Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

The Wright Museum in Detroit was an outstanding and deeply educational experience. The timeline-shifting layout of the exhibits is especially impressive, guiding visitors through different eras of Black history in a way that feels immersive, intentional, and easy to follow. Each transition helps connect historical events, movements, and cultural milestones, making the learning experience both engaging and impactful. The exhibits are thoughtfully curated and rich in detail, highlighting African American history, resilience, achievements, and contributions while encouraging reflection and conversation. The museum does an excellent job of presenting complex history in a way that is accessible to all ages, from children to adults. The overall atmosphere is welcoming, informative, and powerful, making the Wright Museum a must-visit destination for anyone seeking a meaningful and educational cultural experience.

The museum experience felt so real, I cried 😭 I thought I could hold myself, but I couldn't. It was a great experience overall. I learnt so much. This museum holds so much history that everyone needs to learn and experience. I also visited the gift shop. The stuff were helpful and kind. I got sma few things there. Whe I visit Detroit again, I will visit this place. It was amazing ☺️☺️ Also, I spotted my country's flag 😅

Praise God, i still had the opportunity to expose my 5, 7, and 10 years old to the unfiltered truth. The building was well kept, and the staff were very professional in their presentation of the exhibitions. We arrived at about 11 am in the morning. They had an opportunity to see, touch, hear, and feel the continent of Africa. With all of its minerals, in diamonds, gold, silver, oil, uranium, platinum, and other precious metals and stones. Its agriculture products, beans, rice coffee, cocoa, and tea. However, its major commerce for 150 years was slavery. Estimated to have moved 60 million Africans to North/ South Americas, dominican Republic, Haiti. And the caribbean islands as free labor. They learned that the slave trade was set up on commerce, based between the French, British, Dutch, Spaniards, Portugal, and later the United States. They had an opportunity to see humans( men, women, and children) being captured, changed, and placed in a cell for branding, then separated by age, gender and sex as you would treat live stock.

A must see! This is a 22,000-square-foot, multi-level, interactive exhibit spanning 20+ galleries, charting the African American journey—from ancient African civilizations through the horrors of the Middle Passage, self-emancipation, the Underground Railroad, Civil Rights Movement, and into modern-day Detroit. with an abundance of information! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Still We Rise exhibit is very informative, interesting, immersive, and powerful. My two complaints are that the signs have a lot of typos, and it's way too cold in there (or at least it was the day I visited). It was also mostly empty on a weekday morning but maybe it's busier on weekends.

We loved the set up of the museum, walking through the timeline of African-Americans starting from the beginning of slavery-modern day Detroit. It was rough, given the subject matter. Going onto and into the ‘ship’ was jarring and well done by the museum curators. This portion will 100% leave you feeling uncomfortable. We also checked out Luminosity and the Tuskegee Airmen exhibit. I was admittedly not blown away by either of these but I’m glad we saw them as well. (Remember money for the gift store!)

I haven't been to the The Charles H. Wright museum in a couple years. It was this TikTok that made me remember that I was due for a revisit. Upon entry the building is still as beautiful as I remember it. My ticket was $15 and included all of the exhibits. I did visit their mainstay exhibit, which begins with a brief film and then you walk through Black History and the Detroit specific historical figures and Detroit's Timeline throughout history. I really enjoyed the e-stations. I visited the Luminosity exhibit as well. STUNNING. There are two corridors and you MUST visit both. The Tuskegee Airmen exhibit is also delightful. The gift shop is a must as well. The museum merch is amazing! It was a lovely start to my trip in Detroit and I look forward to visiting again.

We t for my first visit and it was wonderful ,it was a school field trip that was excellent and fun

While visiting Detroit, I stopped by The Wright Museum of African American History. I visited on a Saturday and surprisingly, it was not crowded! Admission was $15. I like that the main exhibit begins with African and leads into the history of enslavement, civil rights, into present times. As with most museums that provide such a wealth of history, you'll have to visit multiple times to get the full scope! I recommend if you are in Detroit to visit this museum!

