The Sarah E. Ray Project with Desiree Cooper and Aaron Schillinger Online
Until now a Detroit civil rights pioneer named Sarah Elizabeth Ray has been largely forgotten.
Seventy-five years ago, a 24-year-old, African American secretary was denied a seat on the segregated Boblo boat, SS Columbia. Like Rosa Parks, she refused to back down, taking her fight for integration all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
Represented by fabled NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall, Ray won her case. Scholars argue that she paved the way for the seminal 1954 Brown v. Board of Education, which found that separate was inherently unequal.
Join 2015 Kresge Artist Fellow, Pulitzer Prize nominee, former attorney, and 2017 Michigan Notable Book author Desiree Cooper and Aaron Schillinger, the director of Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale, to learn more about Sarah E. Ray, Detroit's Other Rosa Parks, and The Sarah E. Ray Project.
Registration is required and begins Monday, December 27, 2021 at 10am, closing one hour before the program starts. The Zoom meeting link and password will be emailed to registered participants prior to the program. See below for technical requirements.
Presented by the Howell Carnegie District Library, the League of Women Voters of Livingston County, and the Livingston Diversity Council.
The Library's virtual programs are recorded when possible and the recordings made available on YouTube.
Discover the past virtual program and livestream recordings on the Library's YouTube channel.
- You will need a device and Internet access to attend this virtual event.
- We'll be using the Zoom video conferencing platform for this virtual presentation. Feel free to practice with Zoom ahead of time.
- For an optimal experience, please download the Zoom application (speakers required for audio) on your device prior to this event.
- We recommend using either a computer or tablet for the best user experience, though smartphones will work well, too.
- If you experience any login issues at the time of the program, email events@howelllibrary.org for assistance.