A map constructed using data from the Jerome P. Cavanagh Papers and the Detroit Commission on Community Relations Office Records at the Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs
A sketch outlining a proposed "early warning" system for the Detroit Commission on Community Relations to identify areas of potential civil unrest in the city. May 1, 1967. Detroit Commission on Community Relations (DCCR)/Human Rights Department Records, Part 3, Box 71, Folder 9.
Memoranda from Harold J. Bellamy to Richard Strichartz summarizing several social and demographic studies for the City of Detroit Mayor's Committee for Community Renewal.. A notable contribution is a 1964 study conducted by Greenleigh Associates.
Material located in box 393, folder 13
Front cover of the souvenir pamphlet presented to attendees of the ceremony where the Walter P. Chrysler Expressway broke ground for what was billed as “the most complex highway engineering project ever attempted in the City of Detroit." Attendees of the ceremony, which took place at the corner of Hastings and Macomb Avenues, received this booklet. The entire Black Bottom district was razed to make room for the Chrysler Expressway, part of the city’s urban renewal program. January 30, 1959. Carl Almblad Papers, Box 8, Folder 56.
A map of the Detroit expressway system as featured in the souvenir pamphlet presented to attendees of the ground breaking ceremony for the Walter P. Chrysler Expressway. Souvenir booklet, January 30, 1959. Carl Almblad Papers, Box 8, Folder 56.
A statement from Louis Rosenzweig of the Michigan Fair Employment Practices Commission maintaining that the overwhelmingly largest number and percentage of claims brought before it are race-related, although discrimination due to religion and nationality are also within the Commission's purview. November 12, 1959. Jewish Labor Committee Records, Box 9, Folder 7.
This document represents a summary of a Detroit Police Department incident report relating to the raid at a "blind pig," or unlicensed bar. This event is often cited as the beginning of Detroit's 1967 Civil Unrest.
Material located in box 398, folder 2.
Telegram message sent to Councilman Mel Ravitz from various business, political, and cultural leaders supporting the Fair Housing Ordinance. November 20, 1967. Source: Mel Ravitz Papers. Box 15, folder 1.
Caption on the back of the photograph reads: “Three year old Thomas Allen stands in the ruins of his home on Detroit’s east side after it was burned to the ground in the riots that hit this City 7/23. Little Thomas’ bewildered appearance is a symbol of the riots’ most tragic victims. Thomas, along with his mother, is now staying at one of the 7 emergency housing centers set up for refugees.”
Union election materials for UAW local race. Flyer lists candidates approved by DRUM, stating “VOTE THE DRUM SLATE – DAMN the others.” Marxist and revolutionary roots meant DRUM did not hold back in their desire to transform the UAW to its core. Source: Kenneth V. and Sheila M. Cockrel Collection, Box 6, folder 24.
In 1971, the local Model Cities Citizen Governing Board and the City reached a settlement over the future of the University City II project. The settlement recognized the legal authority of the board, ensured their participation in Wayne State’s project, and offered significant protections to the residents whose homes redevelopment threatened. A major victory for people living in neighborhoods around the school, the settlement severely set back University City II and the remaining three phases of the project never came to pass.
Description of the University City, No. 2 project, colloquially named “University City II,” 1970. University City II eventually fizzled out after the 1971 agreement between the City of Detroit and the Model Cities Governing Board. The agreement legitimized the Model Neighborhood group’s authority to demand a say in their area’s redevelopment, saving their residences while halting Wayne State’s plans. Source: Ruth M. Tenney Papers, Box 13, folder 20.
View from a house in Detroit’s Midtown district, designated as “blight” and suitable for redevelopment as part of the original University City project. 1964.
DRUM flyer for wildcat strike and rally. 1969. The wildcat strike, a strike undertaken by union workers without union authorization, became DRUM’s tool for addressing the grievances Black workers faced in Detroit’s factories. Source: Kenneth V. and Sheila M. Cockrel Collection, Box 6, folder 24.
