Black Historic Sites Committee 43rd Anniversary Gala

LIONS COACH JIM CALDWELL HEADLINES A GROUP OF HONOREES BEING SALUTED BY THE DETROIT HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S BLACK HISTORIC SITES COMMITTEE ON FRIDAY, JULY 25 AT THE DETROIT HISTORICAL MUSEUM

The Detroit Historical Society’s Black Historic Sites Committee is celebrating their 43rd anniversary this year, and the celebration continues with a gala event on Friday, July 25th at 6 p.m. at the Detroit Historical Museum.

            Each year, this event recognizes African American firsts in all fields of endeavor. The 2014 honorees are:

• James “Jim” Caldwell, the first African American head coach for the Detroit Lions;
• Broadside Press, the pioneering African American publisher of poetry, founded by the late Dudley Randall;
• Aubrey W. Lee, Sr., the first African American branch manager and lender at NBD, and one of the first black vice presidents of a major U.S. bank;
• Clara Stanton Jones, the first African American director of the Detroit Public Library (posthumous);
• Fannie Richards, the first African American schoolteacher and the first kindergarten teacher in Detroit (posthumous).

            The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with a VIP Meet and Greet reception for the honorees and their families. VIP tickets are $100 and include admission to this special reception. Standard tickets are $50 for Society and Black Historic Sites Committee members and $60 for guests and include 6 p.m. entry, a strolling dinner at 6:45, and the awards program starting at 7:30 p.m. All tickets purchased for the event will also include a one-year membership in the Detroit Historical Society and the Society’s Friends of Detroit’s Black History, which supports the work of the Black Historic Sites Committee. For tickets or more information, visit detroithistorical.org or call 313.833.1262.

            WXYZ-TV weekend sports anchor/reporter David Solano will serve as master of ceremonies for the event.

The historic hiring of Caldwell earlier this year marks the first time in Detroit Lions history that an African American will lead the NFL team. Caldwell was previously offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, head coach for the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-2011 and also served as head coach at Wake Forest University from 1993-2000; the Wake Forest position made Caldwell the Atlantic Coast Conference’s first African American head football coach.