This museum is an absolute must for everyone! My husband and I traveled from the east coast to visit this museum and it was well worth the trip. Firstly, the space itself is grand and such a site to see! There are many exhibits to choose from, but I highly recommend the "And Still We Rise" exhibit that shows the journeys from Africa! Very emotional and moving exhibit -- certain parts were hard to go through, but necessary. Definitely plan to spend the day here or two if you can. We came for about 3 hours and that wasn't nearly enough time.

I was very excited to see this museum, but I went in just expecting some trinkets behind windows (not that there's anything wrong with that) But this might be the best historical museum I have ever been in The exhibits are informative and are shocking to the soul The long exhibit that traces the history of African-Americans from the cultural beginnings in Africa through to the present day are an odyssey that must be taken This was a uniquely, emotional and educational experience I have not seen anything like it. I happen to be there on Juneteenth, but it would be riveting on any occasion. And it is truly an odyssey you go from one exhibit and one era to the other without any doubling back I'm not even sure if I was able to see everything as our group had to leave I cannot recommend this museum more !

Informative, moving, and well organized. This museum documents the history of African Americans with an emphasis on their impact & contributions to the Motor City. It also provides historical context which is important to remember. Some exhibits rotate as expected with museums so I would research prior to visiting to see what will be there when planning your trip. Museum docents were kind and provided guidance about the order to walk through when navigating exhibits and sections of the museum. They also were patient and knowledgeable when answering questions. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and will recommend the Charles H. Wright Museum of African Americans to all who find themselves in Detroit.

This is a very good museum if you have a couple of hours to spend. Remarkable storytelling and accounts from historical figures. I loved that they had timelines throughout the general exhibit that compared events happening in Detroit to the world during the same periods. I've been to several African American museums that have the same or similar accounts of American history, but there was a lot more detail provided at the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History. I strongly encourage anyone to visit to learn more about Africa and the history of the US as well as how to continue to seek civil rights and social justice.

If your coming to Detroit this place is mandatory to really understand the history This museum does a great job

Everything about women's Thursday for March(women's history month) was amazing! I'll definitely be back to explore the museum more! It's something great to experience

I've been 3x now to visit then and the summer time camp is $15 for 2 weeks! The gift shop is rich as well!

Harlem H Wright. Museum of African American located E Warren Ave Downtown Detroit, MI A great cultural experience!!! The tour starts with an introduction and explanation of what the tour consists of and set your mind to receive the information as intended. The tour is conducted in two (2) phases 1. An art galleries (you can take pictures) 2. An exhibition (photography prohibited) The tour guide was articulate, professional and informative breaking down the different aspects of the black experience in America.

This is a must see place if you are visiting Detroit or the surrounding area. The museum does a great job at showcasing African American History and then doing a deep dive into Detroit's Black History. The museum built a small street inside, so you can see what it was like to live in Detroit.

This museum takes you on a journey from the lands of Africa to continents around the world .This place most certainly needs to be a prototype for similiar museums. There is so much to see in one day and you want to take it all in.I'm glad these historical markers still exist so that we can get a small window into the past . I visited this location in July 2023 as part of a translantic tour of the Underground Railroad.Just saw free cookbook with Yelp check in .

Impressive museum! I will definitely return! I recommend coming here when you have plenty of time to spend reading and processing the exhibits. Top notch!

Lowkey this museum is great! Has a lot of history. I like the part where you go into the little town and they have a little theater!

This is an amazing museum worthwhile visiting, I can't recommend it highly enough. The people who work there are friendly and helpful it exceeded any expectation I had.

Much bigger than I realized! We went to see the Ruth E. Carter fashion exhibit, which was incredible and I definitely recommend seeing it before it's gone. After that we went to look at the rest of the museum and really only got through about half of it. Definitely leave yourself plenty of time. The part an out the space trade included two level which helped you see and really u destined the horrible conditions on these vessels. I will need to go back. I really can't wait to see the art galleries downstairs and check out the Tuskegee airmen exhibits well.

