FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 18, 2026

Former Smithsonian Director Dr. Deborah L. Mack to moderate panel featuring K–12 and Higher Education Leaders; South Carolina State University Concert Choir to pHistoric Mitchelville Freedom Park Celebrates Freedom Day 2026: Freedom to Learn—Education as Liberation Then, Now, and Nexterform

Former Smithsonian Director Dr. Deborah L. Mack to moderate panel featuring K–12 and Higher Education Leaders; South Carolina State University Concert Choir to perform

Hilton Head Island, SC — Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park is proud to announce a momentous step forward in its mission to preserve and interpret the legacy of America’s first self-governed town of formerly enslaved people. On Wednesday, August 27 at 9:30 AM, the Park will officially break ground Dates: Wednesday, October 22 & Thursday, October 23, 2025
Location: USCB Hilton Head Island Campus | 1 Sand Shark Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC
29928
Time: Reception begins at 5:00 PM | Films to follow
Tickets: $30 One Night | $50 Two-Night Pass | Ticket Link

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. January 13, 2026 — Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park will host their annual Freedom Day Celebration on Saturday, February 7, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the park on Hilton Head Island. The annual commemoration will honor Mitchelville’s enduring legacy as sacred ground and spotlight the powerful role of education as a cornerstone of liberation, civic leadership, and self-determination.

The theme for 2026, “Freedom to Learn: Education as Liberation Then, Now, and Next,” is rooted in Mitchelville’s historic commitment to learning. Freedom Day 2026 will explore how the community’s early adoption of compulsory education, one of the first in South Carolina, continues to shape conversations about access, equity, and opportunity today.

“Freedom at Mitchelville was never just an idea—it was built, governed, and taught,” said Ahmad Ward, Executive Director of Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park. “Our annual Freedom Day celebration invites our community to reflect on what it means to protect the right to learn, and how education remains one of the most enduring pathways to dignity, power, and self-determination.”

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