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Sarah Elizabeth Ray was asked to get off a boat while attending a graduation trip in 1945 because she was African American. In 1948, her case reached the U.S. Supreme Court - who ruled in her favor.
Shannon Steel said she hadn't heard of Ray before reading reporting about the plight of her home, but "it didn't sit right in my spirit that no one would" step up to save the house.
Sarah Elizabeth Ray should have been heralded as a civil rights icon, but her legacy has mostly faded into obscurity. Now, a group of Detroit eastsiders, a former journalist and a documentary filmmaker are hoping to revive her story.
The house is small, run down, boarded up, surrounded by tall grass. A blue tarp covers the roof. The wood exterior is weathered gray from the elements,
The designation is a step to preserve the home and the story of Sarah E. Ray, who was kicked off a Boblo Boat in 1945.