The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History will host a keynote program honoring famed human right leader, orator, organizer and freedom-fighter El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, more widely known as Malcolm X, Saturday, May 19 from 3 - 5 pm at the Museum, located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit.  Also on display will be special, one-day exhibit of Malcolm X’s archived writings, letters and artifacts from the Museum’s collections.
 
"Of all the cities that lay claim to Malcolm X, Detroit has a seminal place," said Herb Boyd, author, activist and former Detroiter.  "It was in Detroit where he began his liberated odyssey with the Nation of Islam.  No matter where he journeyed, Malcolm always had a deep and abiding love for this city and the city never failed to return that love and devotion.  And for a city-wide salute to Malcolm on his birthday, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, with its collection of memorabilia on Malcolm, is the perfect venue for such an occasion."
 
The keynote program will feature presentations by Herb Boyd and Dr. Haki Madhubuti, both noted activists, educators, and editors of the recent book, “By Any Means Necessary – Malcolm X: Real, Not Reinvented” (Third World Press, 2012), as well as performances by the Amen Ra Drummers, saxophonist Tony Holland, and 5-time Amateur Night at the Apollo winner jessica Care moore.  The program will also include a Q & A session and book signing; a portion of the day’s book sales will be donated to The Wright Museum.  A one-day exhibition of Malcolm X’s original writings, letters and artifacts will be on display along with original works of art by Detroit artist Charles Ezra Ferrell and a work from the Robert Smith Collection to accompany this historic occasion.
 
The Malcolm X Day program is free and open to the public.  For more information, please call (313) 494-5800 or visit http://www.thewright.org/upcoming-events/details/446-malcolm-x-day-a-historic-homecoming.
 
About Herb Boyd
Herb Boyd was born, raised, and educated in Detroit. Today, in Harlem, he is a world-class journalist, activist, professor, and author or editor of 23 books, including his most recent one, “By Any Means Necessary – Malcolm X: Real, Not Reinvented,” edited by Haki Madhubuti, Ron Daniels, and Maulana Karenga (Third World Press, 2012).  Other publications are “Civil Rights: Yesterday & Today” and “Baldwin's Harlem,” a biography of James Baldwin, which was a finalist for a 2009 NAACP Image Award.  In 1995, with Robert Allen, he was a recipient of an American Book Award for “Brotherman-- The Odyssey of Black Men in America,” an anthology. “We Shall Overcome,” a media-fusion book with narration by the late Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, is used in classrooms all over the world, as is his “Autobiography of a People” and “The Harlem Reader.”
 
About Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti
A leading poet and one of the architects of the Black Arts Movement, Haki R. Madhubuti - publisher, editor and educator - has been a pivotal figure in the development of a strong Black literary tradition. He has published more than 31 books (some under his former name, Don L. Lee) and is one of the world’s best-selling authors of poetry and non-fiction. His “Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?: The African American Family in Transition” (1990) has sold more than 1 million copies. Selected titles include: “Don’t Cry, Scream!” (1969), “Tough Notes: A Healing Call For Creating Exceptional Black Men” (2002), and “Run Toward Fear” (2004). His poetry and essays were published in more than 75 anthologies from 1997 to 2010. His recent releases are “YellowBlack: The First Twenty-One Years of a Poet’s Life, A Memoir” (2006) and “Liberation Narratives: New and Collected Poems 1966-2009” (2009). Madhubuti’s latest book of poems is “Honoring Genius: Gwendolyn Brooks: The Narrative of Craft, Art, Kindness and Justice” (2011) and he is co-editor of the new anthology, “By Any Means Necessary: Malcolm X: Real, Not Reinvented” (2012).
 
Dr. Madhubuti is a proponent of independent Black institutions. He founded Third World Press in 1967. He is also a founder of the Institute of Positive Education/New Concept School (1969), and a cofounder of Betty Shabazz International Charter School (1998), Barbara A. Sizemore Middle School (2005), and DuSable Leadership Academy (2005), all of which are in Chicago.

The Voices of the Civil War is a five-year film series dedicated to celebrating and commemorating the Civil War over the course of the sesquicentennial. Each month, new episodes will cover pertinent topics that follow the monthly events and issues as they unfolded for African Americans during the Civil War.  Within these episodes there are various primary sources – letters and diaries, newspaper reports, and more - to recount various experiences of blacks during this period. We encourage your feedback and commentary through our Voices of the Civil War web blog.

