A Millage to Keep Metro Detroit's Stories Alive

0:00Hey friends and welcome to episode 1,958 of your Daily Detroit podcast. I am Jare Stays. Today we're talking about preserving metro Detroit's stories through the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Society. Thanks to our members on Patreon for supporting the show, it takes many hours to put together these episodes and it's only possible with your support. So join us patreon.com slash daily Detroit. That's patreon.com slash daily Detroit. Feedback is always daily Detroit at gmail.com or 313-789-3211. Alright let's get into the show. Joining me in Norris Howard at our studio at Tech Town are two esteemed guests to talk about a topic that's near and dear to my heart. First off I want to introduce Alana Rue, the president and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society. Welcome. Thanks. I have spent many, many hours in your museum.

1:00I love that. I've got to tell you when I was a kid my grandmother lost me in your museum because I gone wandered off with a dosant for a tour because I really wanted to learn how the pharmacy worked in the basement. It's magical. Yes. Yes. And then to your right and my right is Neil Barkley, president and CEO of the Charles Wright Museum of African American History. Also honestly one of the most important places in the United States. Thank you so much for stopping by daily Detroit. Pleasure to be here. And Norris Howard. Good to see you man. Oh you know I'm always here and I'm really excited to take part in this conversation to my favorite places in the entire state of Michigan. Yes. So let's talk about the news. There is a very important reason that you're here that's coming up with a decision ahead. So what are you, what are you asking for? What's going on? Well this is a moment that's seven years in the making. So we are two organizations are partnered together to go before the voters on November 3rd to get a millage that will support our efforts to make sure that our institutions

2:07are thriving and still here for future generations. And why is it so important to go for a millage now? I know people might be looking at things going well the cost of goods are going up. All kinds of things, you know people who might not know that how much like the city of Detroit in the past has supported the institution, things like that. Why is it seven years in the making and why have asked for a millage? Well it's important now because it has been seven years in the making frankly. We realize that we did not have a sustainable funding model seven years ago. Basically it has been trying ever since to try to find some reliable source of income to keep the work that we're doing both current, bring in the kinds of people that we think would appreciate the work that we're doing to expand our audiences, expand our programming, but also just to do the basic and the backing and tackling that's involved in running a museum frankly which is not an inexpensive enterprise. I am sure not. So for each of you why don't we show off a little bit and talk about the programs that you already do now that this will help support.

3:08People get to know a little bit better because I mean me and Norris are kind of museum rats. Yeah, we're there all the time. And I want to be careful and kind. And I want to be cognizant that not everybody goes by the old Detroit bike shop there and gets really excited peering through the windows and remembers the animatronics from back in the day. Oh, that's right. I know. Well, I can start the Detroit Historical Society very proud to run the Detroit Historical Museum and also the Dawson Great Lakes Museum on Belial, which tells the maritime history of our region. A lot of folks don't know that those are connected. But we are the institution that our goal as Detroit storytellers are the only ones that are responsible for collecting all of the stories. So no matter what your background is, how your family came to Detroit, we are the place that collects those stories. We also care for a collection of almost 300,000 artifacts that are stored at our collections resource center at historic Fort Wayne. Those are what we use to tell the stories in the museums, but they're also the patrimony

4:10of the city. They belong to the residents. And it's very, very important that those stay available to people and accessible to the community. And we do it through storytelling. And if I know you've been going there a long time, but people don't understand how changing in dynamic museums are. This isn't your old grandma's dusty museum. So we have a lot of things you remember from when you were a kid and all that nostalgia, but at the Detroit Historical Society alone at our two museums, we had 23 different new exhibits that came through. So no matter when you come, you're always going to be able to experience something new. Whether it's something like hearted in nostalgic, like Hudson's holidays, which everyone loves that, we're going to be telling the story with the centennial of the parade company this year. Or some more serious things like the doorway to freedom exhibit or the story about uprising in 1967 here in Detroit. You know, really kind of hit it at all angles. And like I said, we're the only ones who are doing it. And that's at risk right now. And I think you both add a lot of context because I think about with the whole Chinatown

5:12discussion. That's right. When we were covering that discussion about Detroit's Chinatown, it blew my mind how many Detroiters didn't even know that we had one. There was actually two. Yeah. Yeah. Well, my dad lived near one of them. He was a plum street artist. Okay. Like it's one of those things that you'll go online and you realize it was a discussion. It made me realize even though I'm in my upper forties now, there are legions of people who don't remember her don't have that connection. And it's so important to remember all those pieces of our history because I think in so many ways Detroit and Metro Detroit, we have been like blasted apart in this polycentric region where we're across all these places. And it's important we keep the recipes. So important we keep the recipes. Yeah. Like I said, I don't remember. The thing is, I know it was about finding someBM's and order people as I said, ça, it probably is my job too.

