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Charles Wright African American Museum

Parking At The Wright

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History celebrates Black history year-round

AT THE MUSEUM

The Cultural Center Parking Lot is located just behind the Wright. Enter on John R. Street. The cost is $7 per vehicle.

ON THE STREET

Metered spots are available along Warren and Farnsworth Avenues, and on Brush Street. Hourly rates range from $1 to $2. Pay for parking with the ParkDetroit app.

FOR BUS DRIVERS

Drop off visitors along the Warren Avenue entrance, and then park along Warren or Farnsworth Avenues, or on John R. Street.

Right Now at The Wright

Primary And Secondary Schools

As of 2016 many K-12 students in Detroit frequently change schools, with some children having been enrolled in seven schools before finishing their K-12 careers. There is a concentration of senior high schools and in the area, which had wealthier residents and more gentrification relative to other parts of Detroit: Downtown, northwest Detroit, and northeast Detroit have 1,894, 3,742, and 6,018 students of high school age each, respectively, while they have 11, three, and two high schools each, respectively.

As of 2016 because of the lack of public transportation and the lack of school bus services, many Detroit families have to rely on themselves to transport children to school.

Public schools and charter schools

With about 66,000 public school students , the district is the largest in Michigan. Detroit has an additional 56,000 students for a combined enrollment of about 122,000 students. As of 2009 there are about as many students in charter schools as there are in district schools. As of 2016 DPS continues to have the majority of the special education pupils. In addition, some Detroit students, as of 2016, attend public schools in other municipalities.

Detroit public schools students scored the lowest on tests of and of all major cities in the United States in 2015. Among eighth-graders, only 27% showed basic proficiency in math and 44% in reading. Nearly half of Detroit’s adults are .

Private schools

Detroit Free PressDetroit News

: FBI 2019 UCR data

Getting To The Wright

LOCATION

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan, in the city’s thriving Midtown region.

If you see the Michigan Science Center and the Detroit Institute of Arts, then you’ve made it. We’re right next door!

ADDRESS

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History315 East Warren Avenue

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About Charles H Wright Museum Of African American History

Obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Charles Wright is proof that one person can make a big difference. In the 1960s, Dr. Wright was consumed by a vision: to create a center for the development and preservation of African American culture and history. He drew 30 other Detroit citizens to his cause, and together they established the International Afro-American Museum, which was renamed in honor of Dr. Wright in 1998. Today, the museum remains a place to explore the history of African Americans, from their origins in Africa to their struggle to overcome slavery and discrimination in America.

  • Size: a 125,000-square-foot facility with more than 30,000 artifacts and archival materials
  • Permanent Exhibit:And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture, where more than 20 galleries travel from ancient African civilizations to modern-day Detroit
  • Eye Catcher:Ring of Genealogy, a 37-foot tile mural surrounded by the names of prominent African Americans
  • Special Programs: films, lectures, educational programs, and annual events, including the African World Festival
  • Don’t Miss: the handcrafted artwork inside the museum store, which comes from local and African artisans
  • Hands-On Learning:A is for Africa, an exhibit with 26 interactive stations that introduce young visitors to African history
  • Pro Tip: The museum is closed on Mondays.

Charles H Wright Museum Of African American History

Detroit
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

Exterior of the museum
History museum and cultural history
Collections
thewright.org

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, or The Wright, is located in Detroit, Michigan in the U.S. inside the city’s MidtownCultural Center is one of the world’s oldest independent African Americanmuseums.

Founded in 1965, The Wright museum holds the world’s largest permanent collection of African-American culture. With a collection of more than 35,000 artifacts, The Wright’s current 125,000-square-foot museum opened as the largest museum in the world dedicated to African American history.

The Wright, whose exhibits include Underground Railroad documents and letters from Malcolm X and Rosa Parks, also hosted memorial events for Parks and the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin, who lay in state in the museum’s rotunda in 2005 and 2018, respectively.

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Stories In Stained Glass

Musicians, dancers, freedom advocates: for stained glass artist Samuel A. Hodge, these figures are beacons of hope and transformation in African-American history and culture.

  • – December 31, 2022

    To Whom Much is Given is an exhibition and a complimentary suite of programs about the lives and careers of Dell Pryor and Josephine Love.