Click on the links below to view prior episodes:

• Episode 1 Part 1 click here

• Episode 1 Part 2 click here

• Episode 2 click here

In Episode 3, Contrabands, we look at the flight of African Americans to northern lines to find freedom and fight with the Union Army.  Three enslaved blacks, Frank Baker, Shepard Mallory, and James Townsend, flee to Union lines where General Benjamin Butler coins the term, “Contraband of war,” and begins a new policy known as the Confiscation Act.

Credits

Shot 1 Courtesy of the Casemate Museum
Shot 2 Courtesy of the Hampton History Museum, Hampton, Va. Tiny M. Hutton Collection.
Shot 3 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-stereo-1s01806]
Shot 4 National Archives and Record Administration
Shot 5 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-cwpb-04895]
Shot 6 Courtesy of the Casemate Museum
Shot 8 Library of Congress
Shot 9 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZC4-4550]
Shot 10 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZCN4-251]
Shot 11 Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Blanche Coggan Collection
Shot 12 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-31165]
Shot 13 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-stereo-1s02759]
Shot 14 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-105557]
Shot 15 National Archives and Record Administration
Shot 16 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs, [LC-DIG-ppmsca-08047]
Shot 17 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-156]    
Shot 18 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-stereo-1s02760]
Shot 19 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-7816]
Shot 20 Wikipedia
Shot 21 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-stereo-1s02762]
Shot 22 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-pga-01760]
Shot 23 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-33407]
Shot 24 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-ppmsca-10976]

DETROIT, MI – April 17, 2012: The latest documentary from Detroit filmmaker Oren Goldenberg, “Brewster Douglass, You’re My Brother,” is a response to the 'blank canvas' narrative that has been perpetrated by local and national media campaigns about Detroit.  The film premieres Thursday, April 26 at 6:30 pm at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit.

In 1935 Eleanor Roosevelt came to Detroit to break ground on the Brewster Homes, the first public housing project in the country built for black people.  Seventy-five years later, half of the neighborhood has been demolished and redeveloped. The other half stands windowless and seemingly vacant. 

This 27-minute documentary takes an unconventional look inside the historic buildings, introducing the viewer to lifelong residents, activists who fought to keep the projects open, and squatters – themselves former residents – who struggle to stay warm through Detroit’s harsh winter.  The film screening is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a moderated panel discussion with former residents, activists, and city planners.  Doors open at 6:30 pm, with the film slated to begin promptly at 7 pm.

With the recent announcement from Mayor Dave Bing regarding the demolition of the remaining buildings, the timing could not be better to premiere this new work, which is the third release in three years by Mr. Goldenberg (The Bicyclist 2011, Our School 2010).  Directed by Oren Goldenberg, the film is written by Paul Abowd and produced by Cass Corridor Films.  For more information please contact Cass Corridor Films at 248-224-9063 or by email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Voices of the Civil War is a five-year film series dedicated to celebrating and commemorating the Civil War over the course of the sesquicentennial. Each month, new episodes will cover pertinent topics that follow the monthly events and issues as they unfolded for African Americans during the Civil War.  Within these episodes there are various primary sources – letters and diaries, newspaper reports, and more - to recount various experiences of blacks during this period. We encourage your feedback and commentary through our Voices of the Civil War web blog.

To see the Introduction or Episode 1 Part 1 videos click here.

The American Civil War was one of the most destructive armed conflicts that the United States has ever fought. But, how did this nation, less than one hundred years old in 1865, arrive at the point of Civil War?

In the conclusion to episode 1, "The Original Sin," we travel back to the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. Here we see disunion already brewing over the issue of slavery. Delegates like James Madison, George Mason, and Benjamin Franklin pontificate on the effects of building a new nation on the backs of tyranny.

