; and, to His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama.

MR. KIM ROBINSON APPOINTED PRESIDENT AND CEO OF NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER

Effective July 1, Mr. Kim Robinson will become President and CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Robinson is a 28-year veteran of P&G, where he served his last nine years as Vice President, Customer Business Development. Following retirement from P&G, Robinson joined the Freedom Center in April 2010 as Director of Development, later assuming more responsibility as Director of Advancement. Robinson’s decision to join the Freedom Center after retiring from such a long and successful career is, in his words, “to give back to the community after a career in which I was so richly blessed.” Since joining the Freedom Center, Robinson has already shown himself to be a driving force and a visionary leader.  Robinson will work to aggressively advance the direction and initiatives that have already been put into motion under his and Mr. Murphy’s leadership.

Robinson has led the Freedom Center Advancement Team in very strategic and aggressive fundraising efforts. He has overseen strong branding and messaging initiatives; enhanced marketing efforts; and, strong social media presence. Under Robinson’s direction, the Freedom Center has also substantially increased its digital accessibility and distance learning programs.

Going forward, Robinson intends to broaden and deepen the Freedom Center’s role within the community. “Our goal,” Robinson states, “is for the Freedom Center be enjoyed as an integral and vital part of the fabric of the Greater Cincinnati Community.”

Robinson states, “It is a new day for the Freedom Center and for the community in which it resides. The Freedom Center stands as a constant reminder of Cincinnati’s historic and present-day commitment to enlightening the world about the ongoing struggle for freedom. It is with great joy that the Freedom Center celebrates not only the historic heroes of the Underground Railroad, but also today’s everyday freedom heroes, who take courageous steps to ensure the basic civil and human rights of others.”

Recently, Robinson also partnered the Freedom Center with the University of Cincinnati, P&G and STRIVE to form the newly launched the “Striving to Transform, Enrich Empower and Reward” (STEER) initiative. STEER is a partnership of these four organizations whose goal is to increase the retention and graduation rates of African-American students at the University of Cincinnati. Robinson plans to open the Freedom Center for further such partnerships to ensure the Freedom Center is taking an active role in the efforts to heighten the awareness of today’s Un-Freedoms: Racism, Illiteracy, Genocide, Hunger, Tyranny and Slavery (RIGHTS).

Other initiatives Robinson plans to build upon include further expanding the Freedom Center’s national outreach by increasing its digital learning program; continuing to advance the Freedom Center in becoming a national institution through gifting to the federal government; and, achieving a robust, sustainable financial platform. 

“It is an honor and a privilege to take the lead of such an outstanding and important institution as the Freedom Center. Certainly, I am grateful to collaborate with the many talented and dedicated leaders associated with the Freedom Center. I am grateful for all they have accomplished and look forward to continuing to work closely with area community leaders, as well as our dedicated board, donors, staff and volunteers.”

Freedom Center Presiding Co-Chair Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr. states, “Don Murphy has been a stellar partner, helping us take the Freedom Center to even higher levels of national excellence. It has been a pleasure working with him. On behalf of the Freedom Center Board and staff, I want to thank Don for his service, leadership and friendship.”

Freedom Center Co-Chair and long-time supporter John Pepper states, “I will be always grateful to Mr. Murphy for his dedicated leadership of the Freedom Center during the past four and a half years. He has brought great innovation to our programming and taken difficult and challenging steps to reduce our costs in line with our revenue capabilities. He has addressed our challenges in a steadfast way and seized many new opportunities as they arose.”

“I am delighted,” continues Pepper, “that we are now able to hand the reins over to Kim Robinson, a seasoned executive, with whom I worked for more than two decades at Procter & Gamble and who has already demonstrated the strength of his leadership at the Freedom Center for the past year. I am confident that he, together with the staff and the Board, will be able to bring the Freedom Center to new heights.”

“Let your motto be resistance! Resistance! RESISTANCE!
No oppressed people have ever secured their liberty without resistance.”

