Detroit’s Forgotten Civil Rights Pioneer
By: Lynzee Mychael. Multimedia Journalist
Amidst a class of 40, Sarah Elizabeth Ray stood out as the only African American to graduate from her secretarial school in 1945. To commemorate this momentous occasion, Ray and her classmates arranged for a celebratory voyage on the Boblo boat, a beloved attraction located on an island in the Detroit River. However, the park’s shameful practice of prohibiting African Americans from entering marred Ray’s special day. Despite purchasing a ticket for the ride, stewards forcibly ejected her from the boat and returned her fare.
Driven by a fierce sense of injustice and outrage, Ray sought help from the NAACP to fight against the Bob-Lo Excursion Co.’s discriminatory policies. The organization quickly filed a lawsuit accusing the company of violating Michigan’s civil rights statute. Despite facing numerous appeals, Ray’s determination and unwavering commitment to justice eventually paid off. The courts ultimately ruled in her favor, with the U.S. Supreme Court confirming that the Bob-Lo Excursion Co. was indeed a public accommodation and thus subject to Michigan’s anti-discrimination laws.
This is a tale that I never came across in the history books, nor did I have the chance to adorn myself in her honor during Black History Month festivities as a youngster. Like so many of you who are currently perusing this article, my heart aches for the brave woman who brought about significant institutional changes in the city of Detroit that I cherish deeply and yet she remains unrecognized and unacknowledged.
For decades, her story remained shrouded in whispers, largely unknown to the world. But now, thanks to the tireless efforts of one filmmaker and his creative partner, her legacy is finally being brought to light.
This passionate individual has made it his life’s mission to unravel the layers of her story and reveal the truth about this legendary and trailblazing figure, who we all should have known so much more about.
Aaron Schillinger is a southern Virginia native, New York University Film graduate and current Michigander who has made it his business to tell Sarah E Ray’s incredible story. Originally Aaron was doing research for his film “Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale.” In the film, famous singer Martha Reeves of the Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, narrated the voice of the SS Columbia. The SS Columbia and the Ste. Claire were the two boats responsible for taking families by the thousands to an island between Detroit and Canada known as BobLo.
While learning about the fun and joyous times of boats and island history, Schillinger came across a story that was the opposite of that narrative.
“As a part of my research for that documentary, I read a blurb in the history book about this woman named Sarah Ray who integrated the Boblo and I just couldn’t find any pictures of her online or really find any info at that time, which was in 2015,” Schillinger recalls. “And, when I wanted to interview someone for the movie, the only person I could find was Desiree Cooper, because she had written an article in the Detroit Free Press in 2006, where she actually interviewed this woman.”
Desiree Cooper is a renowned Detroit community activist, former attorney and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist, recognized for her fearless exploration of the intersection of racism and sexism in her fictional works.
“I met Sarah Elizabeth Ray in February of 2006 and I almost can’t tell the story because my heart was breaking. It was very clear to me that she was a forgotten person. But she was very open and seemed to have very clear memories about the day on the Boblo boat that really did start to change history in America.” said Cooper.
Schillinger and Cooper connected in 2018 but both continued working on separate projects unrelated to the Sarah E. Ray story. That was until the 2020 protest following the death of George Floyd. Schillinger released the short film he made about Sarah’s story with hopes of inspiring and encouraging those advocating for social justice.
“I kind of felt like releasing that short excerpt of the film because the time felt right even though the feature length documentary, I’m still filming it. And so, we released the short film in 2020. And then we got a lot of big responses from people who were very thirsty to know more about her story. And so then, that’s when we started looking into her house that is still standing on Detroit’s eastside,” Schillinger explained.
During their research, Schillinger and Cooper stumbled upon the former home of Sarah E. Ray and discovered evidence of her activism, as well as the emotional toll of the Boblo incident. They also uncovered that Sarah E. Ray had changed her name to Lizz Haskell and had never publicly acknowledged her role in the integration of Boblo.
“She became an activist on Detroit’s east side and opened a community center called Action House. She did after-school tutoring, provided free school lunches and [provided] all these other resources for kids on the east side of Detroit. But she never talked about what she did on Boblo. Anyone who knew her from Action House, knew her as Lizz Haskell, the community activist, and it wasn’t until I interviewed them and told them what she had done on Boblo that they had any idea,” Schillinger said.
Schillinger and Cooper created the Sarah E. Ray Project to uncover and share the story of Sarah E. Ray, and shed light on Ray’s contributions to civil rights history and to raise awareness of the ongoing struggle for racial justice. Through this program the pair hopes to restore her home which has been abandoned with much of her belongings still spread throughout. Fortunately, Sarah E. Ray’s home was recently purchased by an owner who intends to renovate and repurpose the property in honor of her legacy.
Cooper is currently working on a children’s book, while Schillinger is adding more informative footage to the short film. The Sarah E. Ray Project is open to collaboration with anyone in the community who wishes to help spread the word about her inspiring story. The project will continue to advocate for change and strive to keep her legacy alive and thriving for generations to come.
If you would like to know more about Sarah E. Ray or become involved in the initiatives to bring awareness to her story visit www.detroitsotherrosaparks.com.
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