| The grand opening celebration of the National | | | | Mehring Way. |
| Underground Railroad Freedom Center, on Monday, | | | | Upon Nick Lachey's return as Master of Ceremonies |
| August 23 2004 significantly coinciding with the United | | | | for the Dedication Concert he featured music by the |
| Nations' annual International Day of Commemoration | | | | Freedom Center's 700-voice choir; the award-winning |
| for the Abolition of Slavery was itself a landmark | | | | Blessed Union of Souls; and a special guest |
| event in the history of the struggles for freedom | | | | performance. |
| worldwide. The festivities to mark the occasion were | | | | The staging area for the ceremonies for the Public |
| most significant in not only recognizing the abolition of | | | | Dedication was the Ohio River at the intersection of |
| slavery in the past, but also for today's struggle to | | | | 2nd Street and Walnut Street with Jumbotrons |
| free over 27 million people currently enslaved all | | | | located throughout the riverfront broadcasting the |
| around the world. | | | | event. |
| The national Underground Railroad Freedom Centre | | | | The formal dedication at 8 p.m. chaired by Freedom |
| therefore in the grandeur of its opening was drawing | | | | Center board members took place on the Freedom |
| attention to the odiousness of the act of trading in | | | | Center's two-acre Freedom Park facing the Ohio |
| human beings and all the other accompanying | | | | River started with a 1,500-person "Parade of Light" |
| inhumanities involved. It was as well an opportunity | | | | beginning at the site for the proposed Freedom Park |
| for us to rejoice in its abolition and immortalize the | | | | in Covington, Kentucky, near the foot of the |
| valiant men and women who stood up against it | | | | Roebling Bridge. The procession was met by Garth |
| often selflessly in the past so that those of us in the | | | | Fagan Dance, of Lion King fame, at the edge of the |
| present will emulate their acts of courage in | | | | bridge and continuing through to the dedication |
| defending humanity and human values wherever we | | | | platform. The Parade of Light closed with the |
| see them been trampled upon. | | | | Grounds for Freedom roll-call of participants including |
| The opening of the Freedom Centre which was the | | | | the Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware (Del) |
| culmination of 10 years of planning and collaboration | | | | and Friends of Oberlin Underground Railroad, as well |
| with Underground Railroad communities, universities, | | | | as delegations from both Canada and Mexico. It |
| and cultural groups from across the United States | | | | concluded with the lighting of Freedom's Flame on the |
| included a "Grounds for Freedom" procession of | | | | second balcony of the Freedom Center followed by |
| freedom sites, an inter-ethnic Festival of Freedom, | | | | a fireworks display. |
| lighting the Flame of Freedom, exhibitions, amongst | | | | The speaking portion of the formal program, with |
| other activities. | | | | Angela Bassett as emcee, included a dedication |
| Activities began with a live broadcast from the | | | | prayer, remarks by special guests Executive Director |
| Freedom Center grounds by CBS Early Show. The | | | | Dr. Spencer Crew, Sean P. Combs, Bono and other |
| NBA, ABC Good Morning America, MTV, Chat the | | | | key officials and celebrity supporters followed by |
| Planet, C-Span as well as WCPO-9 live news and web | | | | cultural presentations and slave crossing |
| cast were amongst other special broadcasts and | | | | re-enactment. |
| taping that enlivened the occasion. A live satellite | | | | All the guests were at the end invited to take an |
| feed was broadcast to the Harriet Beecher Stowe | | | | abbreviated tour of the Freedom Center, which |
| House in Rochester, Connecticut, where a dedication | | | | remained open until 1 a.m. |
| party was being hosted. The History Channel added | | | | Under a sweltering sun more than 1,500 guests from |
| to the glory of the event when it broadcast a special | | | | Cincinnati and around the nation, including talk show |
| documentary on the Underground Railroad. | | | | host Oprah Winfrey, actress Angela Bassett and |
| The Freedom Center's first work of scholarship, | | | | actor husband Courtney Vance, attended a |