Credits

Shot 1-7,9,10,12,13,16,19,20,23,24,28,29,31,34,37,38,40-43: Courtesy of the Library of Congress, [lc-uszc2-2354, LC-DIG-ds-00120, LC-DIG-ppmsca-21740, LC-USP6-2415-A, lc-uszc2-2354, LC-USZ62-2276, LC-DIG-cwpb-05635, LC-USZ62-90258, LC-DIG-cwpb-03711, LC-USZC6-45, rbpe 00103300, LC-USZ62-67819, LC-DIG-ppmsca-31705, LC-USZ62-2770, LC-USZC4-7216, LC-USZ62 – 16960, rbpe 00103300, LC-DIG-ppmsca-05453, LC-USZ62-89701, LC-USZ62-90398, LC-USZC6-48, LC-USZC4-2520, LC-USZC4-528, LC-DIG-cwpb-05635, LC-DIG-ppmsca-21740, LC-DIG-ppmsca-10874]

Shot 8: Courtesy of South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, http://library.sc.edu/socar/

Shot 11,18,36: From the collections of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, (Schneider Collection)

Shot 15,30,39: Courtesy National Archives, [ARC Identifier 1656604; ARC Identifier 1667751, ARC Identifier 301682]  

Shot 21: White House Historical Association (White House Collection)

Shot 22: Florida Center for Instructional Technology, http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/

Shot 25: Courtesy of the Virginia Historical Society, http://www.vahistorical.org/

Shot 32,35: Courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol

Shot 33: © Courtesy of the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall

Museum intern Leah Johnson gives a post inspired by the recent showing of "Double Victory," a documentary on the Tuskegee Airmen, and Veterans Day.

It was mid-August and my grandfather won the title of being the first person to visit me here at the museum. His purpose for visiting was not solely to see me, but to also view “The Test,” which was the exhibit honoring the bravery of the Tuskegee Airmen. The exhibit is now on display at Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

July is here and the joys of summer are present everywhere.  Fireworks light up the sky, the smell of hot dogs fills the air, and parks, backyards, and front porches are filled with friends and family enjoying the summer.  Summer is in full swing.  It is also a time when a breeze, a sunset, or a smell can remind us of more innocent days where we would spend all day out with friends.  Neighborhoods became giant playgrounds for tag, baseball, basketball, or a hundred other games.  Days didn't pass by quite so fast and sunset was when we returned home exhausted and ready to do it all over again the next day.

This is another photo from the incredible Indianapolis Recorder Collection.  They are, and have been for many years, one of the leading African American news publications in the country.  This photo was most likely taken between 1930-1960, but the feelings that the photo conjures up are timeless.  The innocence and magic that can only be found in youth are seen on each of the boys faces.  It is a sentiment that hopefully resonates with everyone.

Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

Collection: Indianapolis Recorder Collection; year(s): 1930-1960.  Photograph courtesy of the Collections and Exhibitions department of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (http://chwmuseum.org). Research, caption and scanning by Derek Thomas Sojda. For more information please contact the Louise Lovett Wright Library and Robert L. Hurst Research Center at (313) 494-5840 or via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  For this and other informative posts, please visit http://chwmuseum.org/explore/blog.

As June continues spinning along like a record, we have another featured picture dealing with Detroit's music history. Although the name of Ordine H. Toliver may not be a household name to most people, he was one of Detroit's, and especially Hamtramck's, most gifted composers. In the 1920's Mr. Toliver was one of Hamtramck's most distinguished African-American citizens. He served on the village's last council and ran a music school where he had many white students (a rarity at the time). This is a photo from the Detroit Conservatory of Music where Mr. Toliver was a student. Ordine Toliver is in the second row from the top, all the way to the right. Mr. Toliver would go on to compose and arrange Negro spirituals. Check back next week when we will share the sheet music from one of Ordine Toliver's compositions.

Special thanks to the Hamtramck Public Library for information on Ordine H. Toliver.

Collection: Ordine Toliver Collection; Year: June 1927

This is another photo from the Ed McKenzie collection. During his days on Detroit radio Ed McKenzie was responsible for bringing the music of some of the best artists in the world into the homes of Detroiters. Television was not the powerful force it is today in those years. There was no American Idol or America's Got Talent, MTV or any other variety of TV shows that the public depends on to discover and listen to new music. Radio was the way people heard sports, news, music, and entertainment. The public depended on radio disc jockeys like Ed McKenzie to pick the best artists and best songs to play. Disc jockeys were responsible for putting the best artists in the ears of the public. In those days before corporate radio, the disc jockey was an incredibly idolized public figure. Men like Dick Clark and Alan Freed became household names and important historical figures. They had magnetic personalities and were the gurus of all that was cool.

