Dr.+Charles+Howard+Wright

Charles Howard Wright, M. D., was born in Dothan, Alabama on September 20, 1918. His elementary school teacher, Professor Abner Jackson, set the course for Wright’s disciplined lifestyle, which permeated his entire being. He attended Alabama State College in 1935, and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1939. He was accepted to Meharry’s freshman class in the fall 01 1939, and graduated in 1943. After an internship and a year of pathology at New York's Harlem Hospital, he spent another year in pathology at the Cleveland City Hospital. While in Cleveland, he became proficient in Spanish and eventually lectured in the Spanish speaking world. In 1946, Dr. Wright began a four-year tour as a private practitioner in Detroit. Michigan. An obstetrician who delivered more than 7,000 babies. Wright believed his calling as a physician extended 10 treating what was ailing the souls of African Americans. In 1960, Dr. Wright helped to organize the African Medical Education Fund. In 1965, Dr. Wright founded the Museum of African American History which started in the basement of his medical practice, and is now located on East Warren in Detroit's cultural center. He set out to provide a historical awareness and cultural pride regarding the vital role African Americans played in the formation of the country. Dr. Wright’s publications included four books, two plays, two films and many research papers. The lives of Paul Robeson and Nelson Mandela were his research passions. His community efforts have attracted a treasure-trove of citations and awards. His rich life reached its sunset March 7,2002, leaving an endearing legacy As one of the most influential African American Detroiters of the last half of the 20th century.