Amaaazing museum. We were fortunate enough to have a tour with one of the best storytelling historians. I and my children learned a-lot and truly enjoyed the exhibits.

Highly recommend visiting. I'm more of a contemporary art lover but this place tells the story of the African American journey through slavery to present. There also a section dedicated to President Barack Obama. The day I went, they were featuring the history of African Americans in hockey. I won free tickets to the Red Wings game later that month. Pretty dope experience.

Great Museum. Life experience that will change your perspective. Beautiful place. Full of Life

Visited this museum yesterday with my sister and absolutely loved it! The staff was so welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable which speaks to the great spirit here in Detroit. The older gentleman at the entrance briefed us on the museum's history and the significance of Dr. Charles H. Wright. He set us up to fully appreciate the museum which was so intentionally curated and designed. Each room leads you through a story, and piece of history. I also loved the e-interactive that acted as an additional support to learn more about each artifact in the room. I really liked seeing all the significant food staples from Africa that are still relevant today. I also appreciated the King Tut exhibit and thought it was nice. Lastly, the gift shop had a good selection of texts, outerwear and souvenirs to choose from. I would definitely come back here and recommend!

Great exhibits today. I loved the Ruth Carter and Still We Rise exhibits today. Even my 9 year old was fascinated and learned a lot! Great and welcoming staff!

The Charles H. Wright African American Museum is truly one of the best museums in Detroit. The exhibits are thoughtfully arranged to tell a captivating story about the African-American experience in Detroit and its economic history. The way they flow together is so seamless and memorable that it almost feels like a Disney Imagineer designed it. My girlfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit and learned a lot about Lucy, Dutch traders, slave ships, Detroit, and the many impactful African-Americans who have contributed to the city's rich history. I highly recommend this museum as a perfect indoor activity for families and friends, especially during colder weather.

It was very educational, informative, empowering, heartbreaking, and inspiring. I just hope that it continues to grow and can keep showing more. There is a lot more I would love to learn.

OMG the Ruth E Carter exhibit was amazing. It was great seeing all the different outfits she has produced for all these different important characters

Spend a few hours at the Henry Ford and didn't encounter one rude or condescending staff member, but get here and had the occasion to encounter many. There are ways in which to work with customers and there are ways to alienate and advise people away from your establishment. The Sunday team did a stellar job of ensuring they would receive this negative review and never receive a referral in the future. Whatever is in this museum I will have to experience on line because I can assure this is my last visit.

I'm the youth director at my church and I took the youth there on a field trip during black history month (2023). They learned so much and enjoyed themselves. We went on a weekend so we had to do a self-guided tour but it was still nice.

This was the best part of our trip to Detroit , this was such an amazing experience we learned so much of our history and it was heart felt

ANAZING! The history in this museum is awesome! Please take a guided tour to learn everything that's displayed but not printed. This is a "must" attend event if you're in Detroit. We attended as a family reunion and was amazed at how slavery got started and ended.

Aiming to gain a bit of culture and history, we wanted to check out this museum during our most recent visit to Detroit. It is definitely worth the stop. The people working here were very passionate and greeted us warmly. We only made it through the We Rise permanent exhibit, but it was very powerful, and I learned a ton. First, this exhibit's use of mannequins is both funny, chilling, and effective. They're a smidgen too not-human looking, which occasionally gives them an extra spooky vibe. Nonetheless, they illustrate pretty important moments in African American history. Throughout the exhibit, there are really awesome timelines that show what was happening in Detroit, Africa, and the rest of the world. I love how these signs provided some relative information about world history as well as focused on Detroit. Walking through the slave ship display, which is certainly not as squalid, dark, and terrible as the real experience, was really powerful and left a deep impression. There is an upcoming exhibit of fashion, which looks really neat.