In this photo Ed McKenzie is conducting what appears to be an interview with one of the most important female singers of all time, Ella Fitzgerald. Often artists like Ella would stop in at the radio station and give an interview before performing at one of the city's venues that evening. Often the sound of an old radio show or a scratchy record can take us back to these times and we realize that it may have been a slower, different way of life but the memories still remain.

Collection: Ed Mckenzie Collection; Year: 1940 - 1955

As the days grow longer, the temperature goes higher, and sunny days become more frequent, we Metro-Detroiters welcome the first days of summer with open arms. The winter was long and just last month the thoughts of never seeing the sun (or being carried away by massive amounts of rain) crossed more than a few people's minds.

For the photo blog this month we have chosen to focus on music. There are few things better in the warm weather than cruising in the car with the windows down listening to your favorite songs or sitting outside with some friends, some beverages, and your iPod (or music player of choice) on shuffle.

Many years ago people didn't have all the options that we have to listen to their favorite artists and songs. It was either from the radio or vinyl records. One of the giants of Detroit radio throughout the 1940's and 1950's was Ed Mckenzie. Ed was one of the first Detroit radio deejays to play everyone's music regardless of race. For Ed, it was all about the music. At the time, this was a bold and risky move, but Mr. Mckenzie was able to bridge the gap of racial tolerance and open ears of all people to new music. This forward thinking would lead to Ed Mckenzie becoming one of the most respected radio disc jockeys in the country. This is a photo from the Ed Mckenzie collection. He is shown doing an interview with famed jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker.

Information provided by: The Ed Mckenzie Collection at CHW Museum Archive Wordpress Blog: http://chwmaah-archive.com/?page_id=3413

"In Lock Step"

This photo shows the 1279th Combat Engineers Battalion on the parade grounds at Fort Lewis in Washington state. 

Well readers we have reached Memorial Day weekend. It may not feel like summer is any closer but it is just around the corner. This weekend as we relax with sunshine (hopefully), family, and maybe some barbeque, we should take time to remember all the men and women who have served our country and those that continue to do so. Many men and women throughout our country's history have given their time and ultimately their life to preserve our way of life. Often these soldiers, for example the 1279th, served a country that did not even provide them with equal rights and privileges. That is sacrifice. We not only honor these men for serving, but for the people they are.

Collection: 1279th Combat Engineers Battalion; years: 1950-1955. Photograph courtesy of the Collections and Exhibitions department of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (http://chwmuseum.org). Research, caption and scanning by Derek Thomas Sojda. For more information please contact the Louise Lovett Wright Library and Robert L. Hurst Research Center at (313) 494-5840 or via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  For this and other informative posts, please visit http://chwmuseum.org/explore/blog.

This is a photo of the 1279th's medical detachment. Many of these men were the field medics who would be responsible for helping the wounded on the battlefield. Many times these men would put their lives on the line to save their fellow soldiers. These men were not only responsible for the health of the battalion but they were also put through the same combat training as the other men, which made them a valuable asset on the battlefield. Many of these men are very young and it is a testament to their personalities that they would want to take on the additional responsibility and challenges of being a medic. Without brave men like this to aid the wounded, many more lives could be lost.

Collection: 1279th Combat Engineers Battalion Photographic Collection; year: 1950. Photograph courtesy of the Collections and Exhibitions department of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (http://chwmuseum.org). Research, caption and scanning by Derek Thomas Sojda. For more information please contact the Louise Lovett Wright Library and Robert L. Hurst Research Center at (313) 494-5840 or via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  For this and other informative posts, please visit http://chwmuseum.org/explore/blog.

This photo emphasizes the training that the 1279th put in during their time at Fort Lewis in Washington State. The Korean War had just begun and the United States was gearing up for war only a few years after World War 2 had ended. The 1279th would not see any combat or action in the Korean theater during the war, but this photo indicates that if it was to come to that, they were ready. A machine gun crew is dug in here, using the brush for cover for their machine gun nest. What I assume to be an officer or drill sergeant watches from the trees behind them. This photo is an excellent glimpse into the training experience of our soldiers and though the tools and conflicts have changed, the principles of combat have remained the same.

Collection: 1279th Combat Engineers Battalion Photographic Collection; year: 1952-1955. Photograph courtesy of the Collections and Exhibitions department of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (http://chwmuseum.org). Research, caption and scanning by Derek Thomas Sojda. For more information please contact the Louise Lovett Wright Library and Robert L. Hurst Research Center at (313) 494-5840 or via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  For this and other informative posts, please visit http://chwmuseum.org/explore/blog.

