In honor of Black History Month, the Mirror News sent two reporters to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. Freelancer, Josh Abeare, and I went. When we arrived at the museum, we were greeted by a friendly, knowledgeable volunteer who would later guide us to the exhibits.

At our request, museum staff permitted us to visit the balcony to get a scenic view of the museum’s artistic tile floor.

When asked how attendance was doing this month, one staff member said attendance, as expected, increases during the month of February.

Two suburban elementary schools were there the day we visited: Kinyon Elementary from Taylor and Marshall Elementary from Westland. “Miss Carol,” the Marshall Elementary 6th grade teacher, told us this is the seventh year she has brought a class for the two hour tour of the museum.

As we temporarily joined the tour for her class, we enjoyed listening to the tour guide, dressed in African kente cloth, theatrically present the story of the African diaspora. The tour is part of a permanent exhibit called, “And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture.” This exhibit is the center of the museum with several galleries that chronicle the birth of many African civilizations, the enslavement of thousands of Africans, the Middle Passage, Civil Rights movements, and the history of African Americans in Detroit. Each gallery connects to the theme, “And Still We Rise,” capturing the essence that African American people continue to rise against all odds.

Having such a moving permanent exhibit raises the question about why only one month, February, the shortest, is dedicated to Black History. Begun as “Negro History Week,” in 1928 as the second week in February, by Carter G. Woodsen and Jesse E. Moorland, who founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, to coincide with the birthdays of President Washington and President Lincoln, it was later expanded during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement to the entire month. Up until then, much of African Americans’ importance was either nonexistent or incorrect in history books.

What inspired the creation of Black History Month can be found all year at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the largest museum dedicated to African American history and culture in the world.

Charles H. Wright, the museum’s founder and namesake, was an obstetrician and gynecologist. Born in Alabama in 1918, Wright was very aware of the injustices the black community faced. He spent much of his career as a doctor fighting the inequality that he as well as his black patients were subjected to. While practicing at Detroit Mercy he spearheaded the African Medical Education Fund to fund medical training for African American in the U.S.

Wright also served as a resident physician during the Civil Rights marches in Bogalusa, Louisiana. In 1965, he founded The International Afro-American Museum, which later became known as the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Charles H. Wright dedicated much of his life to the fight for equality for African Americans.

Although Black History Month is a step in the right direction, the Charles H. Wright Museum suggests that African American history should be incorporated in history lessons throughout the year.