Nice museum. Highly recommend it. Very educational. Staff was very friendly and helpful

This African American Museum was amazing. The folks working were so helpful and seemed very happy that we were there. Once you pay your admission fee (which was very reasonable) they take a picture of you and or your party next to a sculpture of Charles H Wright. At the end of your visit you may purchase this picture for $10.00. The museum was divided into three sections: an art gallery depicting the Detroit Riots in the 1960's, the second was of famous African Americans and their contributions and the third section was the most detailed and elaborate exhibit of the "slave" journey. The third exhibit was fantastic and beautifully done. With the use of costumes, artifacts and body foams that looked like people made me feel a part of the journey. The use of props and paintings gave the exhibit a real life appreciation. The narrations throughout the exhibit gave factual information of the journey of free Africans captured and sold into slavery, living as slaves and gaining freedom and beyond. They do not allow you to take pictures or video record.

This was on my list of places to go while in Detroit and I was thoroughly impressed with the scale, presentation of exhibits, and overall quality of service. We visited on September 29th and I can say without a doubt that this museum should get at least 2.5 hours of your time. The exhibit 'AND STILL WE RISE' is set up as a timeline starting with a short video and followed by the evolution of the African to the slave to the Black/African American and every struggle for progress in between. From our perils, our progress, and continued perseverance the exhibit is both evocative and provocative experience. It is very intriguing from the beginning until the end. So much knowledge and history that made me very proud. We also saw an Aretha Franklin exhibit that was relatively small but still a great tribute to her legacy and roots in Detroit. There was also a special exhibit highlighting garments and gowns designed by prominent African American and African designers. I'm not into fashion too much but it was nice seeing the fashion sensibilities created by people that look like me and some of their manifestations on display. Out of respect to the museum, I didn't take any pictures within the 'AND STILL WE RISE' exhibit but the interactive architecture and immersive displays with thorough descriptions told the story in a way that all cultures, ethnicities, and age groups can learn from. It was tastefully arranged I can say that it vastly superior to the African American museums of Chicago (Du Sable) and Los Angeles (Californian African American Museum). Dr. Wright left a gem for many to experience the African American history in this country and I am proud to recommend this a must-see museum while in Detroit.

I visited the Charles H. Wright Museum's exhibit entitled 'Paradox of Liberty: Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello'. I was impressed by the breadth and depth of the materials provided. What looks on the surface to be a simple display is a powerful and rich collection of information and materials important to every American. I recommend a visit to the Charles H. Wright Museum in order to see this display. This exhibition brings out details of the life and times of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings that are not commonly known. In fact the story behind the relationship Jefferson and Hemmings, a relationship which spanned their lifetimes and produced six children who grew to adulthood and one who died, tragically, very young. This story has, I have learned, has been denied, misconstrued and left alone. This is unfortunate in many ways. Miss Hemmings and Mister Jefferson began their relationship when she was just sixteen and bound to slavery at the celebrated Monticello plantation in the Colony of Virginia. Their children went on to grow and prosper in their own ways battling oppression and seeking liberty for themselves and all of us. The exhibit is tastefully done though not sanitized. What has been unspoken and hidden for a very long time is literally on display in a well-lit, professionally designed exhibit focusing on the human aspects of the inhuman practice of slavery and the victory of the human spirit. I believe the Charles H. Wright has produced something which focuses on family, life and love and finally brings to the fore the undercurrent and background of anger, indentured servitude, slavery and all the negative underpinnings of that time in our history as a nation and a people. I recommend this exhibit and encourage others to visit it either alone, with family in tow or through school and university class visits. It is like a window on a world I knew existed but could never see because the window was obscured and the visions and truth behind it hidden from me. I am thankful that the Charles H. Wright Museum has crafted this exhibit, and so, has enlarged my view on the world in which I live. After you view this focal point of distilled American history why not take some time to visit the rest of the museum? Our journey has just begun.