– Abolitionist Henry Highland Garnet, 1843

Henry Highland Garnet

Garnet’s words have found their way into the title—and the essence—of the inaugural exhibition of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Presented by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits opens at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Saturday, March 25 and will be on view until June 19. Made from the National Portrait Gallery’s collections, the exhibition consists of 69 modern prints highlighting 150 years of African American resistance in the U.S.

“Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, almost all of black America embraced Garnet’s plea to ‘let your motto be resistance,’ based on ‘the circumstances that surround you,’” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “As we examined the photographs that comprise this exhibition, it was clear that they revealed, reflected and illuminated the variety of creative and courageous ways that African Americans resisted, accommodated, redefined and struggled in an America that needed, but rarely embraced and accepted its black citizens.”

“Powerful in its depiction of African American resistance, this exhibition speaks on a global level,” says Freedom Center CEO Donald W. Murphy.  “While historic in its content, the exhibition is not only witness to the strength of the fundamental human desire for freedom and equality of 19^th and 20^th century African Americans, but also serves as a reminder of and an inspiration to those resisting and seeking freedom from tyranny around the world today.” (more…)

The Hillsboro Story, by Susan Banyas, is a dramatic portrayal of the North’s first test case after the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education. While Brown v. Board ruled “separate but equal” schools unconstitutional, the initial ruling was only the beginning – the schools still had to be integrated, not just in the South, but also in the North. The Hillsboro Story is a unique performance piece integrating movement, monologues and visual images, backed by an evocative original score by jazz composer David Ornette Cherry.

The Hillsboro Story tells the story of the North’s first test case following Brown v. Board in the playwright’s hometown of Hillsboro, Ohio, just a few miles east of Cincinnati. As a third-grader, Banyas witnessed Hillsboro’s local “colored school” in flames and the five African American mothers who took legal action. In 2003, Banyas returned home to interview more than 50 Hillsboro community members, as well as many Civil Rights leader, to create this engaging theatrical piece.

This work is more than merely a theatrical piece, however. It is the confluence of many artists, a community reflecting on its memories, historical research and the art of storytelling. All of these dynamics converge to invite the audience to act as today’s activists and collaborators in upholding civil rights and shaping the future.

Moreover, The Hillsboro Story is yet another significant chapter in Southwest Ohio’s heroic and ongoing efforts to ensure the freedoms and civil rights of all people. From its early abolitionists and Underground Railroad Conductors, to Civil Rights activists, to today’s aggressive campaigns against contemporary slavery and “unfreedoms” everywhere, our region serves as a beacon. It is right and proper that the community be invited to attend this wonderful production at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which serves to share with the world the heroic efforts for freedom and inspire everyone to become a modern day freedom conductor.

Join us at the Freedom Center on Friday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. for The Hillsboro Story. This performance is free and open to the public, thanks to generous support from ArtsWave.  To RSVP please call 513-333-7705.

Detective Ken Lawson of the Columbus Police Department to speak at the Freedom Center, Saturday, February 5, at 2:00 p.m.

With all of the ongoing conversation surrounding the anticipated sex trafficking at the Super Bowl this weekend, (http://abcnews.go.com/US/super-bowl-task-force-combat-child-sex-traffickers/story?id=12760440&page=3)  the Freedom Center’s presentation by Detective Ken Lawson of the Columbus Police Department is most timely. Detective Lawson works daily on the front lines of combating human trafficking in Ohio. His presentation will offer a window into human trafficking here in our own state and will offer suggestions for what we can do at a grassroots level to help combat this issue.

As you surely know, in October,  the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened the world’s first and only museum-quality permanent exhibition on modern day slavery and human trafficking. The stories told and information presented in this exhibition are powerful. Certainly, the goal of this exhibition is to move people to action – to become modern day freedom conductors. I would invite you, your photographer and/or camera crew to visit us tomorrow for Detective Lawson’s presentation.

The more aggressively we communicate the facts surrounding human trafficking – yes, even here in Ohio – the sooner we can end this atrocity. To that end, tomorrow at 2:00 PM, the Freedom Center will welcome Detective Ken Lawson of the Columbus Police Department.

