Homestead National Monument of America to Host Special Park Service Centennial Event Lift Every Voice

Actress Aiesha Dukes portrays Dred Scott and a variety of other characters in "Lift Every Voice"

News Release Date: February 10, 2016

Homestead National Monument of America is pleased to announce the Bright Star Touring Theatre presenting an original play Lift Every Voice: The Black Experience in the Heartland on March 4, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in the Homestead Education Center.Admission is FREE!!

The National Park Service &Bright Star Touring Theatre teamed up to produce Lift Every Voice, designed specifically to celebrate the National Park Service's Centennial and the many black Americans who made a difference in the American Midwest. Watch the pages of history come to life with interactive scenes: from the first black homesteaders reaching Nicodemus, Kansas to the Little Rock Nine on their first day of school. Meet famous leaders, groundbreakers and heroes such as Charles Young, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington Carver in this engaging and educational performance. Audiences will learn about many great National Parks throughout the Midwest, such as Lincoln Home in Springfield, Illinois, Brown v Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas, and Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice, Nebraska. This production also includes empowering songs such as "Oh Freedom," "I'm Gonna Eat at the Welcome Table," "For Lincoln and Liberty Too," and "Home on the Range."

Each year, Bright Star Touring Theatre serves nearly 1,400 audiences in schools, theaters, libraries, museums and more across the country. They offer a wide variety of curriculum-based programs. The company performs regularly at the National Theatre in Washington DC and the Savannah Black Heritage Festival in Georgia. Information about all their interactive shows, including production videos, photos, study guides and more is available online at www.brightstartheatre.com

A Call to Action Strategic Plan charts a path toward the 2016 Centennial of the National Park Service and one action concept, History Lesson, expands the meaning of parks and provides opportunities to learn more about their heritage. Lift Every Voice is designed to meet the National Park Service's Centennial goal of connecting with and creating the next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates.

Remember, Homestead National Monument of America has an exciting schedule of events planned for the Centennial of the National Park Service, 2016. Keep up with the latest information by following us on Twitter (HomesteadNM), Facebook (HomesteadNM), and Instagram (HomesteadNPS).

Homestead National Monument of America is a unit of the National Park Service located four miles west of Beatrice, Nebraska and 45 miles south of Lincoln. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.Admission is free of charge. For additional information, please call 402-223-3514 or visit https://www.nps.gov/home/.