Brick by brick and beam by beam, a house known as Jackson Home has been moved from Selma, Alabama, in the United States to The Henry Ford Museum’s Greenfield Village in Detroit, Michigan.
Owned by the Jackson family, it played a key role in the country’s civil rights history as a haven and planning site for the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches led by Dr Martin Luther King jr.
There were three attempts to do the 87 kilometre walk. The first was violently supressed, bringing national and international attention to the struggle of Deep South African-Americans for voting rights.
“This was an ordinary middle-class Black family in Selma who made a really important decision to use their home for a cause,” says Patricia Mooradian, President and CEO, The Henry Ford.
The house still has some of the original furnishings from the period, including an armchair from which Dr King watched President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “We Shall Overcome” speech, that would lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Archivists are digitising and cataloguing 6,000 items from the house, illustrating the movement’s efforts to seek equal rights despite the often violent response of angry mobs and the police.
“They’re important to help people understand – especially young people – where we are, how we got here, and the tactics used to change the world,” says Amber Mitchell, curator of Black history at The Henry Ford.
The move comes at a time when President Donald Trump tries to minimise or even erase some of the experiences and history of Black Americans.
His purges have sought to remove all reference to diversity, equity, and inclusion from the federal government and workforce, and many private companies have followed suit.
Establishments that house some of the most important reminders of African-American history, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., have come under particular pressure.
“I’m definitely saddened by what I see. I think museums are such an important part of our culture and our heritage,” says Mooradian.
The Wright Museum, also in Detroit, focuses on African-American history and culture and says it won’t be deterred.
“We will continue to do this work even when, maybe, other institutions don’t want to do it or don’t find it valuable. We find it valuable and a part of, really, the American experience,” says its director of exhibitions, Jennifer Evans.
The Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village is home to more than 80 historic structures, including the laboratory where Thomas Edison perfected the light bulb.
Jackson House opens to the public next year.
Credit: African News