| Passages to Freedom, a historic book published by | | | | $1,000-a-plate gala, "Lighting Freedom's Way," |
| the Smithsonian Press was launched. This videotaped | | | | celebrating the National Underground Railroad |
| program consisting of presentations by the scholars | | | | Freedom Center's dedication. |
| who guided the development of the Freedom Center | | | | Guests started arriving at 6 p.m. in everything from a |
| history exhibits included Dr. James Horton of George | | | | Rolls Royce to a horse-drawn carriage, pulling up to |
| Washington University and Dr. David Blight, of Yale | | | | the red carpet leading to the football-field sized tent |
| University. Under the guidance of the leading | | | | near the banks of the Ohio River. Winfrey, who |
| historians, curators, artists and exhibit designers | | | | donated $1 million to the center and narrated its |
| throughout the United States, five major inaugural | | | | Brothers of the Borderland film, was fashionably late, |
| exhibitions featured approximately 500 years of | | | | with boyfriend Stedman Graham wearing a black |
| freedom stories-from 1500s to now. | | | | Gianfranco Ferre floor-length dress with a plunging |
| At noon, Nick Lachey, of 98 Degrees and MTV's hit | | | | neckline. Among the earliest arrivals were Vance - |
| television show Newlyweds, kick-off an all-day free | | | | dressed in a dark blue suit and bright, salmon-colored |
| festival featuring local entertainers and radio | | | | shirt confessing how much he was impressed with |
| personalities, and national speakers and entertainers | | | | the building - and Bassett, who wore a purple silk |
| whilst Music Television's (MTV) "Choose or Lose" | | | | pantsuit and short heels with a pink purse. |
| taped activities for later broadcast. | | | | A wide variety of people in race, religion and age, |
| Also at mid-day, the Freedom Center's National | | | | mostly African-American or Caucasian, and not so |
| Honorary Board held its Annual Meeting under the | | | | much of Hispanics and Asians from all over the area |
| theme: The Struggle Continues-Introduction to the | | | | turned up because they believed in the importance of |
| Institute for Contemporary Slavery & Freedom | | | | sharing songs together. |
| with its keynote speaker being Ambassador John | | | | The choir, also directed by Catherine Roma, |
| Miller, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State; | | | | performed 10 songs that night at the dedication |
| Director, Office to Monitoring and Combating the | | | | concert including "Free at Last" and "The Ballad of the |
| Trafficking in Persons. | | | | Underground Railroad." The choir having worked hard |
| An evening Festival of Freedom kicked off | | | | on tone, pitch, diction and rhythm since May, starting |
| immediately following the Grounds for Freedom | | | | with bi-weekly rehearsals which were later stepped |
| procession. The free festival paid tribute to some of | | | | up had well modulated renditions. All 700 people |
| the most beloved and prominent human rights | | | | displayed mastery in coordinating their movements, |
| performers, highlighting dance, music, storytelling and | | | | swaying as one and moving their mouths precisely |
| demonstrations from various ethnic communities from | | | | and collectively, their underlying goal being to get |
| around the world. Readings and performances by | | | | people to collect and take a look into each other's |
| Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass re-enactors | | | | culture Members of the choir are already used to |
| as well as Daryl Harris and Children's Theater; | | | | bridging cultures through music. The Greater Cincinnati |
| storytelling by Freedom Train; and demonstrations by | | | | group, was singing as part of the Freedom Center |
| Annie Ruth, Mad Cap Productions and others were all | | | | Choir, a fusion of people from many different Indian |
| part of the attractions. Dozens of ethnically | | | | backgrounds who sing together in Sanskrit. Some |
| representative performers performed traditional and | | | | practically melted into each other as they sang on, |
| contemporary programs of blues, rock, gospel, jazz | | | | "Sail on, freedom," surging strongly across the water |
| and other music in a festival that ran from noon to 8 | | | | and into Covington. |
| p.m. in the lot south of the Freedom Center off | | | | |