The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

By: Jessica Bahny
Activities Assistant, NeuroCare Center

Once a month, the Activities Team likes to do a larger outing with two or three clients. In honor of African American History Month, in February we decided to pay a visit to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.

We took our clients Gaylor F. and Bradly R. to the museum, what a beautiful place! The building is gorgeous, and very well maintained. The staff is extremely polite, respectful, and very knowledgeable. Guides walk around to take you through the life-like exhibits and answer any questions. We only had time to visit one wing, so we chose the “We Shall Rise” historical portion. I was completely amazed! The amount of work that goes into an exhibit like this one is nothing short of astronomical. This exhibit is absolutely amazing. There were dioramas featuring hundreds of people, so lifelike that you expect them to start talking to you.

We begin in ancient Africa, visiting the King, and watching the happenings at a marketplace. We learned about the crops, the jewelry, and the baskets that were sold by merchants. We then made our way onto a ship designed for carrying captives to slavery in America. We walked through the barracks, where hundreds of people were stacked one on top of the other, awaiting their fate in America. Our tour guide told us that most of the people who were being taken captive didn’t even speak the same language. I couldn’t even imagine- being ripped from my family and stuffed in close quarters with people that I couldn’t even have a conversation with. Even though this is a part of history that I am familiar with, I still felt I experienced it in a new light.

We were able to hear “Frederick Douglass” give his famous speech, and watch “Harriet Tubman” lead people to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Did you know that Harriet Tubman shot passengers who didn’t listen to her instructions in order to protect the others? She meant business! Our guide even told us that her great-great grandmother helped Ms. Tubman usher people to Canada! How cool is that?

Later, we walked down a mock Detroit street and listened as the rousing tunes of Motown played from a recreated record store. We all had a great time- the outing received rave reviews from all of us! In fact, I think I’m going back on my own time. I highly recommend you do the same! Go check it out, you’ll have a great cultural experience, and who knows? You just might learn something new! Stay tuned for more updates…..I’ll be in touch soon!

A Memorable Day at The Museum

By: Jessica Bahny
NCC Activites Assistant

Well, the holiday season is officially behind us.  We’re into the New Year, and looking ahead to spring!  Technically, life is supposed to “slow down” a little bit for us all after that big holiday rush- not in the activity department!  We’re just as busy as ever!  This post, I really want to share some of the fantastic outings we’ve been doing here at NCC.  With the cooler weather, we’re pretty much restricted to indoor outings.  Sure, we love going to the park, fishing, the zoo and all of that good stuff- but when the air gets cold where can you go?  MUSEUMS!!!! 

I’m always amazed at the treasures we have in our own back yard- like the Henry Ford Museum.  Unfortunately, I think I got a bit “spoiled”.  I was so familiar with the museum that I began to take it for granted.  All of that changed for me when I spent an afternoon there with Ramiro G., one of my clients.  He had never been to the museum before, and I had never taken a first time tourist to the museum!  Seeing the Henry Ford through the eyes of someone who had never been was a truly remarkable experience.  He had a constant look of awe on his face- looking at the larger than life trains, experiencing the story of automobile history, and taking a walk through the evolution of freedom seemed to have an amazing impact on him.  It was a truly amazing experience for me- and a great bonding activity. 

Speaking of history, did you know that January was Holocaust Remembrance month?  In honor of that horrific ordeal, my co-worker Kari and I took two of our clients to the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills.  I had been before, but again, seeing it through the eyes of my clients made it completely different.  We had a wonderful tour guide who educated us about Jewish culture, religion, and the history of Europe at the time of the war.  While much of the tour was filled with sadness, we left with a sense of triumph and empowerment.  Our guide left us with a valuable piece of advice: If you see someone hurting someone else, it’s everyone’s responsibility to stop the violence.  If you stand and do nothing, you are just as guilty as the person doing the harm.  This brought about a great conversation on the van ride home.  We all felt sad that so many people were hurt, and that there were some who were afraid to help.  Over all, it was a very touching and emotional outing- one that doesn’t happen every week!