New exhibition at Freedom Center showcases 1968 campaign against poverty

Anew exhibition at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is illuminating the often-overlooked history of the multicultural movement to confront poverty that redefined social justice and activism in America. Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, opens March 30 at the Freedom Center.

In the 1960s, the United States emerged as a global model of wealth and democracy, an estimated 25 million Americans lived in poverty – nearly 13% of the population. From the elderly and underemployed to children and persons with disabilities, poverty affected people of every race, age and religion. In response, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rev. Ralph Abernathy, organized the Poor People’s Campaign as a national human rights crusade. Solidarity Now! features photographs, oral histories with campaign participants and organizers and an array of protest signs, political buttons and audio field recordings collected during the campaign.

“The civil rights movement of Dr. King is often thought of as a movement about race, but it was more. It was a movement about equity, about freedom – including freedom from hunger and want – for all people,” said Woodrow Keown, Jr. president and COO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “We’re proud to present Solidarity Now! to our community so we can show that equity was never about just some of us, but about all of us.”

Solidarity Now! explores the significance of the tactics and impact of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign that drew thousands of people to build a protest community on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. For nearly six weeks they inhabited “a city of hope” on 15 acres between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial to call the nation’s attention to the crippling effects of poverty for millions of Americans. The protest site was called Resurrection City. Through a 3D map of Resurrection City, guests to Solidarity Now! can examine the planned spaces for housing, a cultural center, city hall, theater stage and essential services, including facilities for food and dining, sanitation, communications, education, medical and dental care and childcare.

destination of the Month

Bricktionary: The ultimate LEGO® A-Z has arrived at Cincinnati Museum Center

Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is hosting the world premiere of the new exhibition clicked to life by the creativity and talent of Ryan “Brickman” McNaught, star of LEGO® Masters Australia. The exhibition is now open.

Featuring more than 150 custom-built LEGO® models, Bricktionary is filled with the most mind-boggling creations. From leaping orcas that tower overhead to Saturn V rockets that stretch from floor to ceiling, the exhibition pushes the limits of what’s possible with LEGO® bricks.

“We’re excited to host the world premiere of this incredible exhibition that showcases not just what’s possible with LEGO®, but that anything is possible with LEGO®,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Through the mastery of The Brickman and his team, Bricktionary demonstrates the endless versatility, ageless allure and STEM applications of LEGO®; anything is possible by anyone when you’re building with

LEGO® bricks.”

Bricktionary is more than a stunning gallery of masterpieces by the southern hemisphere’s only LEGO® Certified Professional; Bricktionary is about you! If you can dream it, you can build it. The exhibition encourages amateur and expert builders alike to get involved through interactive build zones. In Bricktionary: The ultimate LEGO® A-Z, LEGO® becomes the building bricks of imagination.

Build a LEGO® brick model to survive an earthquake and test it against the Bricktionary earthquake machine. How long can your build last? You can also help build a giant LEGO® mosaic or a spaceship to take us to Mars. You can even build animals to add to the giant LEGO® brick garden.

A fun-filled journey for families, kids and adults, Bricktionary: The ultimate LEGO® A-Z is now open for a limited time at Cincinnati Museum Center. Tickets and additional information are available at cincymuseum.org/bricktionary.