Executive Committee Meeting 10-15-24

President's Report

Page 37 of 95

EXPLORE DETROIT

MIDTOWN

Michigan Science Center E3 5020 John R. St - Q Line Warren Ave - t 313 577 8400 - www.mi-sci. org - 10am-4pm - closed Mon. - Tickets ranging from $18. Nothing has been overlooked in this wonderfully hands-on scientific museum. Visitors are encouraged to touch everything within their reach and learn from experience, much appreciated by the younger crowd especially. Here you can learn all about the importance of nutrition and exercise for health, discover the basics of physics by finding out all about magnetic fields, gain insight into road and bridge construction, and more. The IMAX cinema screens several films (program and schedule change daily) . The space section and the planetarium are particularly popular.

Doorway to Freedom – Detroit and the Underground Railroad revisits the city’s role in the flight of slaves to freedom through the awe-inspiring support network of the Underground Railroad ( T page right) . Detroit 67: Perspectives scrutinizes the racial riots of 1967, their origins, and their consequences on the history and sociology of the city. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History a E3 315 E. Warren Ave - Q Line Warren Ave - t 313 494 5800 - www. thewright.org - 9am-5pm (Thu. 7pm) - closed Mon. - $15 (child $12). Founded in the 1960s by Charles H. Wright, a doctor from Detroit, this museum, in its current building since 1997, is dedicated to the history of African-Americans . Exploring the links between Africa and America, it analyzes the influence of this community in Detroit, where they account for 76% of the population (2023). Under the huge glass roof past the entrance, visitors are invited to stand around the Ring of Genealogy , an immense mosaic of colorful marble laid by artist Hubert Massey. It evokes this history, and is surrounded by a list of eminent names, including Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Nelson Mandela, the latter added in 2014. And Still We Rise – The exhibition begins on the second level, at the very heart of the museum, inviting visitors on a journey through time and space via a series of twenty

or so rooms. It all starts in Africa, the cradle of humanity. Visitors get to discover the geology and geography of the Black continent, as well as its history. Different environments are recreated, like a market in the Kingdom of Benin in the 14th century. Then comes the history of the trafficking of Black slaves : see an African king doing business with European merchants; pass through the fort on Gorée Island; board a slave ship, first on the deck, then in the holds; land on a slave market in Annapolis in 1790, before being transferred to a plantation. Next comes the time of the struggle for emancipation and the role of the Underground Railroad T p. 133 . This network of routes and refuges, which gets its name from an encrypted language based on railway terminology, was taken by fugitive slaves seeking to travel beyond the Mason-Dixon line and escape from the slave states. Many passed through Detroit, nicknamed North Star because the fugitives would arrive in a safe place by heading north, or Midnight because the passages to Canada were better done at night. The city, where 5,700 Black people lived in 1910, had 120,000 a decade later! This increase is explained by the abundance of work in the auto industry and the progressive legislation of the Ford factories, which—uncommonly for the time—offered the same wages to all their workers, regardless of skin color. The fight for civic rights during the 1960s, and the challenges that remain today, conclude this incredible experience.

picture library is a goldmine for lovers of vintage snaps! Detroit Historical Museum a D3 5401 Woodward Ave - Q Line Ferry St - t 313 833 1805 - detroithistorical.org - 10am-5pm (Sun. from 1pm) - closed Mon.-Tue.- $10 (child $6). w Stock up on “Made in Detroit” items in the museum shop. Inaugurated in the 1950s, this fascinating museum was given a facelift in 2012. Running themed galleries and temporary exhibitions, it showcases its collections attractively, evoking the city's history and culture. Streets of Old Detroit is one of the most popular sections: stroll the streets of the city from the 1840s to the early 20th century, passing by life-size stores such as Sanders, the famous confectioners which opened in 1875 and still operates today. America’s Motor City recalls how Detroit helped create the automotive industry, and how it went on to shape the city. Arsenal of Democracy reminds visitors that more than one-third of the war material produced by America during the Second World War came out of Detroit's factories. Motor City Music traces the incredible musical heritage of Detroit, ( T p. 140) known for Motown but also the emergence of Kid Rock, Iggy Pop, Eminem, Madonna, and the techno movement! Origins: Life Where the River Bends tells the story of the region before and after the arrival of Europeans.

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