  • – December 31, 2022

    44: Portraits of a President is a collective sculptural show created to recognize and celebrate the historical significance of the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Wright Museum Of African American History

Founded in 1962 by Dr. Charles Wright, it began in two houses on West Grand Blvd. Dr. Wright was present during its move to this $38 million complex designed by African American architects Sims-Varner. When one enters through the brass doors of the 120,000 square feet museum, your eyes are drawn from the Canadian Arriscraft stone floor along the Kansas Terra-cotta stone walls then 55 feet upwards to the rotunda dome. Whisk off to the gallery that evokes a visceral response with its Middle Passage Tight Pack exhibit, which is a commemoration to those who were abducted from Africa. Tight Pack refers to how enslaved people were packed tightly together and shackled as human cargo. FYI: 40 local students were selected as models for Tight Pack. The Wright Museum chronicles African American history beginning in Africa, through the Black Holocaust and Civil Rights Movement. Many artifacts illustrate accomplishments and inventions by African American. Louis Lattimer Café provides a pleasant place to sip java and enjoy a pastry.

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What Are The Closest Stations To Charles H Wright Museum Of African

The closest stations to Charles H. Wright Museum Of African-American History are:

  • Warren & Brush is 83 yards away, 2 min walk.
  • St Antoine & Warren is 400 yards away, 6 min walk.
  • Woodward & Warren is 502 yards away, 7 min walk.
  • Woodward + Warren is 513 yards away, 7 min walk.
  • Canfield St – Northbound is 3918 yards away, 46 min walk.
  • Charles H Wright Museum Of African American History Virtual Tour

    Wright Museum concern

    The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History was founded in 1965 with a focus on African-American culture. The Wright Museum serves as a museum of artifacts and a place of cultural retention and growth.

    The Museums collection includes over 35,000 artifacts and archival materials. Its facilities include a Research Library, and a Theater for film, live performances, lectures, and presentations.

    The museums interactive exhibit explores African American History and Culture. The museum also hosts events that celebrate the culture of the African diaspora.

    Charles H. Wright was a gynecologist, who was inspired to open the International Afro-American Museum in a house he owned in 1965.

    In 1985, and the museum moved to upgraded facilities and was renamed the Museum of African American History.

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    Highlights Of The Charles H Wright Museum Of African American History

    • The Underground Railroad Collection
    • The museums official poem, written by Melba Boyd, inscribed in bronze
    • A collection of documents about the labor movement in Detroit
    • Exhibition areas devoted to African Americans and their lives
    • A terrazzo tile creation by artist Hubert Massey entitled Genealogy is in the rotunda floor
    • The museums rotunda glass dome 100 feet by 55 feet
    • African artifacts, such as masks from Nigeria and Ghana

    It’s A Great Time To Visit

    Jazz is in the air at the Wright. Celebrate the people who contributed to the cultural footprint of jazz with “Jazz Greats: Classic Photographs from Bank of America Collection.” Then visit the companion exhibit Detroit Jazz: The Legacy Continues, highlighting Detroit jazz musicians who left their mark on the International, National and Local Jazz Scene.

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    A Mobile Guide For Everyone

    In anticipation of Black History Month, the museum team focused on launching The Wright Museum GalleryGuide, a mobile guide which would highlight all exhibitions, past and present. Each exhibition would offer visitors 3 approaches to learning about the exhibition:

  • The Deep Dive: the full content experience, this tour features both multimedia and text rich for those visitors wishing to explore the full exhibition story through the staffs research and writing, video and audio experiences, as well as a treasure trove of photographs and artworks.
  • The Visual Tour: for visitors with a preference for learning through visual resources, this tours focuses heavily on sharing exhibition installation photographs as well as collection photographs with short but descriptive captions. A user simply has to swipe through the collection of images to grasp the message, physical layout, and key exhibition pieces.
  • The Audio Tour: this audio focused tour is for those audiences that wish to listen without having to engage with the screen, multimedia or text. The museum team developed full audio stories for this tour.
  • The Wright team makes this mobile guide experience available onsite through QR codes, on the website via the web app, as well as available on Google Play and the App Store so the app does not just tailor to different learning styles but also, their audiences preferred communication channels.

    Noel Night Hours: : 00 Pm

    Photos at Charles H Wright Museum of African American History

    Etienne Charles

    The Wright will feature a performance by award-winning musician Etienne Charles from 7:30-9:00 pm in the General Motors Theater.

    Trinidad born Etienne Charles is a performer, composer and storyteller, who is continuously searching for untold stories and sounds with which to tell them. A 2015 Guggenheim Fellow and 2022 Creative Capital Awardee, he researches his compositions by traveling to the regions on which he is focused, meeting with musicians and cultural leaders then observing and participating in rituals to be fully immersed into the cultures that he is studying.

    His concerts engage, enlighten, educate and enrich audiences with energized multidisciplinary performance utilizing original composition, thematic improvisation, dance, short films and spoken word to create a holistic experience.

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    Plan Your Visit Today

    With dynamic permanent and visiting exhibitions open to the public year-round, there are plenty of opportunities to explore The Wright for yourself.

