Remarks: Underground Railroad Freedom Center Dedication Ceremony

Speech of Senator DeWine

REMARKS: UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER DEDICATION CEREMONY

Contact: Amanda Flaig

Monday, August 23, 2004

Good evening. Thank you all for being here tonight. This dedication ceremony represents the hard work of countless people-work that has successfully turned the vision of an Underground Railroad memorial and learning center on the banks of the Ohio River into reality. As you all know, the story of the Underground Railroad is an epic one. It is a story of incredible courage in the quest for freedom. And, it is a story of great cooperation between the races-great cooperation among Americans-African Americans and White Americans-during a very tragic time in our history.

I had the privilege of attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the Freedom Center two years ago. At that time, I shared the story of William Wells Brown, a slave from Lexington, Kentucky, who escaped and found himself in the care of two brave Ohioans-Wells Brown and his wife. They fed him. They clothed him. They gave him money for his trip. They saved William's life. Their story, and so many just like it, is what the Underground Railroad was all about. It is the story of people of both races coming together to fight for freedom-people coming together because they knew slavery was wrong. One of the reasons that Harriet Beecher Stowe was inspired to write "Uncle Tom's Cabin," was because the cruelty of slavery didn't make any sense according to her own values-the values she learned, in part, while listening to the Debates on Slavery and Abolition at Lane Theological Seminary. Her father, Dr. Lyman Beecher, headed that school, and it stood on Gilbert Avenue, just a short distance from here. Harriet Beecher Stowe was also influenced by John Rankin, a white abolitionist in Ripley, Ohio. A candle in the window of his home served as a beacon to freedom for thousands of slaves. When they reached the Ohio side of the river, they took refuge with Rankin, whose home is now considered one of the first stations on the Underground Railroad.

When my family and I visit sites on the Underground Railroad, as we often do, I pause and think about the sacrifices that so many people made. It reminds me of the horrors of slavery-a part of our history that simply needs to be told. The Freedom Center will now serve as a reminder of the past and as a beacon of hope for the future. So many people saw beyond race and worked together-tirelessly-so that others could be free. Today, we look at their example, as we spread those same ideals of freedom in our own society. Someone, in particular, who fights for freedom each day, is Congressman Rob Portman. He has been my partner at the federal level in making this project a reality. He has fought tirelessly for the development of the Freedom Center and has supported funding for the Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural Program and the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. I am very pleased to now introduce my friend, Congressman Rob Portman.