Page 2, The Progress Press

The Freedom Center

By Anntonia Jackson

Museum adds perspective to history

Along with the cornerstones of freedom the museum covers three themes: unfreedom, chattel slavery and the The National Underground Railroad Freedom Underground Railroad. These are all covered throughout Center, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a place where the the museum. modern person can experience the journey of a slave. The museum is filled with information about black The museum has had almost 900,000 visitors since it history. I believe a lot of young black people dont know opened. enough about their history, and should definitely visit The museum was built on the Ohio River since the this museum, said Marilyn Matthews. Matthews was a river served as a natural barrier second time visitor at the museum between the free and slave states. and came to show her friend from Several other symbols link back Cleveland, Ohio the museum. to the river, such as the curved Matthews believes it is very walls of the museum and the important to know our history stone river that surrounds the as Americans whatever our race. entire building. You have to know what happened The Freedom Center was yesterday, to live tomorrow, said designed and constructed by Matthews. Sam and Alva Blackman. (Sam An exhibit called 381 Days is Blackman died shortly before the on display at the Freedom Center. museum opened.) It opened its It opened on May 5 and will end doors in August 2004 and will be on July 12. The exhibit covers the celebrating its five-year anniverMontgomery Bus Boycott, a nonsary this year. Photo By Kalandra Gray violent protest where AfricanVisitors from all over are Americans did not ride the bus astounded at new things they A group of statues at the National Freedom and helped desegregate the buses. learn while visiting the Freedom Center depicts the hardships and suffering The Freedom Center is a mustCenter. Being sixty-seven years endured by enslaved men on their way to visit museum. Everyone should old I am stunned at all the things auction. have the opportunity to experiI didnt know about our history, ence the amazing exhibits at the said Walter Bailey. Bailey was a first time visitor who freedom museum, said third time visitor David Peters. came to the museum as a part of his familys reunion. I I learn something new every time I come here. plan to definitely attend the museum again. It is so much Additional reporting by Kalandra Gray to see and learn here, Bailey said. Three buildings make up the Freedom Center; two bridges that symbolize northward movement by runaway slaves connect them. Each building represents one of the three cornerstones of freedom that the center focuses on: courage, perseverance and cooperation. The Pavilion of Courage has exhibits and information about the journey of a slave and the evolution of slavery into modern racism. This area includes a display of a Ku Klux Klan uniform next to an exhibit of the First Amendment. The Pavilion of Perseverance chronicles the struggle to freedom with a video of not only African slaves but also slavery and oppression around the world and through time. Photo By Larkin Walker The Pavilion of Cooperation, which is located in the This special exhibit tells the story behind the Montgommiddle, acts as a bridge between the story of slavery and ery Bus Boycott and the arrest of Rosa Parks. the story of freedom.
Photo By Rachel Cunningham The Negro Leagues exhibit included posters promoting upcoming games and photos of many of the leagues stars.

Baseball exhibit highlights often-forgotten activists

By Larkin Walker When visitors enter the baseball section of the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, there is a wall with small frames lining the hallway. Each frame contains important information about the history from the time period. As visitors read the bits and pieces of information, they learn small facts about progress made between baseball leagues and their involvement with allowing Negro players. The professional teams that had black players on them were part of the Negro Leagues. Negro League teams were outside of Major League Baseball. The Negro League teams were dedicated to black and Hispanic players, but most of the Negro League teams were not successful mostly because of lack of support. The National Association of Baseball Players established their first colored lineup, which was also the first colored lineup in baseball, in 1867. In 1901, John J. McGraw tried to sign black player Charlie Grant to the Orioles but McGraw was not allowed to add Grant as a player because of his race. The Cuban Giants formed the first black professional baseball team. All of the professional teams were of different sizes. The last season for this major league team was 1960. Former senator from Kentucky and University of Kentucky alumnus Albert Benjamin Happy Chandler became the second commissioner of baseball in 1945 after the death of then commissioner Judge Landis. Happy Chandler said that he would not oppose the introduction of black players into the major leagues. Jackie Robinson made his debut as the first black major league player in 1957. In the same year, Larry Doby joined the Cleveland Indians. The Freedom Centers baseball exhibit is a very important section because baseball players helped to contribute to the Civil Rights movement, not through speeches and rallies, but by playing and doing what they loved.

