The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Midtown Detroit has been a center for the celebration and preservation of African American history since it was founded in the 1960s. At the heart of the museum’s state of the art facility is one of the world’s largest permanent exhibitions of African American culture.

The exhibition, “And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture”, takes patrons through a journey that begins at the dawn of mankind on the African continent. From a replica of the 3.2 million-year-old skeleton of mankind’s early ancestor Lucy, the journey documents life in ancient African civilizations through the everyday interactions of early societies. Patrons are then taken across time to the arrival of slave traders and the horrors that awaited those who were captured and sold into slavery, following them on the perilous journey to the coastal region where they were crammed onto slave ships and ferried across the Middle Passage to the New World. Patrons see the horrendous conditions under which the enslaved people travelled across the Atlantic and the experiences that awaited those that survived the journey, from slave auctions to servitude on plantations across the country.

The journey continues through the enslaved people’s struggle for liberation as they escaped from the Southern states through the Underground Railroad, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, the emergence of Motown in the heart of Detroit and the influence of contemporary African American music of that era. Patrons also experience the life of the working man of color during the industrial revolution, particularly the motor vehicle manufacturing industry in Michigan. This is then followed by a celebration of notable individuals within the African American community who have stood out and achieved great feats. The journey culminates with the election of Barack Obama as the first African American President of the United States of America.

From the very first gallery to the last, the exhibition uncannily evokes the various emotions that put into perspective the struggles African Americans have faced as a people and how far they have come on their journey.

The exhibit envisions a world in which the adversity and achievement of African American history is a source of inspiration to everyone and fosters understanding, acceptance and unity. I would most definitely recommend a visit to the museum and a firsthand experience of the “And Still We Rise” exhibition. For more information, go to: thewright.org.