Saving a Key Piece of Civil Rights History: The Jackson Home

The Jackson Home, originally in Selma, Alabama was a crucial place in the fight for true freedom for African-Americans.

It's been moved here to Metro Detroit at Greenfield Village in The Henry Ford, so that it can be preserved, celebrated, and the story told.

So I went to Dearborn and talked with the Curator of Black History at The Henry Ford, Amber Mitchell.

Dr. Sullivan Jackson and Mrs. Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson offered their home as a sanctuary and strategic hub for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Rights leaders as they planned the marches that ultimately changed America.

From the Jackson's living room, Dr. King and others watched the "We Shall Overcome" speech by President Lyndon B Johnson… publicly backed voting rights.

The Selma to Montogomery March was planned there, and all of this culminated with the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

So get all the details. Why it's here. What's happening with the progress. What kinds of programming are they thinking, and of course, the importance of this work being done today.

More at the Henry Ford: https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/greenfield-village/jackson-home/

And you can find a full transcript on our website, Daily Detroit.

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