I had no idea Ruth E. Carter was so prolific! My wife and I have been members for a few months now and a visit to The Wright and a bite to eat make a great weekend outing.

Went here for the afternoon with my mother for the Aretha Franklin exhibit, which is a small but nice tribute to her. What I wasn't expecting was the for the rest of the museum to blow me out the water like it did. The last time I came here was as a child in the 90s and I didn't find it engaging. They have since redone their main exhibit Still We Rise! that takes you through African American History from Africa to the 20th century. It is wonderful! The part that had a replica of the slave castle point of no return really got to me. I visited that same castle in Ghana years ago and let me tell you this museum nailed the replica! The slave ship replica was really well done too. Please go experience it. I like how they organized the history of the 20th history. The set up rivals the Streets of Detroit exhibit at the Detroit historical museum. We also saw the Oh You Fancy! exhibit that profiles African American hair and fashion! I loved it. The fashion and hair they displayed was both creative and dignified. Way to represent us!

Nice museum. Right now they have Aretha Franklin exhibit and a few others like the Underground Railroad and the space trade. Very informative with great history. A must see when in Detroit. Con- You are unable to take photos in any of the exhibits.

You'll need more than 3 hours to fully embrace all of the information in this museum. I learned a lot and even felt a bit emotional during the slavery portion as the museum portrayed it exceptionally well. I heard others sniffling during that section so I know it touched them too. I would recommend breaking it into two days if possible to not exhaust yourself. They have membership packages that seem to be amazing. I only found out now and the membership could grant you access to a lot of perks like access to 200 other museums! Take advantage and learn learn learn.

I was so bummed that i couldn't spend more time at this museum! The only exhibit i was able to see was the "And Still We Rise" exhibit, which was excellent! I was blown away by the wealth of information and quality of the rooms of the exhibit. I really like how in comparison to other African American history museums, this museum spends more time giving facts about the tribes and culture of many of the African countries where many slaves were abducted. It also gave a lot of information about the business deals involved in the transatlantic slave trade. Really deep stuff. I also liked, well not "liked", but appreciated the care and detail that wss taken to really show the extreme conditions and brutality of slavery. I loved that throughout the exhibit, on the walls you could find a timeline depicting African events, global events, and Detroit events. My only gripe about this museum was that none of the TVs/ computer screens inside of the exhibit were working. NONE. And some of the other interactive activities weren't working. I would be more critical about this in my score but i simply can't. The exhibit was just that great without those features. Hopefully when I return to Detroit, I'll have more time to really take my time at this museum and all of its functionality well be working. That way I'll be able to enjoy the museum as it was once intended.

"Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." (George Santayana) My least favorite class was history because it seemed so lifeless coming out of a textbook. I prefer when I can talk to someone who lived through the event; read about it; or see it re-enacted in a play, movie, museum, etc. This place brings history to life. Recommended by a friend who used to live here and told me about the slave ship replica, this place is jam-packed with artifacts and insights into the history of African Americans starting out in the mother continent and ending with President Obama. The slave ship replica will make you uncomfortable. You can walk through the barracks and tell yourself, those are just mannequins and recordings of human groans and replicas of the shackles used to bind people to each other, but you just can't shake the fact that it's based off of real life events. Same with the inhumanity toward the young girls and women which has enough grounds for its own #MeToo movement. Watching the auction of a young man is no easier. And just for checking in, I got a great souvenir for Mr. Jenbert, who loves to cook: a 174-page cookbook! Thank you, Dr. Wright, for being an OB-GYN to the African American community, and also for starting this humble museum in your basement so that we would not be foolish enough to forget our history.

