Councilmember Scott Benson
I was recently honored by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History with its Advocate Award. The museum is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, a remarkable achievement, and I offer my deepest congratulations to the trustees and staff on this important milestone. For six decades, The Wright has preserved, promoted, and celebrated the history and culture that built our city and shaped our nation. It is a profound legacy that this essential institution continues to build on.
The Advocate Award speaks to my deepest commitment to public service. The award letter I received months ago spoke of my belief in the power of cultural institutions. The Wright Museum is more than just a place to visit. It is a foundational pillar of the City of Detroit. It is a source of truth, a powerful place of inspiration, and a beacon that informs and can help guide our future by fiercely honoring our past. At a time when we have national leaders trying to alter and remove the uncomfortable truths about our nation, The Wright stands apart by honoring the authentic stories of our city and nation. The Wright endures.
Detroit is a city defined by resilience and renaissance, and The Wright is our cultural compass. It is the institution that ensures our growth and our success are always grounded in the history of struggle and triumph that defines the African American experience. This museum is a resource for every Detroiter and every visitor, and its health is vital to the health of our entire community.
Last year, the Michigan Legislature passed a bill but unfortunately it never made it to the Governor’s desk to be signed. This law would have allowed for the creation of a millage to support The Wright and the Detroit Historical Museum. Neither of these institutions, both vital to our city’s cultural offerings, is supported by a millage.
The millage would be a maximum 0.2 mills over 10 years to support historical museums in Detroit and other communities. This legislation was a long time coming, requiring regional cooperation and intense lobbying efforts. This funding will provide much needed financial stability to these museums. It is like the millage that supports the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Zoo. I am working with a great team to get the bill signed and on a future ballot so that voters can approve it.
The Wright’s commitment and dedication to its vital cultural role, and the need to ensure that our history – American history — gets told, is what drove the initiation of the millage campaign. This is the work that I was honored for with the award, recognizing my strategic leadership in advancing long-term financial sustainability.
But let me be clear: this is not my work alone. It is the result of a shared vision. My role was simply one of tireless advocacy to bring people together — to translate that deep, city-wide belief in these museums, into a financially sustainable reality.
The millage campaign’s mission was born from the strategic understanding that an institution this important cannot live hand to mouth; it requires, and deserves, a secured, funding source to ensure the long-term financial health of the museum. The African American experience does not, and should not, always be about a struggle for survival or sustenance.
This institution’s story, and our Detroit Historical Museum’s story, will not be one of continued struggle…not on my watch.
I would like to thank Mayor Mike Duggan for appointing me to the Board of Trustees for The Wright. Mayor Duggan has exhibited nothing but partnership, conviction, and strategic guidance for the millage campaign. He shares my vision of cultural institution excellence and continues to make the hard decisions required to achieve it.
My commitment to public service is rooted in the idea that we must build things that last. Thanks to the community’s support, and the hard work of everyone involved, we will ensure that both The Wright and the Detroit Historical Museum have a secure financial path. We are working to guarantee that these museums will continue to educate, inspire, and make a lasting impact on the city of Detroit, and the metro region, for generations to come.