This presentation is free with admission to the Freedom Center.
Reservations are preferred, but not required:  513.333.7705.

Today, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center debuts its latest concept to promote social awareness of contemporary human rights struggles worldwide. Designed to engage consumers of mobile media and social games, the proposed Guardians of Freedom program employs a vibrant superhero theme to advance the Freedom Center’s global human R.I.G.H.T.S. initiative. This breakthrough multi-channel experience will spotlight the six core R.I.G.H.T.S. “unfreedoms” – Racism, Illiteracy, Genocide, Hunger, Tyranny, and modern forms of Slavery.

A preview of this experience is available for iPhone/iPod Touch users through the Freedom Center’s Web site at www.freedomcenter.org/GOF.  Included in this Web app is an eMag narrating the experience of a young boy who is the victim of a modern human trafficking ring, reflecting real life examples found in Invisible: Slavery Today, which opened at the Freedom Center October 9^th.

In addition to mobile apps, the ultimate Guardians of Freedom vision includes plans for 3-D game components, interactive museum exhibits, and a variety of web-based program extensions – all designed to provide each individual with a unique opportunity to achieve official status as a modern day “Guardian of Freedom.”

“Guardians of Freedom brings an entirely new visitor demographic into the Freedom Center experience.  People, particularly those in the mobile generation, are passionate about using personal technology to build communities around social issues,” says Ernest Perry, the Freedom Center’s Chief Innovation Officer. 

“After an eye-opening tour of the Freedom Center, we were inspired to create something uniquely centered on a modern hero theme that had been considered for years,” says Steve Simmons, Executive Producer of MossMedia LLC, the creative engine behind the Guardians of Freedom concept. “There is a tremendous opportunity here to participate in an initiative with the potential to drive critical social change.”

VOCON of Cleveland contributed an architectural vision for several on-site extensions of the core program, including the addition of a proposed “Hall of Guardians.” This media-rich installation is intended to honor celebrities, sports heroes, and other noteworthy social icons demonstrating a commitment to contemporary social justice issues. The proposed exhibit would feature memorabilia from modern freedom fighters, IFCA recipients, and other VIPs in an exciting mix of star power and social activism.

“Guardians is geared toward an audience demanding a high-touch experience both at the Freedom Center, and virtually,” says David Allen Moss, Founder and Chief Content Officer for MossMedia.  “It adds a layer of relevant, vibrant, and pop-powered content to the hugely important contemporary fight against injustice that the Freedom Center symbolizes.”

“The Freedom Center is a natural hub for this energy, and Guardians presents the ideal platform for linking mobile activists to opportunities for making a difference,” says Donald W. Murphy, President & CEO of the Freedom Center.  “We have to continue pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a Center for learning in the 21st Century.”

Tickets sales for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s International Freedom Conductor Award luncheon honoring His Holiness, the 14^th Dalai Lama will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 15^th.

Registration for the event is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at the Duke Energy Convention Center with the luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. on October 20^th.  The luncheon program will conclude at 2:00 p.m.  Ticket prices start at $125.00 and can be purchased on the Freedom Center website at: www.freedomcenter.org/dalailama. 

 “We are tremendously honored and gratified that His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, will accept our Freedom Conductor Award, and we are pleased to invite the general public – and all defenders of freedom – to participate in this momentous occasion,” said the Freedom Center’s CEO and President, Don Murphy.

Previous IFCA honorees have included civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, South African Bishop Desmond Tutu, Dorothy Height, The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights and, most recently, in 2007, former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

 Please note that to ensure a secure environment for His Holiness, the U.S. State Department requires heightened security measures for this event.  We ask that you please leave personal bags of any kind at home or in your office. Security will be similar to that of an airport so leaving personal items behind will ensure a swift security check for everyone and a timely start to the event. Please bring your photo ID to the event.

For questions regarding this event please call 513.333.7598 or email jbrandt@nurfc.org.

