2025 International Freedom Conductor® Awards

This event was rescheduled to Saturday, September 27, 2025 from its originally scheduled date of May 24, 2025.

Legacy takes center stage.

Enjoy an evening of live entertainment, stirring speeches, and a powerful call to action as the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center celebrates five heroes with its highest honor – the International Freedom Conductor Award.

Join Emmy Award-winning journalist Tamron Hall as we celebrate the Vanguards of Freedom, featuring live music by Deborah Cox, MAJOR., Syleena Johnson and Keith Robinson. Under the bright lights of the Freedom Center, these stars will shine:

• Opal Lee - the Grandmother of Juneteenth
• Lonnie G. Bunch III - founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and first African American Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
• Toni Morrison - Pulitzer Prize- and Nobel Prize-winning author of The Bluest Eye and Beloved
• John E. Pepper Jr. - businessman, philanthropist and former CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
• Isabel Wilkerson - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling-author of The Warmth of Other Suns and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

In celebration of these heroes, black-tie attire is encouraged but not required.

PRE-SHOW VIP RECEPTION ADD-ON

Choose to begin the evening, starting at 5:30pm, with an extraordinary experience! A limited number of VIP Reception Packages are available for $170.00 apiece, including:

• A private meet-and-greet with our esteemed honorees and entertainers.
• An open bar and sumptuous heavy hors d'oeuvres, accompanied by live jazz.
• Red Carpet Experience.
• Limited-edition IFCA'25 merchandise to commemorate your support.