The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center took home a top prize at the 60th annual Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Awards for its four-part docuseries “Black History Honors.”
Produced by Central City Productions and the Stellar Network, and directed by Alphonzo “Zo” Wesson III, the series took won an Emmy in the Entertainment – Short or Long Form Content category. The program celebrates the lives and legacies of the Underground Railroad freedom activists, including well-known leaders Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth as well as lesser-known figures, such as Jermain Wesley Loguen, Henry “Box” Brown, Robert Smalls and William Still. Prominent local figures John Parker, John and Jean Rankin, and Margaret Garner also are featured in the program.
The docuseries – which aired in more than 200 television markets – featured biographies and reenactments as well musical tributes from award-winning gospel music artists. Filmed entirely at the Freedom Center, the program also featured some staff members portraying the historic freedom activists.
Filmed entirely at the Freedom Center, the program also featured some staff members portraying the historic freedom activists.
“I was committed not just to doing a Black history special, but to do it here where we can showcase that Black history and Black museums matter,” said Don Jackson, chairman and CEO of Central City Productions and founder and chairman of the Stellar Network.
Two decades of sharing stories of unsung heroes
The Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. An additional 2 million people have taken advantage of the museum’s educational resources online.
In 2014, the museum launched a new digital resource, End Slavery Now, to help in the fight against modern slavery.
Over the years, partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, U.S. Department of State and International Justice Mission. The center also worked with the U.S. Mint on a series of commemorative coins to honor Tubman.
“(The) NURFC has been promoting inclusive freedom for all, building on the principles of the Underground Railroad of courage, cooperation and perseverance,” Woodrow Keown, Jr., the Freedom Center’s president and COO. “And I want to thank the Stellar TV team and the maestro Zo Wesson for bringing this creative idea to us to tell a more complete and inclusive American history by honoring Black history.”
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
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