Henry Ford Museum

Stateside: The life and legacy of Rosa Parks

Stateside Staff — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:42:08 +0000

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rosa Parks.

She was small in stature, quiet, humble, and yet a woman who made a giant mark on the pages of American history. A woman hailed as a true icon of the civil rights movement.

Her deliberate, well-thought-out act of civil disobedience galvanized the struggle for civil rights, not only here in America, but around the world.

A year later, in 1956, Rosa Parks and her husband Raymond moved to Detroit where she lived until her death in 2005.

We take a closer look at the life and legacy of Rosa Parks with Wayne State University Professor of History, Danielle McGuire.

Her book is entitled "At The Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape and Resistance: A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power."

She joined us now from the Rosa Parks celebration, the National Day of Courage, at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.

Commentary: Forgetting our heritage

Jack Lessenberry — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:37:11 +0000

The North American International Auto Show will be starting at Detroit’s Cobo Center in a couple weeks, and anyone who cares about cars can go see virtually every new model in existence.

This has been an annual tradition for more than a century. But I’ve thought for a long time that we don’t do nearly enough to celebrate the amazing heritage of our signature industry.

Think about it. Motor vehicles, primarily cars, are what transformed Michigan from a farm state not all that different from Iowa into the industrial powerhouse that put the world on wheels.

That’s fascinating, and there are few of us whose lives are not connected to the auto industry in some way. But where do you go to learn about and celebrate that heritage? Sadly, fewer and fewer places.

President Obama at Dearborn campaign stop: "Part of what makes us great is making stuff"

Sarah Cwiek — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:55:22 +0000

President Obama made a broad, impassioned case for his re-election in Metro Detroit Wednesday.

The President resurrected the “change” theme of his 2008 campaign.

He said change is a slow process. But he touted some milestones of his first term, including health care reform and the resurgence of the US auto industry.

“If we work on behalf of our higher ideals…we will finish what we started in 2008,” the President told a crowd of enthusiastic supporters.

The President also paid homage to his surroundings—the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. He said it shows that “part of what makes us great is making stuff.”

“That’s what this museum reminds us of," Mr. Obama said. "Of what it means to build. It’s time we start taking the money we’re spending on war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use half of it to build our nation here at home.”

The President contrasted that with what he called Republicans’ “you’re on your own economics.”

“Their philosophy is that we’re better off if a few are doing well at the top, and everybody else is fending for themselves," Mr. Obama said. "And they’re wrong.”

The Henry Ford hosted the first of two Metro Detroit fundraisers for the President. He then moved on to a private fundraiser at the Bingham Farms home of businesswoman Denise Ilitch.

The top price for a ticket there: $40,000.

President Obama comes to Michigan for two fundraisers today

Mark Brush — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:09:22 +0000

President Obama last came to Michigan in January when he visited the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to give a speech on college affordability.

As Michigan Radio's Sarah Cwiek reported, today's trip will be a short, but organizers hope it will be lucrative:

The President will hold the first of two fundraisers at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.
That happens to be where Republican rival Mitt Romney launched his first Presidential campaign in 2007.
Then Mr. Obama will head to a private fundraiser hosted by Detroit businesswoman Denise Ilitch.
Organizers hope the two events will help raise more than $1 million in campaign funds for the President and other Democrats.

So far, Mitt Romney has raised more cash than Obama in Michigan. That could change after today's visit.

CBS Detroit reports around 600 people are expected at Mr. Obama's event at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, and attendees are paying "$5,000 to have dinner with the president and get a photo, $1,000 for a VIP rope line to shake his hand and $250 to attend."

The Denise Ilitch event will feature Michigan products, including white fish, vegetables, home brews, and Motown music. Participants will pay $40,000 for a cocktail reception and $10,000 per person for a dinner and candid photo.