Page 2 - NCF Report – February

NCF Monthly Report – February 15 (submitted on February 21)

SUMMARY

Since recent staff changes at the Fort Monroe Authority and the National Park Service, the National
Center for Freedom project has continued to organize and is proceeding to meet the needs
articulated in the grant and the stated objectives of the NCF:
• Share the history of past communities for context.
• Address the region's present challenges of racial strife.
• Help find pathways to fulfill a real democracy.

Assigned staff serve as team leads for individual components identified in the grant. These leaders
are responding with greater clarity in the current state, identifying deliverables, and the next steps
for the remainder of CY20. Meanwhile, the inaugural lectures and community conversations are
moving forward with programs taking place as early as February 20. We are also beginning
conversations with Phyllis Terrell, Director of Marketing, to identify strategies to maximize impact
and awareness, while we plan to establish the brand, or of the National Center for Freedom. Lastly,
while leadership has prioritized the immediate needs of the Center, staff are fully aware of the
challenging circumstance of implementing these pressing needs, while planning for 2021. To be
precise, this is not a simple task and will require intentionality in planning to ensure we create the
community impact we seek.

PROJECT ASSUMPTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS
The National Center for Freedom project is a complicated venture with many opportunities for
misunderstandings. Since Collective Journeys joined the team, I occasionally come across questions
that prompt a need for clarity. Below are some initial key assumptions that have guided my efforts. I
would like for us to discuss these assumptions and determine whether these assumptions become
foundational to the Center's objectives. Also, there are things I've identified that need some
attention regarding the framework of the Center. Those ideas are listed below for consideration.

Assumptions
1. The project scope embraces a broad and inclusive definition of freedom. Racial freedom, or
the freedom from discrimination based on race, easily connects to the place-based events of
1619 (arrival of Africans). Other characterizations of freedoms may not directly relate to the
history of the land that now occupies Fort Monroe. However, the significant events of 1619 and
1861 help set Fort Monroe as the ideal collaborative to host the exploration of the struggle for
freedom. Other efforts around freedom include contemporary issues involving:
a. Religious Freedom
b. Academic Freedom
c. Equality of Opportunity
d. Freedom of movement and Immigration
e. Criminal Justice
f. Economic freedom
g. Property Rights
h. Freedom of speech, press, and assembly
i. Freedom of sexual orientation
j. Freedom of gender equality

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