The Wright Man Established Detroit's Museum of African American History

Bamidele Agbasegbe Demerson, Director of Exhibitions and Research
Patrina Chatman, Curator of Exhibitions
Charles H.

Wright Museum of African American History

Charles H. Wright, M.D. (September 20, 1918-March 7, 2002), achieved great success and satisfaction in his career as a physician. He also gained distinction as a professor of medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. As an accomplished author, he wrote articles for medical journals, penned books and articles on contemporary social history, and composed literary works on the dilemmas faced by humanity. Wright also supported causes related to social justice, quality medical care, and education. Most regard him as a prominent obstetrician and gynecologist who delivered more than seven thousand babies in the Metropolitan Detroit community. However, many believe that among his greatest accomplishments was the establishment of a museum to educate the public about the history and culture of African Americans. Such an institution would illuminate the important role of blacks in the growth of this nation.

A native of Dothan, Alabama, Wright experienced the racial caste order of the "Jim Crow" era. Nevertheless, his religious and industrious parents instilled a sense of self-determination and self-reliance that empowered him throughout his lifetime. Wright completed undergraduate studies at Alabama State College, where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1939; he later earned a medical degree from Meharry Medical School in 1943. Over the course of his medical career, the physician was affiliated with Harlem Hospital in New York City; Cleveland City Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio; Woman's (now Hutzel), Harper-Grace, and Sinai Hospitals in Detroit, Michigan. Each experience revealed the pernicious impact of social stratification in America, particularly in the access to medical care. Indeed Wright once remarked, "I never forgot the blatant racism of my Alabama origins, nor was I lulled into complacency with its more subtle manifestations in the North." He was compelled to social activism.

Wright demonstrated an abiding concern for abolishing racial restrictions and insuring human dignity. He traveled widely within the United States as well as in countries in Africa, Europe, South and Central America, and the Caribbean. During his journeys, the dedicated physician surveyed health care needs, provided medical care, visited cultural institutions, and attended conferences. These field expeditions reinforced his appreciation for the interconnectedness of the struggles within the black world. He shared his newfound knowledge in many lectures delivered and articles published at home and abroad. For example, Wright spoke about "Medicine in Cuba" to the Detroit Medical Society; and in fluent Spanish, presented "La Lucha del Hombre Negro Para Libertad en los Estados Unidos" (The Struggle of the Black Man for Freedom in the United States) at The First Congress of Black Culture of the Americas in Cali, Columbia, South America. His published writings included both medical and social concerns such as "Opposition to the World Medical Assembly in South Africa, 1985," in Journal of the National Medical Association; and "Physicians Must Be Reminded of Their Economic Responsibilities," in Michigan Medicine.

While visiting West Africa—specifically towns and villages in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Dahomey (now Benin), and Nigeria—Wright would have seen public ceremonies at shrines, and rituals at private altars housing accoutrements that reflected long-held traditions. He visited small museums where communities made efforts to preserve their heritage. Inspired by their endeavors, he began to envision such an institution for African Americans in Detroit. An excursion to a memorial in Copenhagen, Denmark, which commemorated the role of Danish resistance workers during World War II, further motivated Wright. He realized the necessity of building institutions that ensured an accurate "first-voice" transmission of a people's history to future generations.

With the support of 32 civic-minded members of the community, Wright's dream of creating a museum became a reality in1965. At that time the doctor and his family resided at 1549 West Grand Boulevard. This location also served as his medical office. Given Wright's determination to establish an enduring institution, it is not surprising that the basement of this building became the original home of the International Afro-American Museum. Later, when he moved his home and office to different locations, the once cramped Museum occupied the vacated upper levels of the unit, and thereafter expanded to include the adjacent house. During its formative years, the doctor contributed passion, time, and financial resources to the development of the institution. In effect, Wright became the curator, historian, manager, and chief promoter. A masterful organizer, he encouraged large numbers of people to volunteer their time in service to the growing Museum.

