Detroit: The Black Bottom Community

by Jeremy Williams

Overview

Between 1914 and 1951, Black Bottom's black community emerged out of the need for black migrants to find a place for themselves. Because of the stringent racism and discrimination in housing, blacks migrating from the South seeking employment in Detroit's burgeoning industrial metropolis were forced to live in this former European immigrant community. During World War I through World War II, Black Bottom became a social, cultural, and economic center of struggle and triumph, as well as a testament to the tradition of black self-help and community-building strategies that have been the benchmark of black struggle. Black Bottom also had its troubles and woes. However, it would be these types of challenges confronting Black Bottom residents that would become part of the cohesive element that turned Black Bottom into a strong and viable community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439624357
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/26/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	43 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Local historian Jeremy Williams combines careful research with archived photographs for an insightful look at Black Bottom's early beginnings, its racial transformation, the building of a socioeconomically solvent community through various processes of institution building and networking, and its ultimate demise and the dislocation of its residents.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 European Immigrants 11

2 African Americans in Black Bottom 25

3 Life in Black Bottom 45

4 The Struggle for Decent Housing 55

5 Eleanor Roosevelt Visits Black Bottom 69

6 Schools, Churches, and Organizations 77

7 Sojourner Truth and the Riots 103

8 Urban Renewal 117

Bibliography 126