Underground Railroad Center, Scholars Cast Eyes on an Old Evil: With great fanfare and high hopes, celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Muhammad Ali and Laura Bush helped break ground for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in downtown Cincinnati in June 2002.
Two years later, the $110 million center, 10 years in planning, opened with exhibits on how enslaved African-Americans risked their lives to make the northward trek to freedom. Yet, the project suffered declining attendance and budget cuts. Within the last three years, the center has eliminated about 30 percent of its staff.
Today, however, a comeback is imminent. The center is shifting its focus while serving as an educational focal point, research asset and change agent. Area universities use it to research human rights, advance digital technology as a teaching tool and help train future educators.
