Freedom Center will bestow its highest honor on five freedom heroes Sept. 27

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner (513) 608-5777, chefner@nurfc.org

Freedom Center will bestow its highest honor on five freedom heroes

Emmy Award-winner Tamron Hall hosts International Freedom Conductor Awards, presented by Procter & Gamble, at the Aronoff Center Sept. 27; tickets on sale Friday

CINCINNATI – This fall, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will bestow its highest honor to modern-day freedom heroes and equity advocates during their International Freedom Conductor Awards, presented by Procter & Gamble. The program, hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Tamron Hall and featuring a robust lineup of live music, will celebrate the leadership, courage and advocacy of those leading the fight for justice today. Tickets for the program go on sale Friday.

The 2025 International Freedom Conductor Awards will honor Lonnie G. Bunch III; Opal Lee; Toni Morrison; John E. Pepper, Jr.; and Isabel Wilkerson.

The International Freedom Conductor Award is the Freedom Center’s highest honor, awarded to recognize the contributions of contemporary individuals who, by their actions and personal examples, reflect the spirit and courageous actions of conductors on the historic Underground Railroad, the nation’s original social justice movement. Award recipients reflect positive impact on contemporary freedom issues and inspire others to act.

“Freedom calls to each of us. For generations, individuals have answered the call, risking their lives to light the way for the oppressed and the unfree. But as freedom conductors persist, so, too, do old systems and hardened hearts rise to challenge them,” said Woodrow Keown, Jr., president and COO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “Our International Freedom Conductors remind us that we are all worthy of being torchbearers and we must all answer the call to lead through the darkness, moving ever closer to the brilliant light of freedom.”