DETROIT, MI – May 9, 2011: Tunisia.  Egypt.  Libya.  On the anniversary of the birthday of Malcolm X and in recognition of African Liberation Day, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in partnership with the Arab American National Museum presents “Uprising: African Liberation in the 21^st Century” Thursday May 19 at 6:30 pm.  This reception and panel discussion will take place at the Charles H. Wright Museum, located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center.

"Uprising: African Liberation in the 21st Century" will examine how regime change in North Africa is impacting the political conversation in sub-Saharan Africa, and what the "Arab Spring" means to the rest of the continent.  The event features discussion by Dr. Wesley Williams of Michigan State University, Mark Fantcher of ACLU Michigan and the National Council of Black Lawyers, and will be moderated by Ismael Ahmed of University of Michigan-Dearborn and co-founder of ACCESS.

This event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.  For more information, please call (313) 494-5800 or visit the event page online at http://chwmuseum.org/upcoming-events/details/199-uprising-african-liberation-in-the-21st-century-panel-discussion.

Ten northern African nations are also considered to be Arab nations.  African-Arab nations share these unifying factors: membership in the League of Arab States, otherwise know as the Arab League; having Arabic as the official language of government and commerce (Somalia is an exception); and the presence of Arabic culture, history and traditions in these nations.  African nations that are also part of the Arab World are Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, and Comoros Islands.

The Conference of Independent African States held on April 15, 1958 in Ghana was the first pan-African conference held on African soil, and called for the founding of African Freedom Day, to “mark each year the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the People of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.”  Five years later, on May 25, 1963, leaders of thirty-two independent African States met to form the Organization of African Unity (OAU).  At this meeting, the date of Africa Freedom Day was changed from April 15 to May 25, and Africa Freedom Day was declared African Liberation Day (ALD).

The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves, celebrates and educates the public on the history, life, culture and contributions of Arab Americans.  It serves as a resource to enhance knowledge and understanding about Arab Americans and their presence in this country.  The Arab American National Museum is a project of ACCESS, a Dearborn, Michigan-based nonprofit human services and cultural organization, and is a proud Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.  Learn more at www.arabamericanmuseum.org and www.accesscommunity.org.

Founded in 1965 and located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is the world's largest institution dedicated to the African American experience.  For more information, please visit www.chwmuseum.org.

May is a verdant time when the grass is green, trees are blooming, and the anticipation of summer is thick in the air.  May is also a month to celebrate our veterans. The month closes out with Memorial Day, so it's a good time to reach into our rich collection of military photographs and honor our veterans. This month we'll be focusing on the 1279th Combat Engineers Battalion, an all-African American battalion from Michigan who trained for the Korean War in Washington state. Fortunately, their battalion was never deployed to the Korean Peninsula. We had earlier featured the battalion in November's blog entries, but the collection was too bountiful to only be featured in one month. Many of these photos were taken on furlough, show training on the base, or feature soldiers acting like the teenagers on the cusp of manhood that most of them still were.

This photo looks as if it could have been taken as the men were shipping out or had just come in to their home station. Many of the soldiers have their arms draped around a pretty girl. One cannot help but to detect a hint of sadness in many of their faces as they may be bidding their soldier goodbye for who knows how long. The life of the wife, girlfriend, and family that the soldier leaves behind is not an easy one. It is rife with uncertainty and anxiety. As we think of the soldiers this month, let us not forget the loved ones who support them as well.

Collection: 1279th Combat Engineers Battalion Photographic Collection; year: 1952-1955. Photograph courtesy of the Collections and Exhibitions department of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (http://chwmuseum.org). Research, caption and scanning by Derek Thomas Sojda. For more information please contact the Louise Lovett Wright Library and Robert L. Hurst Research Center at (313) 494-5840 or via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  For this and other informative posts, please visit http://chwmuseum.org/explore/blog.

Each year, tens of thousands of visitors from around the world walk through the entrance of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and are immediately drawn to the Ring of Genealogy with its engraved gold-plated names and marble design on the floor of the Museum’s Ford Freedom Rotunda.  Soon visitors will also see the name of Judge Constance Baker Motley.  On occasion, the tour guides will inform many of them, particularly school-age children, why her name is in this place for only those who are held in the highest esteem in the annals of African American History.