Horse Park exhibit teaches about Mexican culture

By Sara Fletcher Arte en la Charreria: The Artisanship of Mexican Equestrian Culture is an exhibit at the Kentucky Horse Park about western Mexican cowboys and their heritage. The exhibit was organized by International Arts and Artists and the Gonzlez family in southern Mexico and includes objects that date back to the 19th century. Many of the exhibit pieces have not been seen outside of Mexico before. The collection includes dresses, hats, scarves, saddles, spurs and bits. The dresses are called Adelitas, which are work dresses for the charras, female cowboys. Adelitas always include a circular skirt that falls mid boot length. The charras hair is always worn up and they always wear a rezobo, which is a shawl. One of the favorite sports in Mexico is rodeo, called charreada. There are special costumes skilled charros (horsemen) and charras (horsewomen) have to wear. They include special sombreros, saddles, bits, spurs and clothing. Some of the things that the Mexican cowboys have made are embroidered Photo courtsey of Kentucky Horse Park leatherwork. They use this detailed This saddle with intricate leather leatherwork on saddles called El Piteado. work is one of the items featured in The quality and volume of embroidery the Arte en la Charreria exhibit. denotes the formality of each saddle. The saddlery is also specialized. These are accessories of the charreria belts, holsters, chaps, hatbands and most importantly the saddle itself. Silverwork is also used, with metal work preserved from pre Hispanic Mexico. People mine silver and other metals that are hammered, cut, embossed and shined. Bits and spurs are also used. Charreria spurs are made of steel and may be embossed, carved and open worked. The history of this sport goes back to the 1500s. The Mexicans used horse skills to participate in battle and move into their lands. Members of the Hacienda system of ranching adopted their own saddle styles and riding techniques and became highly skilled horsemen. The town of La Charreria was once home to more than 900 equestrian societies. After 1910 most of those society members moved from the country to the city.

14 steps forward: Our growth together

By Parys Grigsby June 17, 2009, was the start of the ten day long Dow Jones Summer High School Journalism Workshop at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. For fourteen high school students, the stay at UK overflowed with laughter, good times and writing. The busy days and long nights resulted in great stories and memories that will last a lifetime. The teens came from all different areas with different racial backgrounds, but friendships were quickly formed. When asked what she would miss the most after the workshop, participant Sara Fletcher exclaimed, I will really miss being with all of the different people! The ten-day journey began with a panel discussion. Chip Cosby from the Lexington Herald-Leader, Dia Davidson from WLEX-18, and Jahi Chikwendiu of the Washington Post gave words of wisdom for surviving in the journalism world. As someone who works in many aspects of the journalism world, Mr. Cosby enforced the importance of not limiting oneself while Ms. Davidson shared tales from her job as a news anchor. She constantly warned, Stay prepared for everything! Mr. Chikwendius words of wisdom included, Dont ever see closed doors find the person with the key The panelists struck a chord with workshop member Amanda Wilkerson. I learned how not to limit myself and to keep in touch with connections, she said. The following days encompassed many classes on topics ranging from the Fundamentals of Reporting with Dr. Mike Farrell to Note Taking Skills with Mr. Mel Coffee. The fast paced environment required focus so the information could be thoroughly understood. Each class made writing articles and conducting interviews a smoother experience. After learning from the professionals the teens were given the opportunity to practice the skills that had been passed on to them. There were countless interviews, activity overviews and photography opportunities. One of the most enjoyed activities was attending the Cincinnati Reds Civil Rights Game. Workshop participant Ashley Scoby said, The Reds game was my favorite activity because I love baseball! Sports are my thing and major league games are cool. Fellow participant Toni Jackson also made memories at the baseball game. Catching a baseball at the Reds game was my most memorable experience out of these ten days, she said. Along with attending sporting events, the group toured multiple museums, one of the most influential being the Muhammad Ali Center. Larkin Walker decided that the museum was her favorite activity because, it wasnt like other museums. It was interactive which helped me learn more. My brain wasnt shut off. The museum entertained and informed about the influence that Muhammad Ali has had on so many. It particularly touched workshop participant Ashley Jones, who said, My most memorable moment was watching the Ali video when he made his speech about why he wouldnt go to war and how he wouldnt fight the dark man in Viet Nam while he was the dark man being fought in America. Kalandra Gray, nicknamed Kay, also enjoyed the Ali Center. I thought it was very powerful. It really moved me, she said. Kay, Ashley, and Larkin will carry their experience at the museum with them forever. Since the camps focus is on journalism there was a lot of writing. Every day hours

Photo By Beth Barnes The 2009 Dow Jones Workshop reporters take a break at the Kentucky Derby Museum. Bottom row: Ashley Scoby, Kalandra Gray, Drucilla Thompson, Anntonia Jackson, Larkin Walker, JaLeesa Holman, Ashley Jones, Amanda Wilkerson. Top row: Jessica Borchers, Sara Fletcher, Kevin Johnson, Scott Hartsfield, Rachel Cunningham, Parys Grigsby.

were spent working on different assignments in the Mac lab so the final newspaper would reach its greatest potential. The only two male participants, Kevin Johnson and Scott Hartsfield, both learned from the time devoted to writing. My favorite part of the workshop was improving my writing skills, said Kevin. Scott claimed his favorite aspect of the workshop was the writing as a whole. It made me a better reporter. Both truly embodied the hard work and dedication that it takes to be a successful journalist. With all of the hard work that came with the workshop, participant Jessica Borchers confessed, I have learned a newfound respect and appreciation for the

art of journalism. After this experience, every teen can now see that journalism is a field that is filled with difficulties, but when one works hard they reap great rewards. Overall, the Dow Jones Summer High School Journalism Workshop touched the lives of each teen involved. Participant Dru Thompson said, My favorite part of the workshop was being able to do things I cant do at home in Memphis, like the Freedom Museum and the Ali CenterI will probably never get an experience like this one again. Her statement is the epitome of the entire camp. It gave an opportunity to grow to fourteen deserving teens in an attempt to allow their lights to shine!