Freedom Center Opens World's First Permanent Museum Exhibition on Modern-Day Slavery and Human Trafficking

CINCINNATI, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati has opened the world's first permanent, museum-quality exhibition on modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

The exhibition, entitled Invisible: Slavery Today opened on October 9, and will be a permanent installation on the Freedom Center's third floor east pavilion.

"This is a groundbreaking exhibition, but one entirely in keeping with our Mission of making the historic struggle for freedom relevant and meaningful for today's audiences," said Freedom Center CEO Don Murphy.  "It would be comforting to say that slavery had been completely abolished at the end of the Civil War in 1865," Murphy added.  "But slavery exists today on a global scale, in many forms, and more people than ever are being exploited.  Invisible tells this story in a way that will shock visitors but ultimately inspire them to become modern abolitionists."

Invisible: Slavery Today was produced with several antislavery organizations, which provided content and guidance.  The partners are Free the Slaves, Goodweave, International Justice Mission and Polaris Project.  Underwriting of the exhibition came from The Skirball Foundation and Lois and Richard Rosenthal.

The exhibition consists of three main exhibition areas: one (the first) exploring the many forms of modern-day slavery; the second, which details the scope and causes of modern-day slavery; and a final section that provides information on global efforts to combat trafficking and slavery abuses.  The five most common forms of slavery – bonded labor, sex trafficking, child labor, domestic servitude, and forced labor – are explained through the life experiences of real individuals from across the globe.

The new exhibition was designed by Seattle-based Touch Worldwide.

With the opening of Invisible, the Freedom Center also announced that it had appointed Paul Bernish, the museum's Chief Communications Officer for the past six years, as its Director of Antislavery and Human Trafficking Initiatives – a new position and most likely the first in the museum field.  Bernish will oversee the Freedom Center's engagement in anti-trafficking efforts and lead the development of a curriculum on modern forms of slavery targeted to junior high and high school students.

SOURCE National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

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