On Tuesday May 17, 2011 at 6 pm, over 300 distinguished guests will gather at the Charles H. Wright Museum for the annual and stately Ford Freedom Awards Gala that will posthumously honor Judge Constance Baker Motley as a Champion of Justice.  The only female lawyer as part of the legendary NAACP Legal Defense Fund team, Constance Baker Motley, as a young law clerk under the tutelage of Thurgood Marshall, assisted in writing the briefs for the historic 1954 Brown v. Board case.  After Brown, the New York Times reported that she argued nearly every important Civil Rights case for two decades before becoming appointed the first black woman to serve as a federal district judge.

Also on this evening, the Honorable Damon J. Keith will be recognized as the living person who best exemplifies the character, stature, and values of the principal honoree.  Both Judges Baker Motley’s and Keith’s contributions and life will be presented in a special program in the Museum’s theater, an occasion not to be missed, especially by those in the legal and Civil Rights community.

Ford Motor Company and Charles H. Wright Museum honor both Judges Baker Motley and Keith because they are an essential part of our Nation’s quest to realize its most cherished ideals – liberty, freedom, and equality.  When Thomas Jefferson wrote that “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence, nearly a quarter of the population were enslaved, and women had no legal standing as citizens in this nation.  Almost immediately, courageous men and women, mostly white Quakers and free African Americans, voiced their opposition against the actions of a society that declared itself a free nation while enslaving a significant part of its population.  Their constant and relentless agitation eventually forced the nation to face its Constitutional contradictions.  This brought forth a great Civil War that resulted in the passage of the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery, the 14th Amendment, providing equal protection to all its citizens, including African Americans, and the 15th Amendment, providing African American men the right to vote.

This is our second entry in celebration of Women's History Month. It is important that we recognize all the important contributions that women have made and continue to make to society. This is a photo taken between the years of 1940 and 1960. It features four women who were waitresses at the Orville Anderson Restaurant. This was a time in American society when women were not necessarily expected to work outside of the home, as the expectation was that the woman's role was in the home. In other words, it was their priority to raise the children and take care of the house. These times were much different than the world we know today, where many women are their household's primary or sole breadwinners. World War II can be seen as a contributing factor to the coming change of perception of women in the workforce; when men were overseas and the factories and other workplaces needed help, women entered the workforce and held their own even while continuing to maintain the family and home.

This photo was taken from the Indianapolis Recorder Collection. The Indianapolis Recorder has long been a flagship newspaper for the African American Community. You can find more information at http://www.indianapolisrecorder.com/

Photograph courtesy of the Collections and Exhibitions department of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (http://chwmuseum.org). Research, caption and scanning by Derek Thomas Sojda.  For more information please contact the Louise Lovett Wright Library and Robert L. Hurst Research Center at (313) 494-5840 or via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  For this and other informative posts, please visit http://chwmuseum.org/explore/blog.

Joining city halls, community centers and houses of worship in 300 communities around the country, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is observing the 10th annual Black Marriage Day this year on Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26.  During those two days, couples can renew their vows, get valuable insight into strengthening their union, compete against other couples for prizes and dine and dance the night away at the museum, located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit.

Black Marriage Day, typically celebrated the last weekend in March, was launched in 2002 by Nisa Muhammad, founder of the Wedded Bliss Foundation.  This national initiative encourages African Americans to embrace an institution that has long been on the decline within this community by highlighting the deep-rooted historical role marriage has played among African Americans, as well as the reality that there are still black men and women who, day in and day out, meet, fall in love, get married and stay together.  Consider President Barack Obama and the first lady, Michelle, who have become icons of a contemporary, enduring black married couple.

Tickets to Black Marriage Day are $45 per couple to attend all weekend activities including a strolling reception hosted by the Marriage Resource Center of Wayne County on Saturday, March 26.  Tickets are $30 for couples who attend all activities except the strolling reception, and $25 for couples for just the strolling reception.  Tickets for couples include entry into a special photo/essay contest on Friday, March 25.  For singles who want to get married one day, tickets are $20 per person for a day pass that does not include the strolling reception.  Tickets are available by phone at (800) 838-3006 or online at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Sponsors of Black Marriage Day at the Charles H. Wright Museum include MGM Grand Detroit, Andiamo Restaurant Group, the Marriage Resource Center of Wayne County, Esperanza Communications, Eco-Posh Events, B.L.A.C. Detroit magazine, Meijer, Epoch Catering and Oakland Mall.  The following are the scheduled events for the Black Marriage Day weekend:

FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2011 from 6 – 9 pm
• Welcome by Dr. Kenya Ayers, creator/ host “Prescriptions for Hope” radio program, educator and motivational speaker
• Keynote Address by Jamil Muhammad, director of programs, Wedded Bliss Foundation, featured on CNN's Black in America 2
• Reception & Black Marriage Day photography/essay contest; categories include:
Most Enduring – For a couple married at least 10 years and still passionate about one another.
Overcomers – For a couple that has faced, and beat, great hardship to stay together.
Against The Odds – For a couple currently facing hardship yet staying together in spite of it all.
Most Bountiful – For a couple that, together, has four (4) or more children (not to include blended marriages).
Most Romantic Proposal – For an officially engaged couple (marriage date must be set, and location booked).
Couple of the Year – Taking into account such factors as how this couple met, how long they have been married, what they have overcome to be together, their enduring passion and the well-being/success of their children.

The Black Marriage Day registration and contest entry form can be downloaded from this link: http://chwmuseum.org/images/stories/pdf/BMD-registration-form.pdf. The form should be filled out and brought to the opening reception on March 25 if couples want to participate in the contest. Forms will also be available at the museum up to and on that Friday.  Winning couples will receive dinner and an overnight hotel stay and massage at MGM Grand Detroit’s IMMERSE spa; or dinner for two at Andiamo Detroit; or a wedding planning package; or a $500 gift card to Meijer; or dinner for two at Forte Restaurant in Birmingham; retail gift cards or other prizes.

SATURDAY MARCH 26 from 12 – 8 pm
• Welcome by Dr. Kenya Ayers, creator/ host “Prescriptions for Hope” radio program, educator and motivational speaker
• Screening of the documentary, “Happily Ever After:  A Positive Image of Black Marriage,” followed by a facilitated discussion. Videos will be on sale afterward in the museum store for $19.99

Breakout Sessions, Classrooms
A Sessions, 2 - 2:50 pm
• How To Know if You’ve Found “The One”  - For dating couples considering marriage (Kim Brooks, author, and president, Driven Enterprises LLC )
• Building a Beautiful Wife (C. Ptolemy Pruden, author, “Building A Beautiful Wife”)
• Enhancing your Marriage through Conversation (Annie Ayers, retired Detroit Public School principal)
B Sessions, 3 - 3:50 pm
• Man as Priest, Provider, Protector (Aaron Hopson, author and executive director, Gems from Joy)
• Is Your Financial Foundation Firm? (Glinda Bridgforth, owner, Bridgforth Financial & Associates LLC, and author, “Girl, Get Your Money Straight!” and “Girl, Get your Credit Straight!”)
• The Myths of Living Together vs. Marriage (Christina Dixon, board of directors vice chair, Marriage Resource Center of Wayne County)

5 - 8 pm: Strolling Reception & Finale hosted by the Marriage Resource Center of Wayne County, including:
• Vow renewal ceremony
• Ballroom dancing
• Awards – Announce winners of photo/essay contest
• Closing dance – All married couples will start on the dance floor together and, periodically being asked to peel off in groups of those married from the least amount of time to those married the longest, will leave the floor until the longest-married couples are the last on the floor.

Founded in 1965 and located at 315 E. Warren Avenue in Detroit’s Cultural Center, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is the world's largest institution dedicated to the African American experience.  For more information, please visit www.chwmuseum.org.

For more information including media inquiries, please contact Angela G. King at (313) 494-5817 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Ford Freedom Award is given posthumously to honorees who have dedicated their life to improving the African American community and the world at large through their chosen fields. Each year, a Ford Freedom Award honoree and scholar are selected. The scholar is chosen for furthering the honoree's achievements for a new generation. The 2011 Ford Freedom Award will focus on the law and recognizes the accomplishments of Judge Constance Baker Motley, the 2011 Ford Freedom Award Honoree, and the 2011 Ford Freedom Award scholar, Judge Damon J. Keith

In celebration of the 2011 Ford Freedom Award's recognition of these noteworthy jurists, Michigan students in grades 4-8 are invited to submit essays by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 1 on the following topic:

The law affects people in many ways. Laws cover both big issues - business practices, violent crimes - and smaller issues - how many days kids go to school, what to do at a crosswalk or red light. Laws are national, state and local. Pick a law that affects you or your family every day. Research what the law was designed to do, how and when it was passed and how life in the community is better as a result of the law.

