Library to host ‘Freedom’ exhibit from the Gilder Lehrman Institute

Public invited to open house on Martin Luther King Day

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Contact: Nicole Fowles – Communications Manager
740-362-3861 (Office) or 330-340-3702 (Cell)
nfowles@delawarelibrary.org

Delaware, OH: — Delaware County District Library (DCDL) is welcoming a traveling exhibit from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to the Delaware Main Library. From January 9 through February 5, DCDL will host “Freedom: A History of US.”

The exhibition marks the first public display of many personal letters, documents, and broadsides. Among the highlights are: a rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence, a secretly printed draft and official copy of the US Constitution, Lincoln’s handwritten notes of speeches, and letters by leading figures such as Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King. Some of the more poignant descriptions of the meaning of freedom to the common man are found in the personal letters of Civil War soldiers, which speak to the pain and pride of fighting for national ideals.

“Freedom” will be housed in the main atrium of the Delaware Main Library and can be visited any time during operating hours.

An open house with light refreshments on January 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. will celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and add to the exhibit experience.

The exhibition invites the modern-day viewer into the lives of the men and women who forged this nation, whether they arrived in this land by choice or in chains. Their words and images provide insight into the complexity of the past. Documents and photographs from the Civil War, a pivotal period in the nation’s history, will illustrate how Americans succeeded in redefining the meaning of freedom.

Other Martin Luther King Day activities across the DCDL system include storytelling with local poet Rosalind Royall sharing the importance of freedom and the legacy of Dr. King, and magic and music with performer Rory Rennick celebrating folklore in African-American history.

All program information, times and locations can be found at www.delawarelibrary.org.

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For more information about programs and services, visit www.delawarelibrary.org or contact Nicole Fowles, Communications Manager, at nfowles@delawarelibrary.org or (740) 362-3861.

 

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