Lansing— We Don’t Want Them, an exhibit exploring civil rights and the history of housing segregation in Detroit, is now on display at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette throughout January. This free exhibit, part of the Michigan Humanities Council’s Great Michigan Read program, is made possible by the Council and Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion.
“Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age,” was selected as this year’s Great Michigan Read. Written by Detroit-native Kevin Boyle, “Arc of Justice” tells the story of African American physician Ossian Sweet and the chain of events that followed after he purchased a home for his family in an all-white Detroit neighborhood in 1925.
Through reproductions of historic documents and photographs mounted on freestanding display units and panels, viewers will learn the causes and effects of residential segregation. We Don’t Want Them places “Arc of Justice” in a broader context of policies and practices that limited where some could live, thus impacting their past and present quality of life. This exhibit acts as a powerful backdrop for local dialogue on issues of segregation, discrimination and intolerance.
The exhibit will be displayed until Jan. 25 in the Huron Mountain Club Gallery on the main floor of Peter White Public Library, and can be seen during normal library hours.
“Peter White Public Library is proud to host the traveling exhibit, We Don’t Want Them, which continues the library’s programming around the current Great Michigan Read book selection,” said Cathy Sullivan Seblonka, youth services librarian at Peter White. “The exhibit encourages Marquette to look at its housing history and explore local housing issues.”
In addition to the exhibit, the library is hosting “Are you my Neighbor” panel discussions Jan. 16 and 24, at 7 p.m. On Jan. 26, Bill Jersey’s film, “A Time for Burning,” will be shown at 7 p.m. All events are in the Community Room.
The exhibit will continue its tour until June 2012, stopping at the following locations:
February: Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (Detroit)
March: Interlochen / Traverse Area District Library / Dennos Museum Center (Traverse City)
April: Castle Museum of Saginaw History / Saginaw News (Saginaw)
May: Old Mill Museum (Dundee)
June: Artworks (Big Rapids)
The Great Michigan Read is a free statewide humanities initiative inviting Michiganians to read and participate in book discussions and events in their hometowns. Intended for young adults to senior citizens, the Great Michigan Read aims to make literature more accessible and appealing, while also encouraging residents to learn more about their state.
About the Michigan Humanities Council
The Michigan Humanities Council is a private, nonprofit organization created to foster a better understanding of each other and our state through local cultural, historical and literary experiences for all. The Council was founded in 1974 and is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and individual donors. For more information on future programs, upcoming grant opportunities or how you can support these efforts, please visit www.michiganhumanities.org or call (517) 372-7770. |