As part of opening activities around the opening of the new Invisible: Slavery Today exhibition, the National Underground Railroad is hosting a forum on the nature and extent of trafficking in Ohio and the Cincinnati metropolitan area.

The forum is scheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9 in the Harriet Tubman Theater.  The event is free with Freedom Center admission.

Panelists scheduled to appear are Todd Dieffenderfer, Special Adviser to Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray; Jessica Donohue-Dioh, a leading anti-trafficking advocate in Cincinnati, and Kathleen Davis, who is National Director of Training for Washington-based Polaris Project; one of the nation’s leading anti-slavery NGOs.  Paul Bernish, the Freedom Center’s Director of Antislavery and Human Trafficking Initiatives, will serve as moderator.

“The new Invisible exhibition deals with modern-day forms of slavery on a global scale, but it is important to emphasize that the problem exists here at home — including right here in Cincinnati,” Bernish said.

Invisible: Slavery Today — the first museum-quality exhibition on the subject of contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking — opens at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9.  It was produced with several antislavery organizations, which provided content and guidance.  The partners are Free the Slaves, Goodweave, International Justice Mission and Polaris Project.  Underwriting of the exhibition came from The Skirball Foundation and Lois and Richard Rosenthal.

On Saturday, September 25, 2010, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will participate in the sixth annual Museum Day, presented by Toyota on behalf of the redesigned 2011 Avalon.  The Freedom Center will join participating museums and cultural institutions nationwide to open their doors free of charge to all visitors who download the Museum Day Ticket from Smithsonian.com.  A journey to celebrate our world’s dynamic heritage and cultural life, participating Museum Day venues emulate the free admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, D.C.-based facilities.

Museum Day 2010 is poised to be the largest to date, outdoing last year’s record-breaking event.  Over 300,000 museum-goers and 1,300 venues in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico participated in Museum Day 2009. Last year, two million visitors logged on to www.smithsonian.com/museumday to learn more about the program.

The Museum Day Ticket is available to download at www.smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present the official pass will gain free admission for two people to participating museums and cultural venues. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address.  Listings and links to participating museums’ and sponsors’ sites can be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.

“The Freedom Center is proud to participate in Smithsonian Magazine’s sixth annual Museum Day,” said Donald Murphy, Freedom Center President and CEO.  “The Freedom Center, a museum of conscience, serves many functions; we educate, inspire, and challenge visitors to make a difference.  I encourage the community to visit the Freedom Center on Museum Day to not only be inspired by freedom’s heroes, but to Fan the Flame for change in their own lives and communities.”

The Enemy Within: Terror in America 1776 to Today is the Freedom Center’s newest exhibition.  The Enemy Within, an International Spy Museum exhibition, reveals nine major events and periods in U.S. History when America was threatened by enemies within its borders: depicting how the government and public responded, illustrating the corresponding evolution of the U.S. counterintelligence and homeland security efforts, and examining the challenge of securing the nation without compromising the civil liberties upon which it was founded.

The Freedom Center will also feature first-person dramatic interpretations on Museum Day at the Passing the Flame Showcase in the Harriet Tubman Theater beginning at 1:00 p.m.  Passing the Flame Showcase features a series of dramatic interpretations performed by students in the First-Person Interpreter Internship Program. This year’s showcase will educate and promote the living history of Isaac Johnson, John Fairfield, and Sarah Loguen (cq) Fraser. Each respective narrative reflects the amazing fortitude of the human spirit through the difficult experiences of the past.

This year, Toyota will enhance the Museum Day experience both in Smithsonian magazine and online, with elements like the “Featured Five,” a listing that encourages visitors to learn about and visit participating museums and venues. Additionally, for each visitor who inquires about the new Toyota Avalon online, Toyota will donate $1—up to $10,000 total—to museum programming nationwide.

Cincinnati, Ohio, September 16, 2010 — The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is set to open the world’s first permanent, museum-quality exhibition on modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

The exhibition, entitled Invisible: Slavery Today opens on October 9, and will be a permanent installation on the Freedom Center’s third floor east pavilion.

