National Underground Railroad Freedom Center links up with Chicago schools

From Cincinnati’s riverfront to Chicago is about 300 miles, but through distance-learning technology, the kids in Chicago’s public schools will experience Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.  Using high-quality, digital media and distance-learning technology, the Freedom Center’s curriculum content will be worked into the classrooms of the 110 schools in Chicago’s system, reaching up to 300,000 students. The high-tech tools mean  “We are able to take the Freedom Center content — developed and continuing to develop — to interested learners across the globe,” says Donald Murphy, the Center’s CEO.

Opened in 2004, the Freedom Center offers education programs, interactive exhibits, nationally-known speakers, and year-round programming from its downtown riverfront location. Its mission: educate the public about the historic and continuing struggle for freedom, with a focus on stories from the Underground Railroad. The Chicago initiative is being funded by Ariel Mutual Funds.

Writer: David Holthaus
Source: Ernest Perry, Freedom Center