A historically significant house linked to the U.S. civil rights movement has been meticulously relocated from Selma, Alabama, to Michigan’s Henry Ford Museum as part of efforts to preserve African-American history during a politically charged era. The Jackson Home, once a sanctuary for organizers of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will become a permanent exhibit at Greenfield Village in Detroit, opening to visitors next year.
Owned by a local Black family, the house sheltered activists during three attempts to complete the 87-kilometer march for voting rights. The first effort, met with violent suppression, galvanized global attention on systemic racism and voter disenfranchisement in the American South. Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford, emphasized the family’s sacrifice, noting their “ordinary middle-class” background and pivotal choice to “use their home for a cause.” Original furnishings remain intact, including an armchair where Dr. King viewed President Lyndon B. Johnson’s landmark 1965 “We Shall Overcome” address, which preceded the Voting Rights Act’s passage.
Archivists are currently digitizing 6,000 artifacts from the home, ranging from personal items to documents chronicling the movement’s strategy amid police brutality and mob violence. Amber Mitchell, the museum’s Black history curator, stressed their educational value: “These pieces show how change was fought for—tools young people need to grasp our present and shape the future.”
The preservation effort unfolds against a backdrop of intensifying debates over how U.S. history is taught and commemorated. Under former President Donald Trump, federal policies sought to eliminate diversity and inclusion programs, with similar trends emerging in private sectors. Institutions like the Smithsonian have faced heightened scrutiny over exhibits addressing systemic racism. Mooradian expressed concern over such pressures, calling museums vital guardians of cultural heritage.
Detroit’s Wright Museum, dedicated to African-American history, has vowed to continue its work despite challenges. “This isn’t optional—it’s central to understanding America,” said exhibitions director Jennifer Evans.
Greenfield Village, home to over 80 historic structures—including Thomas Edison’s laboratory—now adds the Jackson Home to its collection, ensuring the struggles and triumphs of the civil rights era remain accessible amid contemporary efforts to reckon with the nation’s past.