I am going to start this review by describing not so much a collection (as stunning as that collection is) or the the profoundly important rotating exhibits, but the space itself. The building, designed by Harold Varner, is itself a deeply meaningful experience. You come up to it and see a complicated and compelling structure. Its shape immediately draws you in. Like the Guggenheim in NY, you cannot help but want to find the way into that circle. And the way in is clear and gorgeously presented to you like an invitation to a reunion. So you enter. A few steps up (or the elevator if stairs are a barrier--this space is fiercely accessible.) and you suddenly find yourself in a breathtaking rotunda that has a weird quirk: Everything you say is going to be repeated back to you in an echo.. It is a beautiful space with a lively and at the same time disturbing mosaic under your feet and beams of sunlight from the glass ceiling that you must cross to get your tickets--which are very reasonable given the quality of the works housed here. And the quality of the staff. Tickets were $8 for general admission and $5 for seniors--crazy cheap for this level of fantastic art. From the first moment you cross into this museum's formal space, you must confront yourself. That echo makes you stop chattering and start listening. In here are the voices of ancestors. In here are the whispers of heritage. In here are the voices of ourselves and the voices we must pass on to our children, nieces and nephews, Godchildren, grandchildren, and any child in our community. There is a psychological phenomena called the "doorway effect" which erases everything in your brain as soon as you walk through a door--"Why did I come in this room?"--and the Wright Museum does that. You walk in that door and you jettison everything else from your brain and concentrate on what is right in front of you and you walk away with ghosts and tender threads of mothers and fathers and aunties and uncles and strength. This space is an American treasure. P.S. The gift shop is fabulous.

I attended this museum with my sons class and it was so powerful. The museum is beautiful and it hurt my heart to see the injustices of slavery. I'm glad not to live in that time. One of the tour guides was absolutely incredible and my mind is slipping of his name but he is energetic, funny and was loved by our group.

Visions of our 44th President is a really cool idea. They gave 44 artists 44 identical busts of Barack Obama with free reign to decorate them as they saw fit. The results are wildly uneven. Some are spectacular, some are atrocious. Fortunately, the good outnumbers the bad. It's plenty thought provoking. The best part is when you walk in, there's a wall-sized version of President Obama's birth certificate. Don't know if I've ever seen a grand act of sarcasm in a museum before, but I sure got a kick out of that. They also have a touchscreen trivia quiz on Barack Obama. I got 23 right and 16 wrong. More importantly, I learned a thing or two. The Fela Kuti exhibit is sweet, too. I only wish it had a larger gallery. They could have expounded on Fela a lot more. I wonder if he has his own museum in Nigeria. I'll soon find out. Lovin' this Internet thing!

Wow! Didn't know this was the largest African American museum in the national up until last year with the opening of the national museum in DC! Cool stuff here for sure! I wish I had more in to explore!

This museum is amazing and tells the AA experience and also the history of AA's in Detroit. There's a display of the first AA mayor of the city. There's also a slave ship with mannequins stored in the bottom deck like it was during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The voices of the slaves can be heard over the speakers as they moaned in discomfort. The over all museum is beautiful.

I wish they had more to see. Maybe it's covid but it was very short lived. For $15/person I felt I was just TRYING to make my money worth it. There was 2-3 exhibits. To me they were small. It was very disappointing. African American history is massive. There is soo much information and I can't understand why this place was extremely vague and unorganized. This place was so unorganized. With everything. I never seen a museum so all over the place. There wasn't anything eye catching besides the entrance/front desk. It could've been better ways to celebrate and display these people's lives and how they became such a impact. It was a plack and a couple sentences/paragraphs... a video nobody is watching... it SHOULD'VE been better. Something maybe to interact with the crowds, random facts. Hands on, something. I got tired of reading placks. I wanted to know the history but it was overwhelming that everything was the same. Just plack, plack, plack all the way. It would've been nice if this place was kid-friendly. That's important. At this point, I'm hoping my $60 went into organization or a good cause.

This museum is fantastic. I scheduled a tour for my community health nursing students . The exhibits were in-depth. Our tour guide Sammy was amazing. He is very knowledgeable. He was able to tailor the tour to our group and give my students an understanding of how past events shape current healthcare issues. He even sang. I will be opening this opportunity up to the larger class in the future.

