As an educational institution, The Henry Ford regularly hosts forums, dialogues, debates and celebrations on issues of diversity and topics of public interest. Last month, we hosted our fourth annual With Liberty and Justice for All symposium on the day designated to celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday. David W. Blight, history professor at Yale University and director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance & Abolition and Kevin Gaines, professor of history and director of the Center for Afro-American and African Studies at the University of Michigan, led the discussion on “African-American Political Leadership From Douglass to Obama”. Afterward, tomorrow’s leaders—a group of local high school students— participated in a panel discussion alongside Blight and Gaines. The students in attendance were then asked to write a reflective essay examining current issues of liberty and justice. The symposium was attended by more than 500 people and by the day’s end, Henry Ford Museum hosted close to 8,000 visitors.
Most recently, we had the pleasure of partnering with the Detroit Pistons and other community organizations in a special event celebrating Black History Month. Students from Henry Ford Academy, Kettering High School, and Ferguson Academy competed to win scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 by performing presentations on the importance of black history. Many celebrities were in attendance, including host former Detroit Piston and current Shock Assistant Coach, Rick Mahorn and Detroit Shock Forward, Cheryl Ford.
I encourage you all to take the time and visit Henry Ford Museum this month for our Celebrate Black History program. Special performances include “Minds on Freedom,” a 30-minute show that involves visitor participation. Teachers and students that visit can take home a special poster of President Barack Obama, entitled “American History Made.”
Teachers, if you have not taken your students to see the With Liberty and Justice For All exhibition, now is the time. Make sure to download free curriculum-related resources on our website: www.thehenryford.org/education/resources.aspx.
Continuing our focus on diversity, we are also showcasing the film, Journey to Mecca, in our IMAX Theater. This amazing film is the story of a young law student named Ibn Battuta and his epic and perilous journey in 1325, from his home in Morocco to Mecca, to perform the Hajj. This film is a great educational tool to increase cultural understanding.
Paula Gangopadhyay
Director of Education
