Wright Museum and Detroit Historical Society Launch Yes to Our Story Campaign
DETROIT, Aug. 18, 2026. The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Society today launched Yes to Our Story, a joint campaign in support of dedicated public funding for both institutions. Standing together inside the Wright's Ford Freedom Rotunda, the leaders of the two museums said the effort is about one thing above all: making sure the next generation grows up knowing the full story of the region it calls home.
The two institutions have partnered since 2019 to pursue this effort together. The Detroit Historical Society, founded in 1921, chronicles three centuries of the region's history through the Detroit Historical Museum and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. Together the two institutions care for over 300,000 artifacts that are owned by the public. The Wright, founded in 1965, was the first museum in the nation dedicated to the African American experience and today is the second largest museum of its kind in the country.
“For nearly sixty years, families have come through our doors so their children could see themselves in the full sweep of American history,” said Neil A. Barclay, President and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. “This campaign is about keeping those doors open for the next generation, and the one after that.”
“This region has three centuries of history worth knowing, and it belongs to everyone who lives here,” said Elana Rugh, President and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society. “Together, our museums hold that story together, and this proposal lets us protect it and put it in front of every child in Wayne and Oakland counties.”
The proposal the museums are working to place before voters is a [ten-year], 0.2 mill levy in Wayne and Oakland counties. For the owner of a home with an average value of $300,000, that is about $30 a year. In return, every county resident would receive free admission to both museums, students and seniors would receive free transportation for tours, teachers would gain new curriculum and training, and the publicly owned collections would be permanently protected. Both museums are publicly owned and audited each year, and those audits would remain public under the proposal.
The campaign's case to voters rests on a simple idea: teach our history. Supporters describe the museums less as amenities than as classrooms, and point to earlier regional votes for the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Zoo, and the Grand Rapids Public Museum as models for letting voters decide directly whether to sustain the institutions they value. The campaign expects bipartisan support across Wayne and Oakland counties, arguing that two institutions so woven into the fabric of Southeast Michigan hold stories that belong to everyone, whether they live in the city or the suburbs, and that preserving that history and educating future generations is exactly what voters will be eager to support.
The campaign said additional community, education, and civic voices will join the effort in the weeks ahead, and that final decisions about the measure rest with the voters of the two counties.
About the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
Founded in 1965 and located in Detroit's Cultural Center, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History was the first museum in the nation dedicated to the African American experience. It preserves and interprets collections owned by the public and serves as a center for education and community life in the region.
About the Detroit Historical Society
Founded in 1921, the Detroit Historical Society tells the stories of the Detroit region across three centuries at the Detroit Historical Museum and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. It preserves and interprets the history of Southeast Michigan and serves as a center for education and community life for residents across the region.
About Yes to Our Story
Yes to Our Story is the joint campaign of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Society in support of dedicated public funding to sustain both institutions and expand access for the residents of Wayne and Oakland counties. Yes to Our Story. Teach our history.
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