6:14That was the way I thought you were being trusted access issues yes. Yes. Yes. Perhaps Wright is not difficult to find the super many different messages out there by Vienna's community message. what people it's important to know. It tells the story of African Americans from the shores of Africa all the way through the present day. It actually is the model for this Smithsonian's exhibition on the same topic, right? So the Museum of African American History at DC took the rights model and created their own model. I call it our exhibit on steroids, basically. But in addition to that, we do write conversations. We do performances. We have a myriad of program, public programs that happen in the community, programs of MLK, Juneteenth, those special events, right? And so the breadth of the work that we do is pretty extensive and touches all kinds of folks. We say that African American history is American history. And that's because so much of what happened in the African American community, particularly in the civil rights movement, et cetera, really influence how we think about voting,

7:16for example, or democracy. And even tomorrow if I can make a plug, we have Stacey Abrams, you know, in to the Museum to talk about voting significance, importance of that, particularly in this moment. So in part, what we offer will be a free admission to all residents of Oakland and Wayne counties of busing for students to get to the facility. One of the reasons that we hear that folks don't come to the extent that they want to is because they can't get there. So having busing for students to get to the facility, busing for seniors as well. Curriculum guides for teachers. Our teachers tell us I'd love to use more of this material that we're seeing of these wonderful institutions in my classroom, but I don't really have all the time to do the research and what have you to really make that, you know, of what's the viable curriculum. So we do that for them as well. Right. And so those are all important things. Plus 15% of the millage proceeds will go to other public historical museums and the two counties.

8:16So in addition to storing up our two institutions, our sister institutions that are smaller than ourselves will also benefit from the smell. These are people we work with all the time. You know, they come to us apart on artifact or to help with an exhibit that they're doing, but they will be eligible to receive other grads from the counties to further their own work. So it's exciting. We're very excited about that. And we know that folks love the museums that are right in their communities, no matter where you live. And so this is something different from the other millages that we know that people have supported and that it really stretches much further. So what is the scope of this millage and how will it, how do the nuts and bolts work about if it passes, if it doesn't? Because the counties it covers and things like that. So it's Wayne and Oakland County. It does need to pass in both counties in order for it to pass it all. So, you know, we're working hard to get the word out about that. You know, the polling that we've done has showed us that people are very supportive. We know that this community loves their arts and culture institutions.

9:18And we have seen that with the DA millage with their renewal with the zoo. You know, we have the last two publicly held institutions. And it's $3 a month for a home value of $300,000. So it's really, we think even in this time where people are concerned about affordability really quite affordable, especially when you think about what you get and return for that. Yeah, 1,000% and especially for myself with the Charles Wright, the exhibits there are transformative in my opinion, everyone in America that ever comes to Detroit. Absolutely has to visit the Charles Wright, not just because of the significance of the exhibits as it pertains to the triangle trade, but also as it pertains to the African-American relationship to this region, to the city of Detroit, and to Michigan as a whole. I think my next question is, we talked about how affordable it is, the affordability. What I want to ask, what are your favorite parts of working at these museums?

10:20Because we don't often get a lot of chances to talk to the curators or to the directors of these wonderful institutions. Why do you get up in the morning every day to do this work? I can say my office overlooks the main rotunda of the museum. And what just thrills me every day when I come in and seeing the, particularly the young kids come through the door and the volume of them that will come through in a given week and how diverse that group of kids are, right? But just seeing them come in to enjoy, see the exhibits, et cetera, have them. See them when they're leaving the exhibits, return back to their buses and the buzz among them. It's just a thrill for me, I have to say. Now, I agree. I mean, it's really magical work. And it's all about the human element to me too. And there's something really special about seeing, you talked about going with your grandma and her losing you, right, with the windows there. It was wonderful. No, it was okay. Hey, I got a bunch of kids. So I know how that works. But seeing that multi-generational,

11:21let me show you this. I remember when, you know, kind of moment. And there's a lot of teaching that goes on during those times. And it's special for families. The streets of old Detroit, where you wandered off, is almost like this untouchable part of the museum because everybody, if you grew up here, you went there in third grade to learn about how Detroit was founded. And so we've had a lot of interpretation to that and some technology to help people dig a little bit deeper. But it has essentially stayed the same because there's people have a special place in their heart for that. And so I think it's those moments. It's also, you know, museums are one of the only remaining trusted institutions in the country, probably in the world. And we hold spaces to have really difficult conversations. You know, I'm really looking forward to being at Niels' event tomorrow and to hear Stacey Abrams. And, you know, talking about the importance of voting today, you know, we really, we run the gamut. So history is not old and dusty. It's like, we're making history today. And so that part of it, that we call it contemporary collecting.

