Take your seat at The Wright Gala

Good fortune landed me in Detroit earlier this month at The Wright Gala 2015. Star-studded and spectacular, the gala celebrated 50 years of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and carried the theme Inspiring Beauty.

In a room filled with exquisite orchids, rich decor and gorgeous guests, the most beautiful thing about the gala is that it generated a record 1.8 million dollars for the Museum, including a half million dollars contributed by five Detroit-based African American families and businesses that contributed gifts of 100,000 dollars, each. Kudos to the woman with the vision and finesse to achieve this formidable goal—Wright Gala Chair Vivian Rogers Pickard, President of the General Motors Foundation and Director, Corporate Relations for General Motors Company!

Below is a photo slideshow from “the most successful fundraiser in the Wright Museum’s history” (click a photo to access the slideshow and captions). Learn more about the Wright Museum, and check out my story about the gala today on BlackGivesBack.com.

Photographs courtesy of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

Take your seat at The wright Gala

Celebrate a “Journey” of 50 years

The scene is set.

Every detail attended.

Arriving gala guests

Enthralling “tableaux vivants” transport guests from Africa to the Americas

And the guests keep coming

More than 1,100 gala guests in total

More “tableaux vivants”

Stirring scenes from American history

Artful. Historical. Moving

More scenes from our history

Into the ballroom foyer

Cocktail reception, a prelude to the gala

Step and repeat

Bites and beverages

Libations and lounging

Wright Gala guests

Silent art auction

Wright Gala guests

Wright Gala guests, including featured celebrity Blair Underwood

Wright Gala guests

Wright Gala guests

Wright Gala guests

Wright Gala guests

Into the ballroom

#InspiringBeauty

#Wright50Years

#InspiringBeauty

#Wright50Years

#InspiringBeauty

Find your seat

Opening the program

Museum President Juanita Moore

Guests with Jesse Jackson Sr., who delivered the invocation

#InspiringBeauty

#Wright50Years

#InspiringBeauty

Gala Chair Vivian Rogers Pickard

Members of The Five who contributed $100K each

#Wright50Years

Linda Johnson Rice, Chairman, Johnson Publishing Company

Desiree Rogers and Linda Johnson Rice of Johnson Publishing Company

Program Hosts

Surprise gift from Ford Motor Company

Key to a NEW Ford van for community outreach

Museum President Juanita Moore celebrates 50th anniversary

An unforgettable evening

Let the real partying begin…

Nikia Washington (l), the Museum’s PR & Social Media Manager

Follow the hashtag for more media stories and photos

What A Night!