charles h. wright museum of african american history

Love the living exhibit, every time I go I learn something new. It is surreal and can be emotional .

Dear busymom914: We are very sorry about your experience at the museum; from your description, the staff you encountered did not provide the service expected of them. If you could contact us at communications@thewright.org or by phone at (313) 494-5863, we'd like to have the opportunity to remedy this occurrence.

Great place for groups or individuals. We went as part of our family reunion as a group. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and staff was great. Best part was the authenticity of all the exhibits.

My wife and adult daughter visited this museum. It is in an impressive building with a beautiful entry atrium. We spent about 2 hours going through the primary Exhibit, "And Still We Rise". It is an interesting chronological telling of the African American experience. This exhibit consists of a series of exhibit rooms covering a range of topics and time periods over the centuries. The slave experience is covered in a quite moving way, particularly the life size replica of the hold of a slaving ship, complete with the human "cargo" and accompanying sounds. You sense the horror of the experience, including the claustrophobic, cramped misery that must have been suffered. I thought the exhibit on the "Great Migration" was well done also. Of course, it is impossible to tell the whole history of African Americans in just a few hours, but this museum does a good job touching on the major themes and movements. This museum should be on any visitor's list for any trip to Detroit.

Thoroughly enjoyed the "And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture" exhibition.

The Charles H. Wright Museum is not a place for a fun afternoon... it's a place to go and look at the ugly side of human history and a detailed recording of some part of our past that we don't want to look at but we must! That's what Rosa Parks did... she doesn't just refuse to give up her seat on the bus, instead she holds up a mirror to a society and says "It's not my fault you can't look at it." Every white person on the bus knew she was being mistreated but no one spoke up for her, so she had to do it herself...One thing I've learned about human beings is that we can justify any awful behaviour and that some how we're better people now. I'm not convinced that we're better people today, just that we have better systems to produce housing and food and processes to provide the necessities of life to more people than ever and that the trend here is that we'll get better at this as time goes on... as does life... it just continues and we try to learn from our mistakes as we go along.We're just now waking up from the nightmare's of our history and this building and the people here preserve that past in a way that is tolerable to those that are prepared to take a deep breath and go to look at it. **Photos are not permitted inside, so I don't have much except exteriors, because much inside is protected under copyright laws.Make sure this is on your to do list while in Detroit. Very important work is being done here. Thank you.

Be prepared to be moved,shocked,or proud.This museum really affected me in different ways. I really enjoyed the industrial and entertainment exhibits.Next,I saw the exhibit which showed how slaves were "shipped" to this country. When I was a young teacher,I had previously used posters during African American History Month(formerly Black History Month) ,to demonstrate how my ancestors were"housed"in slave ships ,but to actually SEE it was a "spiritual" experience I hadn't expected to feel . What an eerie,horrendous feeling !! All new American citizens and young people need to go to this museum with their elders ,so they can discuss how our history books used to portray slaves . This museum will demonstrate and clarify the truth visually to them .

This museum was very large with a great variety of exhibits. A must see when in Detroit. It was the best Museum of African American History I have been to, and I ave been to a few.

I have been to many African American history museums and none measured up to this one! The guided tour was lead by two amazingly knowledgeable and enthusiastic young. The journey was an emotional but empowering and encouraging one. I was reminded of the greatest and resilience of persons of African descent. I plan to return with my grandchildren. It is worth the trip from Florida.

I found it difficult to navigate through the museum. I found the mood to be very depressing. I just did not like it there, not sure exactly why but I felt odd the whole time I was there.

I have been to many museums in my life. But no museum has ever elicited the emotion that I experienced when visiting the Charles H. Wright. It took me a few trips to Detroit to finally make it there and I'm glad I did. The staff here were informative and wonderful people. The place takes you on an emotional journey through history and shows the connections between all of us. African American History has been marginalized in the public school system and this place tries place an appropriate interpretation upon this important section of history. I highly recommend that you visit this place if you have time to spare.

Everything about this place is awesome! The architecture of the building and all of the exhibits are breath taking and so educational. Several visits are needed to truly get to know this special place. There is something for the whole family to experience. The permanent exhibit of the african-american experience may be a bit graphic in some parts for the young ones, but there are several exhibits downstairs just for them. The staff was always around to help explain the exhibits to you. They were patient, courteous and professional.

This is a great museum to visit if you're ever in Detroit. It was very big and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. I particular liked the slave ship exhibit. I gave me chills to see the people behind bars, in shackles and "the point of no return." Also disturbing was the exhibit that depicted how the slaves were packed below deck. I hope all of the people responsible for this "holocaust" are burning in hell forever and ever! I would recommend this museum if you are in Detroit.

Recently, while leading a religious event in Detroit, I was afforded the opportunity to visit the museum and was amazed at this educational sanctuary. My wife and I left the museum feeling so much better about our African heritage and proud of those who bored the sacrifice for our freedom and status within humanity. This national treasure must be preserved and treasured by all and any means necessary!!! The staff was extremely helpful and professional. It was worth every minute spent in the building.

I had the pleasure of visiting the museum in April of this year. Unfortunately I was short on time and didn’t get to see the basement where there were other exhibits located. The exhibits that I did see, I really enjoyed and learned quite a bit. I will be traveling back to Detroit in the very near future and will definitely be returning to see the rest of this fine museum. The slave ship exhibit was really moving!!