    • Wednesday: 9 AM – 5 PM
    • Thursday: 9 AM – 7 PM
    • Friday: 9 AM – 5 PM
    • Saturday: 9 AM – 5 PM
    • Sunday: 9 AM – 5 PM

    Holiday Hours: The museum will be closed on the following holidays:

    • Saturday, December 24th, Christmas Eve
    • Sunday December 25th, Christmas Day
    • Saturday, December 31st, New Years Eve
    • Sunday January 1st, New Years Day

    Note: Seeing all exhibitions on display takes visitors approximately 2 hours. Arriving during the last hour of any given day may impact one’s ability to view all exhibitions, and should be done at their own discretion.

    Th And 21st Centuries

    Michigan’s economy underwent a transformation at the turn of the 20th century. Many individuals, including , and , , , , , and , provided the concentration of engineering know-how and technological enthusiasm to develop the . Ford’s development of the moving in marked a new era in transportation. Like the and railroad, mass production of automobiles was a far-reaching development. More than the forms of public transportation, the affordable automobile transformed private life. Automobile production became the major industry of Detroit and Michigan, and permanently altered the socioeconomic life of the United States and much of the world.

    With the growth, the auto industry created jobs in Detroit that attracted immigrants from Europe and migrants from across the United States, including both blacks and whites from the rural . By 1920, Detroit was the fourth-largest city in the US. Residential housing was in short supply, and it took years for the market to catch up with the population boom. By the 1930s, so many immigrants had arrived that more than 30 languages were spoken in the public schools, and communities celebrated in annual heritage festivals. Over the years immigrants and migrants contributed greatly to Detroit’s diverse urban culture, including popular music trends. The influential of the 1960s was led by a variety of individual singers and groups.

    In a 2020 study, Michigan was ranked as the 13th easiest state for citizens to vote in.

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    The Charles H Wright Museum Of African American History

    11/30/2021

    The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History opened the doors to its current Midtown Detroit facility in 1997 and hosted an impressive 30,000 visitors in the first three days of operation. The museum was originally established by its namesake, Dr. Charles H. Wright in 1965, as the International Afro-American Museum, and is considered to be the oldest and largest museum dedicated to black history in the world. Dr. Wright was a Detroit area obstetrician who was inspired by a visit to a World War II memorial while traveling abroad. His goal was to document, preserve, and educate the public on the history, life, and culture of African Americans. In my next life, Wright told The Detroit News in 1997, Ill be a historian, not a physician.

    The three-story building was designed by architect Harold Varner of the Detroit architecture firm Sims-Varner Associates with inspiration from African art and architecture. The museum boasts 125,000 square feet of space and was constructed for $38.4 million. Flags of African nations fly in the main rotunda under a 55-foot-tall glass dome. Other spaces include a 22,000 square foot exhibit titled And Still We Rise, gallery space, listening rooms, a 317-seat auditorium, classrooms, a research library, gift shop, restaurant, and administrative offices.

    A Word On Dr Charles H Wright Founder

    Video Overview of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

    An idea came to me that African Americans needed a museum to collect and preserve our history and culture. And, with the help of many minds and hands, that idea came to fruition.

    A trip to Denmark changed our founder’s life, and lit a fire within him to create what would become one of the first cultural institutions of its kind in the United States.

    On encountering a memorial to World War II heroes in Denmark during the mid twentieth century, Detroit-based obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Charles H. Wright felt inspiredinspired to create a repository for African-American history and culture, a space for celebration and remembrance that would inspire generations of visitors.

    “I was committed to what I defined as ‘one of the most important tasks of our times,'” Dr. Wright would later remark, “ensuring that generations, especially young African Americans, are made aware of and take pride in the history of their forebears and their remarkable struggle for freedom.”

    Over half a century since Dr. Wright first opened the International Afro-American Museum in January of 1966, The Wright has expanded significantly in size and in ambition.

    The state-of-the-art, 125,000 square-foot facility that the museum currently occupies in Detroit’s thriving Midtown serves as a cultural beacon for the City of Detroit, and for the United States, championing the stories of African Americans and offering a space for rigorous contemplation for visitors of all backgrounds.

    Membership Perks

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    Transitioning To An Online Exhibition

    While the physical exhibition concluded in December 2020, the online exhibition continues to be available as a digital companion living on through the museum website. Audiences are presented with a responsive web experience which works across all devices including their desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones.

    Museum audiences are free to continue to engage with the multimedia content and voting experiences which means the museum team can amass a significant amount of data from their national audiences who are contributing through their voting action.

    The museums education team plans to expand the content available in the long-term and serve K-12 audiences more directly.

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