Press Room

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2008
Media Contact: Laura Partridge, (513) 345-2658, lpartridge@cincymuseum.org

Freedom's Sisters Essay Contest winners announced
Six area students awarded U.S. Savings Bonds for their submissions

CINCINNATI-Ford Motor Company Fund, Cincinnati Museum Center and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit Service (SITES) today announced the winners of the Cincinnati-area Freedom's Sisters essay contest. Freedom's Sisters premiered at Cincinnati Museum Center on Mar. 14 and ran through Sept. 14, 2008. The exhibit tells the stories of 20 African American women, whose courage and commitment to the struggle for racial equality changed the course of history. One of the primary goals of the exhibit was to promote dialogue on the civil rights movement past, present and future, and to inspire the next generation of leaders. The essay contest was a key community program. It helped spark that dialogue and engage young people.

The contest was open to students in the 4th through 8th grades. Students responded to the following questions, "Who is your favorite Freedom Sister and why? What are you doing to continue her legacy?" The winners will receive U.S. Savings Bonds: 1st place $5,000, 2nd place $2,500, 3rd Place $1,000. The three honorable mentions will receive $500 U.S. Savings Bonds.

The following students' essays were selected:
First place, Andrew Christian D. Ligeralde (Blue Ash), 6th grade, Seven Hills Middle School
Second place, Kaia Amoah (Middletown), 8th grade, Liberty Junior High School
Third place, Jessie Simmons (Anderson), 7th grade, Springer School
Honorable Mention, Keerthi Nalluri (Sycamore), 5th grade, EH Greene Intermediate School
Honorable Mention, D'Asia K. Leathers (Northside), 6th grade, School for Creative and Performing Arts
Honorable Mention, Olivia Richardson (Glendale), 7th grade, Wyoming Middle School

There will be a formal award presentation to each student at his or her school by either a representative from Cincinnati Museum Center, or Pamela Alexander, president, Ford Motor Company Fund on Dec. 1 and 2. Freedom's Sisters was funded by the Ford Motor Company Fund, and was organized for travel by SITES. In October, the exhibit embarked on a national tour and is currently on display at the Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, Ca. Over the next 3 years it will travel to: the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tenn., the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, Mich., the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham, Ala., the DuSable Museum of African American History, Chicago, Ill., and The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future, Dallas, Texas. For more information on Freedom's Sisters, visit www.sites.si.edu.

ABOUT FORD MOTOR COMPANY FUND AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services is committed to creating opportunities that promote corporate citizenship, philanthropy, volunteerism and cultural diversity for those who live in the communities where Ford does business. Established in 1949 and made possible by Ford Motor Company profits, Ford Motor Company Fund supports initiatives and institutions that foster innovative education, auto-related safety, and American heritage and legacy. National programs include Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, which provides high school students with academically rigorous 21st century learning experiences, and Driving Skills for Life, a teen-focused auto safety initiative. The Ford Volunteer Corps, established in 2005, continues Ford's legacy of caring worldwide. Through the Volunteer Corps, salaried employees, union members, retirees and their families participate in a wide range of volunteer projects in their communities.

ABOUT CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration. As one of the top cultural attractions in the Midwest, Cincinnati Museum Center has served as an educational, research and entertainment resource to millions of visitors from around the world.

Organizations within Museum Center include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. These organizations combine to serve more than one million visitors annually, reaching out to nearly 400,000 young people through hands-on exhibits and programs.

Originally built in 1933 as a train station, Union Terminal stands as one of the last remaining grand-scale Art Deco style railroad terminals. The building is a National Historic Landmark and was renovated and reopened as Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990.For information, call 1-800-733-2077 or visit www.cincymuseum.org.

Cincinnati Museum Center gratefully acknowledges operating and capital support from the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and the State of Ohio.

ABOUT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION TRAVELING EXHIBITION SERVICE (SITES)
SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play.