All participating classes will be invited to attend the FREE 2011 Scholar's Lecture to be held in the spring of 2011. The date and location of the event are yet to be determined. Seats at the lecture will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, with preference always given to classes participating in the essay contest.

Teachers of the winning students will receive tickets to the black-tie Ford Freedom Awards Gala.

Contest Prizes

1st Prize--$5,000 U.S. Savings Bond, Ford Freedom Award medal and certificate of merit for ONE winner
2nd Prize--$2,500 U.S. Savings Bond, Ford Freedom Award medal and certificate of merit for ONE winner
3rd Prize--$1,000 U.S. Savings Bond, Ford Freedom Award medal and certificate of merit for ONE winner
Honorable Mentions -- $250 U.S. Savings Bonds, Ford Freedom Award medals and certificates of merit for TWO winners

►Click here for contest guidelines and an entry form

Brought to you by Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services in cooperation with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

The universe is dependent on opposites and contradictions. For every light there is equal dark; for every negative there is a positive. Without these opposites the universe and our world would not be as we know it. In the world of civil rights, there were two main extremes. Each of these positions were led by two of the most prominent African American civil rights advocates. On the side of civil disobedience, non-violence, and the call to end segregation was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On the side of harsher measures such as acceptance of violence when necessary for self-defense, powerful rhetoric, and racial separation was Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a complicated man who fought the harsh battle of segregation and racism that was present in America during his life with anger of his own. While MLK advocated peace and change over time, Malcolm X wanted to begin something new and sever the ties that had bound his people. In his later years, after his split with the Nation of Islam, he would disavow many of his earlier views.

In 1953 Malcolm X was named assistant minister of the Nation of Islam's Temple Number One in Detroit. It is unknown if this letter was from his time in the city. The typed portion of the letter is simply business and seems to lay out the details of a trip. The handwritten part is much more representative of Malcolm X's views at the time and shed a little light on this man's way of handling his business in the Nation of Islam. After separating from the Nation, Malcolm X was assassinated by three members of the Nation of Islam in New York City as he was making a speech. Even though Martin Luther King and Malcolm X may have held different views, the fates of two of the twentieth century's most influential people were tragically intertwined.

Date: 1952-1965.  Photograph courtesy of the Collections and Exhibitions department of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (http://chwmuseum.org).  Research, caption and scanning by Derek Thomas Sojda.  Biographical Information on Malcolm X provided by Biography.com.  For more information please contact the Louise Lovett Wright Library and Robert L. Hurst Research Center at (313) 494-5840 or via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  For this and other informative posts, please visit http://chwmuseum.org/explore/blog.  Image and content copyright Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, all rights reserved.

It is hard for many young Americans, including myself, to imagine a world of segregation and inequality, where injustice was so pervasive and integrated into so many places of everyday life. For generations X and Y, it is especially hard to imagine a workplace that was without equal rights for employment, equal rights on the job, and equal rights in the weekly paycheck. Yet, this was the United States only fifty years ago. Fifty years in the span of history is not a long time; in fact it is amazing to think how much progress has been made since that era. Many Americans should feel a sense of pride in how quickly things have changed for the better. Great strides have been made but more ground needs to be covered, and I believe it will continue to be. If we use the history of the last fifty years as a reference point and view everything that was accomplished, let us then focus on the ground we can cover in the next fifty.

This is another photo from the Horace Sheffield Collection. Not only was Mr. Sheffield a labor leader in the UAW but he (and the UAW) donated their time and effort to the struggles of other workers in other industries to achieve equal rights. This is a photo from a metro Detroit Kroger grocery store. The men in the photograph are picketing outside demanding equal rights for African-American employees.

Collection: Horace L. Sheffield Collection; date: 1960 - 1968.  Photograph courtesy of the Collections and Exhibitions department of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (http://chwmuseum.org).  Research, caption and scanning by Derek Thomas Sojda.  For more information please contact the Louise Lovett Wright Library and Robert L. Hurst Research Center at (313) 494-5840 or via email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  For this and other informative posts, please visit http://chwmuseum.org/explore/blog.  Image and content copyright Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, all rights reserved.