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

• Episode 3 click here

In Episode 4, Resistance To Slavery, abolitionists like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass use the Underground Railroad to help the enslaved find freedom in the North, while authors like Theodore Dwight Weld and Harriett Beecher Stowe fight slavery by publishing its horrors worldwide.  At the beginning of the Civil War the use of the Underground Railroad declines as those seeking freedom begin a much bigger fight.

Credits

Shot 1 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-59655]

Shot 2 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-highsm-09900]

Shot 3 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-D416-364]

Shot 4 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZC4-2522]

Shot 5 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-28860]

Shot 6 ArtSmart: Indiana

Shot 7 Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad by Paul Collins (Courtesy of Paul and Carol Collins)

Shot 8 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-7816]

Shot 9 Public Domain

Shot 10 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-15887]

Shot 11 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-49809]

Shot 12 Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.

Shot 13 Courtesy of Google Books

Shot 14 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-28542]

Shot 15 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs, [LC-USZ62-11212]

Shot 16 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs, [LC-USZ62-13513]

Shot 17 Jewett Advertisement, Backpages of "Edition for the Million" Uncle Tom's Cabin (Boston: John P. Jewett & Company, 1853) The Clifton Waller Barrett Collection, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia           

Shot 18 Library of Congress - Rare Book and Special Collections Division

Shot 19 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-13954]

Shot 20 Collection of the Maryland State Archives

Shot 21 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-stereo-1s02762]

Shot 22 Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Blanche Coggan Collection

Shot 23 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZC4-10315]

Shot 24 Collection of the Maryland State Archives

Shot 25 Courtesy of Jon Euseary

Shot 26 Courtesy of Jon Euseary

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.

To see Episode 1 Part 2 click here.

In Episode 2, "Banneker’s Letter," we commend African Americans who fought back against prejudice and racism long before the Civil War, with a focus on Benjamin Banneker.  In 1791, Banneker confronted Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson about his conflicting views of slavery. He challenged Jefferson’s perception of African Americans by offering himself as a role model of intelligence, wit and strength.

Credits

Shot 1 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-132557]

Shot 2 U.S. Civil War 1860 Map - Florida Center for Instructional Technology

Shot 3 Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Harper’s Weekly

Shot 4 Wikimedia Commons

Shot 5 Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Harper’s Weekly

Shot 6 Library of Congress, Alfred Whital Stern Collection, Rare Book and Special Collection Division, us-120

Shot 7 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-112670]

Shot 8 Collection of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, http://www.bdmuseum.com/

Shot 9 Maryland Map Collection, Special Collections, University of Maryland

Shot 10 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-highsm-09905]

Shot 11 Courtesy of the New York Public Library, NYPL

Shot 12 Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress

Shot 13 Collection of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, http://www.bdmuseum.com/

Shot 14 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-ppmsca-15715]

Shot 15 Massachusetts Historical Society

Shot 16 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-117117]

Shot 17 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-MSS-27748-21]        

Shot 18 Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress

Shot 19 Collection of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, http://www.bdmuseum.com/

Shot 20 National Archives & Records Administration, 200-FL-22

Shot 21 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-ppmsca-10868]

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

 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.

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 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

Prom is one of the most special occasions in a young man's or woman's life. Their high school education is coming to a close and many friends are moving on to new adventures of all sorts. It is a bittersweet time but also a very magical one. It is a time that encapsulates all the joys of being young and carefree and allows a young adult to place the coming responsibilities and challenges in the back of their mind and enjoy the evening.

This is a photo from the Indianapolis Recorder collection. It is unknown who any of these men or women are or the exact year. It is the best estimate that this photo was taken between 1950 and 1965. It was a night when young men were allowed to take the family car and young women spent the hours beforehand getting their hair done with friends. The times may have changed but many of the traditions remain the same. It is impossible to look at this photo and not see people you know; not these actual people, but ones just like them: the class clown, the cool guy, the girl with the million dollar smile, the girl who was so sweet, and so on. Pictures like this are special not because they are of important historical moments or watershed events, but because they are so simple and universal. We can look back at these photos, even though they may be taken fifty years ago, and almost know exactly what it was like.

Collection: Indianapolis Recorder Collection; year(s): 1950 - 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. 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.

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.

These three images are of a musical score arranged and published by Ordine H. Toliver, who, as reported in last week's photo blog, was one of Detroit's most gifted composers in the first half of the twentieth century.  The images show the cover, interior and back cover of Mr. Toliver's arrangement of the spiritual, "Lay This Body Down."

Collection: Ordine Toliver Collection.  Year: unknown.  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.

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.

To honor this year's Ford Freedom Award Scholar, the Honorable Judge Damon J. Keith, as well as salute spring and the national pastime of baseball, here are two photographs that accomplish both.  Our first photo features Jackie Robinson and Judge Damon Keith, and is from the years 1960 - 1965.  The second photo features, from left to right, Willie Horton, Ernie Harwell, Judge Damon Keith, and Mike Ilitch, and is from the years 2000 - 2005.

Photographs courtesy of Judge Damon Keith and the Collections and Exhibitions department of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (http://chwmuseum.org). Research 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.

Our fourth entry for National Poetry Month from the legendary Broadside Press is a poem entitled, "Granny Blak Poet (In Pastel)" and is dedicated to Mrs. Margaret Danner. This poem was published in 1970 by Arthur Pfister. Unlike our previous entries, this poem does not have a striking watercolor color scheme or added graphics to illuminate the words; this broadside is brought to life by the words themselves. The way that the words are spaced and the paragraphs are structured is the artwork. Does the placement of the words mean anything for poem? How does it tie in to the subject matter? That is for the reader to decide, but this shows how the broadside was an amazing artistic medium for the conveyance of poetry. It could make the very words of the poetry visual and well as literal art. It was art of a different time embodying the spirit of creativity and risk. It was art that could only have been created with great ambition. That was Dudley Randall's vision; that was the Broadside Press.

Collection: Broadside Press Collection; year: Poem 1970. 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.