About the Millage
Two Institutions. One Story.
Where The Wright tells the African American story with depth and pride, the Detroit Historical Society preserves the stories of all who built this region — every community, every background.
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
As one of the first museums in the nation dedicated to the African American experience, The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History stands today as the second largest of its kind, after the Smithsonian’s. It tells the story of Black Detroit with pride, depth, and purpose.
The Detroit Historical Society
Since 1921, the Detroit Historical Society has chronicled over 300 years of a region that built the American middle class, helped win two world wars, and gave the world its sound. The Detroit Historical Museum and Dossin Great Lakes museum help tell the stories of every community that built this region, preserving the unique histories of the people that make Detroit unlike anywhere else.
Partnering for the Future
A partnership was formalized in 2019 to pursue a sustainable funding source. Between them they hold nearly 300,000 artifacts that belong to the people of Southeast Michigan. Both institutions have run on reserves for years. This millage makes sure The Wright and the Detroit Historical Society are here for this generation, the next one, and the one after that.
It also keeps the decision local. Voters of Wayne and Oakland counties get to decide how their own story is preserved and told.
What’s On the Ballot?
On November 3, 2026, voters in Wayne and Oakland counties will vote on a 10-year millage to fund the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Society.
The cost: About $30 a year on a $300,000 home.
These Are Classrooms, Not Amenities
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Society are where children across Wayne and Oakland counties learn the parts of their story no textbook covers. Field trips. Free curriculum for teachers. A place where a grandparent passes a story down in person, the way it was passed to them.
Where Every Dollar Goes
Funding is shared between the two institutions and pays for free admission for every county resident, free tours and transportation for students and seniors, new curriculum for teachers, and the care of nearly 300,000 publicly owned artifacts. Additionally, 15% of the funds collected will support other local public history museums in Oakland and Wayne counties. Independent audits every year will show exactly how the money is spent.
Both institutions have survived by drawing down their reserves for years. This millage makes them truly sustainable for the first time in decades, stabilizing the work and protecting free admission, school programs, and partnerships instead of leaving them dependent on funds that are uncertain from year-to-year. This November, voters can secure this future.
The Story We Pass Down
Where History is Taught
Together, the Detroit Historical Society and The Wright care for nearly 300,000 artifacts and share them with every generation that walks through the doors. Field trips that make history three-dimensional. Curriculum used in classrooms across the region. For many students, this is the only place they meet this history outside a textbook.
Who We Serve
Both institutions serve families across Wayne and Oakland counties, from Clarkston to Downriver to Detroit and every suburb, and across every community and background that calls this region home. We’re helping teachers build hands-on lessons, seniors revisit the history they lived, and students discover it for the first time.