By Scott Benson, Detroit City Councilman
Our region boasts a vibrant, irreplaceable history filled with stories of resilience, triumph, and some of the most iconic historic institutions in the country. To ensure these proud institutions and legacies continue to inspire and educate future generations, we must secure them financially to ensure that we keep them alive. Voting YES on the upcoming Museum millage in Wayne and Oakland counties provides the essential financial stability our local museums, historical exhibits, and cultural institutions need to flourish.
By investing in our heritage, we celebrate the diverse achievements of our Oakland and Wayne County pasts, while guaranteeing that our community’s landmarks remain strong, stable, and open to all for years to come. Museums are more than just repositories for artifacts. They are where we go to learn of the past, reflect on the present, and ensure that our children and grandchildren know the stories of how our state, counties, and cities came to be. However, two of our most vital historical institutions are under threat of closure, and we must support a ballot question to ensure their doors remain open.
The Say Yes to Our Story campaign has launched, and voters in Oakland and Wayne counties will be asked in November to support a small tax increase to ensure the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, as well as history museums around the region, like the Plymouth Historical Museum and the Old Mill Museum, can continue their vital work.
It has been a long and winding road to make sure the region’s two premier history museums can continue the work of telling our stories. We fought to get legislation passed in Lansing, but a clerical error held it in limbo. The federal government then stripped away funding from the arts and cultural institutions. But our county partners understand the importance of the region’s history and placed this millage on the ballot in 2026.
These very special places formalized a partnership in 2019. Together, they hold about 300,000 artifacts related to the history of our region and tell one continuous story about our past that neither can tell alone. Founded 61 years ago, the Wright was among the first museums in America dedicated to African American history, and today is the second largest museum of its kind in the U.S. The Detroit Historical Society, at 105 years old, tells the 300-year history of our city, and also operates the Dossin Great Lakes Museum.
This campaign asks voters to support a 0.2 mill increase in property taxes, which is about $30 a year for the owner of a $300,000 house, for 10 years to generate a stable source of funding for the two institutions. In the first year, this would generate approximately $25 million. The measure would also require that for 10 years, the funding be publicly audited to ensure transparency. In addition, 15% of the revenue collected by each county will go to support the many public history institutions in both counties. This is where smaller museums in Wayne and Oakland counties will be supported financially by this millage.
Why do the museums need this funding? Both museums have been underfunded for decades, and their reserves have been drawn down. Without a dedicated, sustainable source of revenue, both museums risk closure. This millage would give each institution the stability to operate, preserve collections, and serve students and families for the long term.
If approved, for about $3 a month, residents of Wayne and Oakland counties would enjoy free admission to both museums. Also, it would fund free tours and transportation for school and senior groups to the museums. In addition, new curriculum guides and teacher training on Detroit-area history would be developed. And more than 300,000 artifacts in the museums’ collections would be permanently protected.
This is a small price to pay to protect the history of our region. This is a small investment in two cultural institutions that are important to our city and region. This funding will allow both museums to plan, grow, and most importantly – stay open.
Southeast Michigan should support its remarkable history museums. History is more than dates and places. History is stories of people, sometimes famous and sometimes not, who shaped who we are. And museums are where we come together to learn, share, and grow as a society. They hold our collective memories. They foster our region’s identity. They educate the public about our diverse and fascinating past.
I am supporting the Say Yes to Our Story campaign. You should too.
Hon. Scott Benson is a Detroit City Councilman who represents the 3rd District on Detroit’s north eastside. Scott also serves his community by sitting on numerous boards, is a proud husband and father, and an avid cyclist.
