Freedom Center named best history museum in the country

Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center offers special programs and free admission on Monday, June 19 in celebration of Juneteenth.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is officially the best history museum in the country, according to USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice awards.

After landing in the top three in 2021 and 2022, the Freedom Center finally took the top spot, beating out 19 other museums across the country, including the Cincinnati History Museum, located in the Cincinnati Museum Center, which ranked No. 5 on the list.

The Children's Museum, also located in the Museum Center, additionally ranked in the top 10 for Best Children's Museum, taking the No. 6 spot.

For subscribers:Freedom Center in national spotlight for new Black History Month docuseries

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“Being named the best history museum in the country is a testament to the enduring power and relevance of the stories we tell and the passion with which our team tells them,” said Woodrow Keown Jr., president and chief operating officer of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “This is an honor we share with our entire community who has supported us. To everyone who voted, everyone who has visited, everyone who has supported us in so many ways, you have our continued gratitude.”

The Freedom Center has honored the legacies of heroes from the Underground Railroad since its opening in 2004. Symbolically located on the banks of the Ohio River, where many enslaved people sought freedom in the mid-1800s, the Freedom Center shares their stories through immersive exhibits, programming and films that examine issues of freedom, systemic racism, implicit bias and modern day enslavement.

A new exhibit titled “Solidarity Now! The 1968 Poor People’s Campaign” will debut at the Freedom Center Thursday, March 30. The exhibit is from the Smithsonian and will shed light on the history of the multicultural movement confronting poverty and redefined social justice and activism in America.

For the full list of USA Today's 10Best Readers’ Choice awards, visit www.10best.com/awards.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's Freedom Center named best history museum in the U.S.