The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is offering free admission for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 15.
A performance by award-winning composer Adrian Dunn and the Adrian Dunn Singers will be a highlight of the day’s programming, which will also include story times, self-guided activities and a community blood drive. The day of free admission is made possible through the support of the Fifth Third Foundation as part of the Freedom Center’s Fifth Third Community Days. The Freedom Center will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on MLK Day.
“As we reflect upon Dr. King’s legacy and celebrate his life, we’re honored to do so with our community. Together, we connect across generations, across politics, across identities to remind ourselves from where we have come, what we have accomplished and how far we still must go in this march toward justice and equity,” said Woodrow Keown, Jr., president and COO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
The highlight of the Freedom Center’s MLK Day activities is a one-hour performance by Adrian Dunn and Chicago’s only all-Black professional choral ensemble, The Adrian Dunn Singers. Dunn is an acclaimed singer, composer and conductor who most recently was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Live Sound for his PBS special performance of Emancipation at Harris Theater, which is currently streaming in rotation on PBS. Emancipation was composed by Dunn and performed by the Adrian Dunn Singers and the Rize Orchestra, fusing classical, gospel, hip hop and spirituals to explore the question: What does it mean to be Black and free in America in the 21st century? Dunn has also won The American Prize in Composition for Requiem from The Mass for the Unarmed Child (2022) and was named among the Top 10 Classical Music & Jazz Performances of 2021 by the Chicago Tribune. He made his composer and conducting debut with The Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra in June 2021. Dunn and The Adrian Dunn Singers performed the film score for the 2022 major motion picture Honk for Jesus, starring Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall.
Guests can also take advantage of self-guided family activities developed by the Freedom Center and story times at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., perfect for young visitors.
Hoxworth Blood Center is hosting their MLK Day blood drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Freedom Center, in partnership with the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Walkups will be accepted but donors are encouraged to register at hoxworth.org/mlk.
As marchers prepare for the annual Freedom March, organized by the MLK Coalition, the Freedom Center will be offering a warming station, courtesy of The Kroger Co.
MLK Day tickets are free but registration is recommended. Reserve your free tickets at freedomcenter.org.