Special Event at Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation® (166 hits)
Join us at Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation during Black History Month to reflect on the past, celebrate the present and commit to creating a more just future.
2024’s national Black History Month theme focuses on African Americans and the Arts. We invite you to weekend celebrations featuring musicians, dancers, poets and plays. From the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s to the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s to the passionate performers of today, art holds a mirror to our society, lifts us up and challenges us to create change.
Featured Performances Musical Performance | Rev. Robert B. Jones Sr. Saturday, February 17, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Museum Plaza
Rev. Robert B. Jones Sr. is a native Detroiter and an inspirational storyteller and musician celebrating the history, humor and power of American roots music. His deep love for traditional American and African American music is shared in live performances that interweave timeless stories with original and traditional songs. Dance Performance | The Institute of Dance at Marygrove Sunday, February 18, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Museum Plaza
The Institute of Dance at Marygrove was created to provide students of all ages, abilities and backgrounds with attainable, high-quality and developmentally appropriate dance programs. The purpose of IDM is to nurture and harness creativity, foster discipline, strengthen technical and performance skills, heighten artistic awareness, and encourage a lifelong interest in the arts. Dramatic Performance | Original Play, “The Beginnings of the Boycott” Saturday, February 24, 1 p.m., Museum Plaza
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for defying segregation on a city bus in Montgomery Alabama. In response, the Women’s Political Council organized a one-day boycott on the day of her trial in which 40,000 Black customers, the majority of the city’s bus riders, refused to use the system in protest of Parks’ arrest. A one-day boycott sent a message but was not enough to achieve the real change that civil rights leaders knew was possible.
This original play brings us inside the discussion among Parks, E.D. Nixon, JoAnn Robinson, and a young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as they strategize an initiative with a greater impact. What would be the cost to Black passengers if they extended the boycott for potentially months or years? Could that cost be endured for the sake of a future in which Black passengers would be treated with respect on public transportation? Musical Performance | The Motor City Stars Sunday, February 25, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Museum Plaza
Join members of The Motor City Stars as they perform Motown hits. The music of Motown helped a small record company become the largest Black American-owned enterprise in the country and a national music industry competitor. Tony Lucas narrates this powerful performance.
