Rochelle Riley: Continue to bankroll the Wright Museum

[Gistok]

The museum has appallingly low visitor counts.

[313WX]

The museum has appallingly low visitor counts.

Well part of the reason is because not too many people give a fuck about black history/culture, aside from blacks. There's nothing the city can do about that.

The DIA, on the other hand, offers attractions that people from all backgrounds can appreciate, which is part of the reason is has higher visitor counts.

[jt1]

Well part of the reason is because not too many people give a fuck about black history/culture, aside from blacks. There's nothing the city can do about that.

The DIA, on the other hand, offers attractions that people from all backgrounds can appreciate, which is part of the reason is has higher visitor counts.

Why wouldn't people of all backgrounds appreciate black history/culture.

I agree with Poobert but it is a great museum. Sadly, there are almost no schools outside of Detroit that take field trips there. If any region needs kids from all part of the region to understand other cultures and history it is certainly SE Michigan.

[313WX]

Why wouldn't people of all backgrounds appreciate black history/culture.

Why should they?

Why would kids from Walled Lake Elementary, that's probably over 90% caucasian, want to attend a Museum about black history?

Just as well, why would kids from an elementary school in DPS, that's probably over 90% black, want to attend a Museum about Arab American history [[museum in Dearborn)?

The Charles H. Wright Museum is indeed great. That said, it is still targeted towards a specific and relatively tiny demographic in the Metro area.

[Pam]

Why should they?

Why would kids from Walled Lake Elementary, that's probably over 90% caucasian, want to attend a Museum about black history?

Just as well, why would kids from an elementary school in DPS, that's probably over 90% black, want to attend a Museum about Arab American history [[museum in Dearborn)?

The Charles H. Wright Museum is indeed great. That said, it is still targeted towards a specific and relatively tiny demographic in the Metro area.

To be well informed. All ethnic groups are part of US/World history.
If you only know one part, you don't get the whole picture.

[poobert]

To be well informed. All ethnic groups are part of US/World history.
If you only know one part, you don't get the whole picture.

You are exactly right.

The Museum loses a lot through its nationalistic focus though. There I was told by a docent that while Africans practices slavery, that it was more humane than European slavery. I was also told that the Portugese introduced Christianity to Africa in order to subjugate the Africans, when I well know that the Ethiopian and Egyptian Churches date to shortly after the time of Christ. I was also informed about Black Egypt, when in fact we don't really know what race Egyptians were. Race didn't really matter, in the Ancient World, but we aren't told that at the CHW.

Who had no mention was Crispus Attucks, the first casualty of the American Revolution, or the integrated, mostly Black, Rhode Island regiment that stormed the last rampart at Yorktown.

I'd venture to say while there is a lot of value at the Museum, it is largely focused on race rather than African-Americans. We're all taught the evils of slavery in school, so good luck trying to get Joe Sixpack from Brighton to spend a weekend teaching his children apparently how evil white people are. There is just a bit too much guilt for it to be truly a multi-cultural experience.

The best Museum I've been to is the Holocaust Museum in DC. It is really a tremendously comprehensive view of World War II, and all those who died in the Holocaust, Jewish, gays, Roma, Slavs, and communists. It looks at the disparate resistance movements that were composed of not just Jewish people but Gentiles as well. At the same time, it is by no means a feel-good experience.

Anyway, as much as I want to continue to see the presence of an African-American Museum, the CHW seems doomed to failure due to its infastructure and even its message, and certainly its management. Now the Detroit tax faucet is turned off, so they must adapt or die. It is really as simple as that.

[Hermod]

We're all taught the evils of slavery in school, so good luck trying to get Joe Sixpack from Brighton to spend a weekend teaching his children apparently how evil white people are. There is just a bit too much guilt for it to be truly a multi-cultural experience.

Since a high percentage of Joe Sixpacks in the metro area are descendants of people who arrived in the US after slavery was outlawed, a lot of them resent being saddled with the guilt for American slavery 1619-1865.

[Wesley Mouch]

To be well informed. All ethnic groups are part of US/World history.
If you only know one part, you don't get the whole picture.

Thanks for saying that. I was going to post something similar. You don't know go museums to celebrate what you know, you go to learn/experience what you don't know. I think the suburban school districts would be incredibly wise to bring students to CHW.

But that said, I don't see that it should be significantly subsidized by a city in the poor house.

What to do?

Well, one idea would be to have the museum partner with our groups that might raise money -- but not enough for their own museum. Who? I have no idea. But I do suspect that CHW is just too big for its purposes. Maybe it could also be a Motown Museum annex.

[motz]

Why should they?

Why would kids from Walled Lake Elementary, that's probably over 90% caucasian, want to attend a Museum about black history?

Just as well, why would kids from an elementary school in DPS, that's probably over 90% black, want to attend a Museum about Arab American history [[museum in Dearborn)?

The Charles H. Wright Museum is indeed great. That said, it is still targeted towards a specific and relatively tiny demographic in the Metro area.

You need to teach kids about history so they [[hopefully) do not repeat the sins of previous generations. The fact that visiting Charles H Wright isn't a point for most history classes during their discussion of civil rights just goes to show how much they leave out. Teaching kids about what happened to a certain group of minorities is very important, regardless of what race or city they are from.

[noise]

Teaching kids about what happened to a certain group of minorities is very important, regardless of what race or city they are from.

Certainly, but you don't have to visit this museum to do that.

[Honky Tonk]

Certainly, but you don't have to visit this museum to do that.

No, but the impact isn't the same.

[Honky Tonk]

Why wouldn't people of all backgrounds appreciate black history/culture.

I agree with Poobert but it is a great museum. Sadly, there are almost no schools outside of Detroit that take field trips there. If any region needs kids from all part of the region to understand other cultures and history it is certainly SE Michigan.

I've been there more then once and found it both interesting and appalling, [[as far as what one race of people are capable of dishing out to another). The last few times I've gone, it looked rather "tattered" inside, and around the edges. A lot of the interfaces didn't work.The exhibits, for the most part, haven't changed. Nothing new, or any special exhibits seem to take place. In the last few years, it seems to have been turned into a meeting and banquet place. The best idea I've seen, was to hold the African World Festival on it's grounds. I think if they had the Wright management, [[ha-ha), it could have more of a draw.

[antongast]

Why wouldn't people of all backgrounds appreciate black history/culture.

I don't have a pat theoretical explanation for why they wouldn't, but in my experience they largely don't.

[aj3647]

Well part of the reason is because not too many people give a fuck about black history/culture, aside from blacks.

And what percentage of the ~1 million black people in Metro Detroit do you think have visited the museum? Even if "only black people cared", what excuse is there that the museum can't support itself in a city that is >85% black? It's unfair of you to say that it's only non-blacks who don't care about the museum when many black people seem to not give a shit either.

Arab-Americans make up a far smaller percentage of this region than black people do, but you'll notice that the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn doesn't seem to be having these funding issues nor does it exist largely on taxpayer charity.

[poobert]

The museum has appallingly low visitor counts.

I forgot to mention that. The annual visitor count was conveniently left out of the article.

Firstly, it's not what I would call one of the great national museums. Secondly, it doesn't matter if it is if no one comes.

Also it's interesting that it's self-styled as "the People's Museum" when they charge a significant admission rate while the DIA and DHM are free. I guess just toss in pseudo-populist jargon when convenient.