T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Underground Railroad Museum Director Kristina Estle poses in front of a mural in the basement of the Underground Railroad Museum in Flushing.

FLUSHING — The Underground Railroad Museum is gearing up to honor the civil rights movement on Saturday.

The event will take place at the museum’s current location at 121 High St., Flushing. It kicks off at 1 p.m. and will be hosted by museum Director Kristina Estle.

Estle said she plans on delivering a detailed presentation on the civil rights movement as a whole in preparation for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.

“This presentation is meant to be a prelude to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to better understand MLK’s achievements,” she said. “It is important to understand the civil rights movement and to understand what happened, who was involved, and who tried to stop this progressive movement.”

She added that she believes in order to understand King’s achievements, people need to take a step back and fully analyze what happened leading up to and during the civil rights movement.

“The first Civil Rights Act was passed in 1866, but it was not enforced. States outright ignored it, and that led to the uprising of white supremacy and black oppression which stemmed into all of the issues we had leading to the civil rights movement,” Estle said. “The fight for equality across the board needs a more in-depth look, so that is what I want to achieve with this program that we will be having on Saturday.”

According to The History Channel’s website, “The civil rights movement was a struggle for social justice that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for Black Americans to gain equal rights under the law in the United States. The Civil War officially abolished slavery, but it didn’t end discrimination against Black people — they continued to endure the devastating effects of racism, especially in the South. By the mid-20th century, Black Americans, along with many other Americans, mobilized and began an unprecedented fight for equality that spanned two decades.”

Estle said she believes information presented at Saturday’s event may be difficult for some local residents to hear but is incredibly important.

“We are going to take a look at various events and individuals who had an impact leading up to the civil rights movement and how change happened,” she said. “We’re going to have a PowerPoint presentation, and after the presentation people can tour the museum.”

She added that admission is donation based but is recommended at $10 per person or $20 per family. She said the museum is only able to function because of donations made when touring the museum.

Estle added that although the museum will be moving to Morristown, it is and will continue to be open and operating at its current Flushing location until April 2026.

In April 2026, the museum will be moving to the historic Black Horse Inn in Morristown.

Last May, the museum and inn with assistance from the Belmont County Tourism Council received $3.9 million from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s Appalachian Community Grant Program. The program is part of a $154 million investment in Appalachian downtowns and destinations.

Estle said the entire budget will be going to renovating the Black Horse Inn.

“Even with the grant we received for the Black Horse Inn, we are not getting anything from it — no pay for me, nothing to keep the lights on. It’s all going to the Black Horse Inn for construction,” Estle said. “I think it’s just really important for people to know because people think we’re rich because we got $3.9 million out of this grant, but we’re not seeing any of it. Yes, we will have a wonderfully fantastic museum, but nothing to help pay to keep the lights on.”

She added that the museum is actively seeking volunteers to help run the organization.

“This organization is run by volunteers, and we love our volunteers but we need more help. I can’t do this as a full-time job,” she said.

She added that people interested in volunteering don’t have to have any experience or have a historical background. Estle added that she trains the volunteers to ensure they have an understanding of what they would be doing.

If interested in volunteering, email Estle at director@ugrrm.org or contact the Underground Railroad on its social media page.