Greenfield Village

STORIES OF TRIUMPH

Dramatic programming in Greenfield Village shifts to include more inclusive accounts and share narratives about overcoming adversity

OLD CAR FESTIVAL 2022 in Greenfield Village was a starting point. As visitors enjoyed vehicle displays, parades and ragtime revues, an important story about Black history and women’s suffrage was being shared. A vignette within one of the festival’s parades, inspired by the triumphs of civil rights leaders such as Ida B. Wells, featured a group of Black presenters walking in solidarity and holding a banner that read “Lifting As We Climb.”

“The women’s suffrage movement had segregated associations, with Black women creating their own groups to advocate for everyone’s right to vote,” shared Imani Bonner, The Henry Ford’s new supervisor of dramatic programs and town life. “We wanted to highlight this movement — to tell its story through multiple lenses and showcase the efforts of Black women in this important moment in history.”

For Bonner, the women’s suffrage vignette was a culmination of research and careful planning. It marked the beginnings of a concentrated effort at The Henry Ford to tell more inclusive historical accounts that represent people of color as well as other ethnicities and orientations in Greenfield Village. “We want programming in the village to better reflect Black stories and experiences,” said Bonner, “so we are looking at different ways to reformat, retell and reshape our narratives.”

Bonner is hoping to add a fresher, different perspective going forward. “With our storytelling, we have the power to impact how someone views and translates history. Our goal is to tell more than a one-sided view, to tell stories that have been told before but have often been told through the realm of stereotypes.”

Rather than tell stories centered on illiteracy and enslavement, for instance, Bonner wants to focus on stories of hope. “Oppressive things have happened in our history,” she said. “How can we find pockets of joy amidst the adversity and tell those stories? The enslaved individuals who could read and were allowed by their overseers to teach their children to read. And how their literacy helped them overcome challenges alongside such disparity.”

Bonner is working with experts, including curators, to make sure new programming is not only historically accurate but inspiring too. She is collaborating with dramaturges (theatrical literary advisers) to help bridge the gap between history and “stage” production, and is building a network of Black playwrights and actors to call upon as needed.

The Henry Ford’s efforts to improve its storytelling were recently reflected in the “living history” programming during last year’s Holiday Nights. As Greenfield Village opens this spring, visitors can also expect to see new programming that is more inclusive, said Bonner.

— JENNIFER LAFORCE, MANAGING EDITOR,

THE HENRY FORD MAGAZINE

ONLINE For more information, hours and pricing for Greenfield Village, visit thf.org/villagec

VILLAGE RESTORATION PROJECT

As Imani Bonner, supervisor of dramatic programs and town life, continues to refine, uncover and reshape stories of diversity and inclusivity that will be told by presenters within Greenfield Village this coming season, another important milestone that helped reshape Greenfield Village’s narrative is taking place: the 20th anniversary of the Village Restoration Project.

Taking nearly three years of planning and nine months of construction, the project, completed in June 2003, was a multimillion-dollar endeavor that addressed a crumbling infrastructure. But more important, it created a revitalized Greenfield Village that told a more cohesive story.

The Greenfield Village of the 1980s and 1990s basically resembled the Greenfield Village of 1929. There was limited access to power, few if any streetlights and water drainage was an issue. Infrastructure improvements brought upgraded sewer and electric and miles of paved road and sidewalks, adding more options for attractions like the Model T rides. To give visitors a more compelling experience and tell more connected stories of living history, curators and structure experts also collaborated to envision seven themed historic districts — which prompted the relocation and refurbishment of many of the village’s historical buildings.

DID YOU KNOW? / The members-only preview for Greenfield Village’s 2023 season is April 14. Opening day for the public is April 15.

dA choreographed vignette during

Greenfield Village’s 2022 Old Car

Festival showcased how Black women found their voice in the movement for their right to vote.

Such storytelling is part of The

Henry Ford’s recent efforts to offer more inclusive historical accounts that represent people of color.