PERCY WELLS, regional vice president, Public Affairs and Communicatioins, Coca Cola Enterprises, Cathrine Blackwell and Caroline Chambers, president of Comerica Charitable Fund, take time out from festivities to view the exibit that was sponsored by Comerica Bank.


COMERICA BANK employees Sharon Taylor, Brenda Givens, Ketra Lewis, Caroline Chambers and Patricia McCann Surround Catherine Blackwell (seated). - Photos by Stinson

THE GOSPEL CHOIR from the Catherine C. Blackwell Institute of International Studies, Commerce and Technology uplifted the audience with a soul-stirring performance.
On one of the coldest nights of the year, hundreds of Detroiters found warmth at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

The blasts coming through the Wright Museum heat vents made guests forget the chill of the air outside, but more powerful warmth was generated through the love and admiration the visitors had for one person: Catherine Blackwell.

Historian, educator, storyteller, champion for children, champion for Detroit: all of these descriptions have applied to Blackwell, who still leads by example at age 88.

“My thrust has always been that our young people understand that there is no Tarzan in Africa – that’s not what Africa is all about,” said Blackwell, who has made 65 trips to Africa since 1960, visiting 41 countries.

On Jan. 30, community members of all ages once again gathered to learn at the knee of Blackwell. The occasion this time was the preview reception for a “Storyteller’s Hat: African Art from the Teaching Collection of Catherine C. Blackwell,” a new Wright Museum exhibit featuring 200 pieces from Blackwell’s personal collection.

The exhibit, which is particularly kid-friendly with its inclusion of jewelry, furniture and textiles guaranteed to entice a child’s curiosity, takes its name from a hat that Blackwell often wears when telling stories from the east African nation of Ghana.

“When I started teaching in 1955, I wanted my students to have the same kind of appreciation of who we are that I had,” Blackwell said. “We were maligned in many ways and made to feel ashamed of our culture. To be called an ‘old African’ was to be called a name and it wasn’t a pleasant one.

“We are a great people and there is no one who can put themselves above us and we must stop putting ourselves below others.”

During the exhibition reception, held in the Wright Museum rotunda, the richness of African culture was on display through stirring performances of African music and dance. And when eyes and ears were not tuned to the performers — some of whom were students of the Catherine C. Blackwell Academy in Detroit — conversation often focused on the grand lady of the hour.

“Catherine Blackwell is such a wonderful person,” said Yvonne Cofer, a longtime friend. “I’ve seen the things she’s done for children, not just at her school, but for all children.”

Jenine Kemp, a native Detroiter and former African American literature instructor at Highland Park Community College, said: “I have admired her since the first time we met, because I also had an interest in helping African American students appreciate their African American culture. Although I couldn’t travel to Africa I could learn from her.”

A volunteer tour guide at the Charles H. Wright Museum for more than 20 years, Brunetta Vinson said, “I’m excited about the exhibit having made so many trips to Africa with Catherine. We’ve taken supplies to schools and have seen firsthand how our people are living and surviving. And wherever we traveled the people were always so appreciative when they saw Catherine.”

Sponsored by Comerica, a “Storyteller’s Hat: African Art from the Teaching Collection of Catherine C. Blackwell” will be displayed at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History through June 29. The museum, open Tuesday thorugh Sunday, is located at 315 E. Warren. For additional information, call (313) 494-5800.

“Mrs. Blackwell’s passion around the African and African-American experience is a great gift,” said Caroline Chambers, Comerica Bank’s Corporate Contributions manager. “I think it is so important for young people to have a solid and proud sense of their origins and this exhibit, told through artifacts and stories of her travels to the Motherland, is an exciting way to engage and interest people -- young and old -- in our history.”