We visited the museum for the first time last month to see the "Men of Change" exhibit. The museum is beautiful and spacious; the exhibit was impressive and educative; and the gift shop was had a wide variety of items, spanning history, geography, disciplines, and age groups. Parking, getting tickets, and navigating the museum could not have been easier. There seemed to be fewer than ten people there, two days before Christmas. I look forward to returning to see more of their permanent displays and future exhibitions. It is a fantastic resource for the Detroit area!

I really wish every city in the United States of America had a museum like this. Because black people, enslaved Africans, African Americans literally built this country, it's imperative folks know the history. Sadly all we get is a month and not even anymore of history lessons. On my weekend visit to detroit I made sure to come here to see what everyone was raving about. Well we were museum hopping so we didnt have enough time to visit every exhibit, but we did see the larger one, that talks of mans origins in Africa, migration...then..of course tgat wonderful chapter in European, African and American (all the americas) history: the Trans Aantic slave trade. The whole exhibit was great but when you get to this part, its disturbing. My one friend complained that they didnt have enough real artifacts...but I was like, really? They recreated the deck and hull of a slave ship!!! The facts presented were crazy, like how once a slaver (what a ship was called that carried human cargo) was used as such, thats all it could be used for, since the smell could not be washed away. They talked about mutinies, throwing tens of sick slaves overboard because one was sick, etc. I just couldnt imagine. You had women, naked, sick, pregnant on there. I wondered how many young women were pregnant when they reached their destination. When you went to the hull I really wished they could have put some kind of smell there because I feel like some people just dont know how bad it was. My only.only gripe is that it seemed they used the same paint for every single black person in the exhibit. All the slaves were one color. We all know we come in a range of colors. Anyway, aftercthe walk ou was the trail to slavery, which was equally interesting. We really tried to read everythinh we could but just couldn't finish it all. With about 10 minutes left we rushed into the gift shop, which didnt have as many unique items as I thought it would. I checked in to see that I could get a free cookbook! Sadly, there were none left but the woman at the register tool down my info and said they would mail me one. How often do you hear that? I wanted to believe her, but didnt stress about it, I still had a great experience. Don't you know about a month or two later I received said cookbook with a note from the assistant to the president!? I was impressed to say the least. Anyway, cookbook or not, please do yourself a favor and visit this gem in Detroit.

AAAHHHHMAZING. A beautiful building housing some truly stunning exhibits. This museum takes you through African American history literally from the start of humanity (Lucy's skeleton) to current day (Obamaman!) with every wonderful and horrific detail in between. From a recreation of slave trade ship (truly heartbreaking especially when you head downstairs to the dark, cramped hull) to the hoppin' streets of Detroit in the 1960's with life sized models of music joints, barber shops, and record shops. If you have the means to take a tour with one of the tour guides, please do so. It enriches your experience to have that guide explain some of the nuances of the exhibits while debunking some myths about African Americans in history and pop culture (why WAS Tarzan white?!). I can't recommend the guided tour enough. The building itself is gorgeous. The domed ceiling is a sight and the lobby has a lovely floor with artwork that illustrates some key points in African American History. Around the perimeter of this mural are the circular tiles list the names of influential and important African Americans. Our guide shared the story of how Morgan Freeman visited and asked how he could get on the floor. "You have to be dead at least 5 years." our guide responded. "Okay, I'll wait." said Morgan Freeman. Great anecdotes like that = why you should take the guided tour! Along with this permanent exhibit are a couple of rotating exhibitions which now include Heidelberg 25, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Heidelberg Project. Unfortunately I wasn't able to check it out this time around but I greatly look forward to going back there and spending more time.

Excellent and very educational museum that details the African-American experience begin with the middle pasdage all the way to present day achievements and social obstacles. The museum was the vision of Detroit physician Dr. Charles Wright in the 1960s. There is a children's museum located on the lower level. I would encourage anyone to visit if in the area.