As an outreach project, Wright refurbished a 30-foot trailer as a "mobile museum." Operated by volunteers, its inaugural exhibition, The History of Africa, opened at the 1967 Michigan State Fair. Of the many exhibitions developed for the mobile unit, the most popular was one that focused on the accomplishments of African American inventors. The Museum presented such developments as the steam engine lubricator by railroad employee Elijah "the real" McCoy, and prototypes of the traffic light and gas mask by Garrett Morgan. This exhibition charted a pathway into territory that in those years, no other museum dared to conceive or deemed worthy as a curatorial initiative. Thus, at a time when the Civil Rights Movement made significant strides to end racial prejudices, stereotypes, and discriminatory practices aimed at limiting African American possibilities, the exhibition on black inventors also made significant statements. First, to the American society it demonstrated the phenomenal achievements of those who persevered in spite of racial adversity. Secondly, it dismissed a popular stereotype that African Americans were not mentally suited to work in the fields of science and technology. Thirdly, it served as a challenge and an encouragement to black public school children, especially in Detroit, that they had the capabilities to excel. In other words, mounting the exhibition was as much an astute political act as it was a significant curatorial effort.

Over the next two decades, this mobile unit traveled to schoolyards, church grounds, and shopping malls. With this itinerary, the mobile unit reached a largely non-museum going population. In so doing, the fledgling Museum gained community interest, support, and an expanded audience for its exhibitions and educational programs, many of which were held at off-site venues. By 1975, the institution became known as the Afro-American Museum of Detroit, and on the eve of its 1987 move to a new, city owned facility in the Cultural Center, the name changed again; it became the Museum of African American History. The growth and development of the institution was without question linked to community fundraising efforts that included fish fries, golf outings, and art auctions. Clubs and organizations made pledges. Young students in the Detroit Public Schools participated in the buy-a-brick campaign for the Museum's new home. With no set price per brick, the democratized approach encouraged all to participate in building an institution that enshrined their heritage. And while the children bought bricks, the adults could join the Million Dollar Club. Wright was a fund raising strategist par excellence. He reasoned that although no one person in the community had one million dollars to offer, with one thousand persons each giving one thousand dollars, the community could collectively raise money that was beyond the means of individuals. Of course the Museum also garnered support in the form of grants from government entities, foundations, and corporations.

The move from the connected units on West Grand Boulevard to a new 22,000 square foot building at 301 Frederick (later designated Frederick Douglass) was a major step. Yet, soon after the Museum settled into the location, some considered the space too small and advocated for a larger and more impressive structure. Wright prudently expressed concerns regarding the tremendous funding required for the operation, maintenance, and professional staffing of such a venture. Even so, he recognized the sentiments of those favoring further expansion. The electorate of the City of Detroit authorized the sale of bonds for the design and construction of a new edifice nearby, at 315 East Warren Avenue. In 1997 the Museum moved once more, this time to a 120,000-square-foot facility. Renamed in honor of the founder in 1998, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History became a major icon anchored in the Detroit Cultural Center.

Many years ago Wright cogently articulated, "We are dedicated to one of the most important tasks of our times, to ensure that generations… to come, will be aware of, and take pride in the history of their forebears and their remarkable struggle for freedom." This credo continues to guide the exhibitions, educational offerings, and public programs of the Museum. Indeed, the Museum is the largest and one of the oldest institutions dedicated to telling the stories of blacks in the United States, other parts of the diaspora, and the African continent. Over time its exhibitions and educational initiatives have focused on such diverse topics as African art and architecture, the African presence in Mexico, the Haitian revolution, the Underground Railroad in Michigan, Paul Robeson, blacks in the U.S. military, spiritual traditions, and much more. And the annual three-day African World Festival, organized by the Museum on the Downtown waterfront, has long been regarded as a stellar celebration of the music, art, and cuisine of blacks globally. Not surprisingly, many consider that the Wright Museum sets a standard among cultural institutions.

Far from content with establishing a black museum only in Detroit, Wright wanted to support other such institutions as they emerged in various cities throughout the country. Partnering with Dr. Margaret Burroughs, co-founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago, Illinois, he also organized the forerunner of the Association of African American Museums. They are affectionately known as the "mother and father" of the African American Museum Movement, which has been a catalyst for establishing and supporting more than 200 black museums and cultural institutions nationally.

Charles H. Wright was a scholar, activist, cultural trailblazer, and ambassador for the promotion of African American history. This beloved visionary will always be remembered as the "Wright" man who established Detroit's Museum of African American History.

This essay has been developed in part from the Memorial, published by the Charles H. Wright Museum upon the passing of its founder; the "Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Fact Sheet" that is part of the institution's press packet; and the indispensable book, The Wright Man: A Biography, authored by Wilbur C. Rich and Roberta Hughes Wright, published in 1999 by CHARRO BOOKS of Southfield/Detroit.

The quotations by Dr. Wright are from the Wright Man.