The second page of a letter from a Detroit resident expressing disgust with the changing racial composition of Detroit neighborhoods. Civil Rights Congress of Michigan Records, Box 66.
Letter from Detroit Housing Commission Secretary Harry J. Durbin informs Detroit Police Commissioner Edward S. Piggins that the commission will be moving Black families into the Herman Gardens Housing Project and assures him of the families’ wholesomeness. November 25, 1955. Detroit Commission on Community Relations (DCCR)/Human Rights Department Records, Part 3, Box 27.
Click the image to read the full document.
Second page of a letter from Detroit Housing Commission Secretary Harry J. Durbin informs Detroit Police Commissioner Edward S. Piggins that the commission will be moving Black families into the Herman Gardens Housing Project and assures him of the families’ wholesomeness. November 25, 1955. Detroit Commission on Community Relations (DCCR)/Human Rights Department Records, Part 3, Box 27.
Letter from Common Council President Mel Ravitz to a local citizen regarding the Detroit Renaissance, Inc. and the role of development in the city's recovery. Source: Mel Ravitz Papers, Box 29, folder 4.
A letter from Milton Kemnitz, Executive Secretary of the National Federation for Constitutional Liberties to Jack Raskin, Executive Secretary of the Civil Rights Federation, regarding the national significance of developments at the Sojourner Truth Housing Project. February 17, 1942. Civil Rights Congress of Michigan Records, Box 67.
A letter from Wendell Berge, Assistant Attorney General, to Max Wender regarding the Justice Department's investigation into the 1943 Race Riot. July 5, 1943. Civil Rights Congress of Michigan, Box 70.
Residents within the University City zone received letters from attorneys like this one, urging them to sell their houses to the city or immediately go into foreclosure. January 1972. Source: Ruth M. Tenney Papers, Box 13, folder 17.
Letter from a local citizen to Common Council President Mel Ravitz regarding the Detroit Renaissance, Inc. and the role of development in the city's recovery. Source: Mel Ravitz Papers, Box 29, folder 4.
Despite DRUM’s upstart status, its militant stance on race in the auto factories and criticisms of union leadership quickly caught the attention of Walter Reuther and the UAW. DRUM claimed the UAW did not care about the plight of its Black members, while the union worried that the wildcat strikes weakened their ability to negotiate with employers. Source: UAW President’s Office: Walter P. Reuther Records, Box 51, folder 4.
Three National Guardsmen patrol the corner of Hazelwood and Linwood with weapons drawn as residents from the neighborhood look on with a mixture of amusement and anger.
A map shows the racial makeup of neighborhoods adjacent to the Sojourner Truth Housing Project. No date. Civil Rights Congress of Michigan Records, Box 67.
A memo from the Detroit Commission on Community Relations field staff to James Bush identifies sources of community tension and suggests methods of sharing information to prevent further incidents. August 18, 1965. Detroit Commission on Community Relations (DCCR)/Human Rights Department Records, Part 3, Box 71, Folder 9.
A memo from James Bush of the Detroit Commission on Community Relations to Richard Marks outlines an investigation of Detroit Police officers who reportedly harassed Black youth on Kercheval Street, leading to confrontations between police and Black residents. August 25, 1966. Jerome P. Cavanagh Papers, Box 273, Folder 5. Click the image to read the whole document.
A memo from Richard Marks of the Detroit Commission on Community Relations proposes a priority program and budget to effect institutional change within the Commission and the City of Detroit following an August 9, 1966 confrontation between Black residents and police on Kercheval Street. September 8, 1966. Detroit Commission on Community Relations (DCCR)/Human Rights Department Records, Part 3, Box 71, Folder 9.
Michigan Citizens Militia flyer. Handed out in Birmingham, MI, this flyer reflects the level of animosity felt throughout many of Detroit’s majority white suburban areas towards Detroit and its Black population in the wake of the Civil Unrest. Source: Fair Housing Ordinance in Birmingham, Michigan Campaign Collection.
Campaign material for General Gordon Baker’s run for Michigan state representative. An ardent Black revolutionary and strong leader for DRUM during its inception, Baker led the group’s initial wildcat strike at the Dodge Main plant in 1968. Source: Detroit Revolutionary Movements Records. Box 16, folder 2.
Booklet explaining the Model Neighborhood program, Detroit’s local Model Cities initiative, c. 1967. As a part of the national War on Poverty focused on issues unique to urban areas, Model Cities funded experimental social programs and alternative community governments. In areas designated as Model Neighborhoods, citizens received special services along with a larger voice in their neighborhood’s municipal operations. Source: Ruth M. Tenney Papers. Box 8, folder 1.
Flyer for Model Neighborhood representative election. The Model Neighborhood program set up alternative neighborhood governments, shifting some control to local communities. Though they were sometimes called into question, many of these representative boards possessed legitimate authority, butting heads and overruling city plans. Community input in development projects continues to be a debated topic in Detroit. Source: New Detroit, Inc. Collection, Box 22, folder 3.
“Young Ideas” and “Young Train” music record. Songs in support of Coleman Young’s mayoral campaign performed by the Originals. Issued as a promotional single by Motown Records. 1973. Source: Coleman A. Young Papers, Part II, Audiovisual materials, Box 1, folder 2.
“Young Ideas” and “Young Train” music record. Songs in support of Coleman Young’s mayoral campaign performed by the Originals. Issued as a promotional single by Motown Records. 1973. Source: Coleman A. Young Papers, Part II, Audiovisual materials, Box 1, folder 2.
“Young Ideas” and “Young Train” music record. Songs in support of Coleman Young’s mayoral campaign performed by the Originals. Issued as a promotional single by Motown Records. 1973. Source: Coleman A. Young Papers, Part II, Audiovisual materials, Box 1, folder 2.