12:23You know, we, our team is always on the lookout in collecting artifacts and photos and video of history that's being made today by sort of, you know, some big important folks whose names we all know. But then also the every man who is still, you know, has that Detroit grit and is hustling and making things happen here. So what I'm hearing, Jair, is that daily Detroit could be in a museum one. You could. You could be one day. You could be, yes. You know, every time I see that old WXYZ sign, that's what I'm saying, right? Yeah, this big ol' logo in there. But that's a professional, right? So our mascot is actually this guy, a fessant. His name is Lucius Vernon, Fess Gerald III. Of course it is. Exactly. He's got to go, you know he's got to go. He's got to go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. So for people who are, you know, let's say they're listening to you and they want to, maybe they've not experienced your spots in a while. What's happening this fall that you're really proud of? Or maybe point to a couple of exhibits or things each of you that people would say,

13:24hey, if you've never been to the museum before or if you haven't been a long time, where do you want to go first? So of course, our core exhibit is always the draw that most people come in to see if they haven't seen it before. But in our other galleries, in one gallery we have an exhibit, it's called Hoovodes. And basically it's about the electoral college and how that works in our electoral system. A lot of people don't realize that we vote for electors or then vote for the president and why this sort of popular vote doesn't always translate to. So this is an exhibit about that that's totally interactive where you can, you know, this state goes, this state doesn't go, and you can figure out how you get to 278, which is the magic number for that. We also have an exhibit from a list of Catlet's Estates, very renowned sculptor painter, artists, who has an exhibit that is also on view currently at the museum. And then on our performance side, we have, or our lecture side, we do have Stacy Abrams coming in, we mentioned later in the year, we have Abby Phillips and Angela Davis will be in this year.

14:24Her boy, our own her boy, local hero historian, will be back with us this year. And then on the performance side, Jessica Caramore, reviving what I think is one of her best works called Wild Beauty, the Philadelphia dance company, Philadelphia Danko in the theater, Michelle and DeGio Tello will come with us this year. So it's an exciting, you know, sort of a year of different kinds of voices from throughout African-African-American culture that'll be here. That's amazing. Yeah. I'll pick three. I mean, we're always working on something new. One thing I'd love to highlight is our hustle project. So we are featuring the story of 35 Detroit-based entrepreneurs of color who are making history today. And that is a very magical thing that kicks off this fall with the first set of exhibits and will run for a year and a half. We have lots of programming around that, including resource summits, but really focusing on history as it's being made today. So that's very exciting. We have a comic book exhibit.

15:25People don't understand the depth of Detroit's history in comic books. I went in cover that actually. For the show. Yeah, that was one of my favorite parts. We went down there and talked to them. They're so cool. So that exhibit is actually going to be rotating out and we're launching this huge exhibit on the history of the cast corridor. Oh, wow. So everybody's going to love that. And then in our community gallery, we're going to be telling the story of the parade company, which turns 100. And so Detroiters in nostalgia is really a beautiful thing. So that's just an example of the things that we're doing. Really runs the gamut. And we just invite people to come. We are your museums. We are here for everybody in the region to enjoy. And we're really excited for the experience to be free for residents of Wayne and Oakland County. Absolutely. I'll say this because I'm a member of the historic museum as that one of the great things about having regular access to your museums is that they can be a third space for you that you're already paid for. So you need a moment to go chill. Go hang out with some history. Go learn about your history or go enjoy one of the events

16:27that they're doing. And I think it's just going to be so great for the region for the city to be able to have this. I don't always advocate for things. But this is one of the few times I will actually have a lawn sign on my front yard. No, we stand in this one. We stand on this one. Very rarely do I as the host of this show put a lawn sign in my front yard. But for this, I will because I think it is so important to support things like this because we need these spaces. Detroit is a community as city of region that we've been pulling so many directions for so many reasons and so many ways. And every way that we can come together, learn about our past and build our future. I think it's so very important. Yeah, 1000% and to me, I wish you, Jared. I'm standing on this. Go ahead support this village because as I've said before, the DIA's village was transformative. And to be able to go to the store at the museum, to be able to go to the right, to be able to experience these wonderful institutions that we've had here for many, many years, that in my opinion are significantly undervisited

17:27and underutilized by our communities, mostly because of some of those structural issues that we talked about around cost and transportation. But knowing that the village would even assist with those things is fantastic. And I think the last thing that I want to say is that the cultural center, the cultural area with all of the museums including the library, including Wayne State putting that all together, this is one of the last things to me to finally bring it all together to where, man, you could spend your whole day down there, almost a whole weekend down there. And if you are a resident of Wayne or Oakland County, you could do almost all of it for free if this passes. So think about that y'all. It's something great to do. $3 a month. I like it. I like it. So obviously, listeners, the decision is yours. You know where I stand, but I respect your decisions and your thoughts. But when people are making this decision, on this, where are they going to look on their ballot and what's it labeled as and all that? Yeah, it's got a long name. It's the South East Michigan Historical Museum's authority.

18:30And it'll be on the back of your ballot. Back of your ballot. Yeah. So please flip the ballot over. Flip the ballot over. Look for the long name involving historical museums' authority. That's right. That's what you want to do if you want to evaluate this. And if you want more information, our website is yes to our story.com. All right. Well, Alana Rue, president and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society, and neo-bargely president, CEO of the Charles Wright Museum of African American History. Thank you so much for heading up the street and stopping by the studio for us. Thanks guys. Thank you for having us. Thanks guys. Thank you for having us. Thanks so much for listening to your daily Detroit. If you haven't already, be sure to share us with a friend. Together, we are pushing our community conversation forward. It is much appreciated. Until tomorrow, I'm Jaros Stays. Remember that you are somebody, and I'll see you around Detroit.