“This is a groundbreaking exhibition, but one entirely in keeping with our Mission of making the historic struggle for freedom relevant and meaningful for today’s audiences,” said Freedom Center CEO Don Murphy.  “It would be nice if slavery had been completely abolished at the end of the Civil War in 1865,” Murphy added.  “But slavery exists today on a global scale, in many forms, and more people than ever are being exploited.  Invisible tells this story in a way that will shock visitors but ultimately inspire them to become modern abolitionists.”

Invisible: Slavery Today was produced with several antislavery organizations, which provided content and guidance.  The partners are Free the Slaves, Goodweave, International Justice Mission and Polaris Project.  Underwriting of the exhibition came from The Skirball Foundation and Lois and Richard Rosenthal.

The exhibition consists of three main exhibition areas:  one (the first) exploring the many forms of modern-day slavery; the second, which details the scope and causes of modern-day slavery, and a final section that provides information on global efforts to combat trafficking and slavery abuses.  The five most common forms of slavery – bonded labor, sex trafficking, child labor, domestic servitude, and forced labor – are explained through the life experiences of real individuals from across the globe.

“Visitors to the Freedom Center since our opening in 2004 always comment about how much they learned about historical slavery and our nation’s early struggle for freedom,” said Dina Bailey, the Freedom Center’s exhibition curator.  “With Invisible, we are comparing and contrasting historical slavery with the ongoing struggle to abolish modern forms of slavery in this country and elsewhere.” 

The new exhibition was designed by Seattle-based Touch Worldwide, and curated by Freedom Center’s Associate Curator, Dina Bailey.

THE ENEMY WITHIN: TERROR IN AMERICA – 1776 TO TODAY OPENS AT THE FREEDOM CENTER SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH

New Exhibition Provides Insight into Terror on American Soil from the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror

CINCINNATI, Ohio, August 30, 2010 — The Enemy Within: Terror in America – 1776 to Today, the only museum exhibition to provide historical perspective on acts of terror that have taken place on American soil, opens Saturday, September 11, 2010 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

The Enemy Within, an International Spy Museum exhibition, reveals nine major events and periods in U.S. History when Americans were threatened by enemies within its borders: depicting how the government and public responded, illustrating the corresponding evolution of the U.S. counterintelligence and homeland security efforts, and examining the challenge of securing the nation without compromising the civil liberties upon which it was founded.

“Most Americans remember exactly where they were when they learned about the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 – and regard this event as a turning point that forever changed their sense of security in the United States,” states International Spy Museum Chairman of the Board and Founder, Milton Maltz. “The fact is however, that Americans have endured thousands of incidents of terror, violence, or subversion right here at home by domestic terrorists and foreign agents, militant radicals and saboteurs, traitors and spies.”

The exhibition features dramatic moments in U.S. History – all frightening, and destabilizing events – that represent times when Americans have felt threatened within their own borders. Each event precipitated legislation and/or new counterintelligence measures and provoked debate about protecting both citizens and civil liberties.

“Terrorism in whatever form is an assault on freedom,” said Freedom Center President and CEO, Donald Murphy. “As this exhibition dramatically demonstrates, our freedoms have been challenged internally by terrorists since our founding, and it is a reflection of the strength of our democracy that we have not succumbed to the terrorist’s agenda.”

The Enemy Within will be open to the public until February 6, 2011.

About the Freedom Center

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center uses exhibits, programs and activities to educate and inspire contemporary audiences about the legacy of courage and multicultural cooperation as embodied in the story of the Underground Railroad, and to make that history relevant to issues confronting society today. Additional information is available at www.freedomcenter.org. 

About the International Spy Museum

The International Spy Museum, the only public institution in the world dedicated to presenting the world history of espionage, features the largest permanent collection of international spy-related artifacts on public display.  Through interactive exhibits with state-of-the-art audiovisual effects, film, and hands-on components, the Museum traces the evolution of espionage through the people who practiced the profession and it provides a context for guests to better interpret the role intelligence places in current events.  Additional information is available at www.spymuseum.org.