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Black Detroit
Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-Determination | Herb Boyd
The author of Baldwins Harlem looks at the evolving culture, politics, economics, and spiritual life of Detroita blend of memoir, love letter, history, and clear-eyed reportage that explores the citys past, present, and future and its significance to the African American legacy and the nations fabric. Herb Boyd moved to Detroit in 1943, as race riots were engulfing the city. Though he did not grasp their full significance at the time, this critical moment would be one of many he witnessed that would mold his political activism and exposed a city restless for change. In Black Detroit, he reflects on his life and this landmark place, in search of understand why Detroit is a special place for black people. Boyd reveals how Black Detroiters were prominent in the citys historic, groundbreaking union movement andwhen given an opportunitywere among the tireless workers who made the automobile industry the center of American industry. Well paying jobs on assembly lines allowed working class Black Detroiters to ascend to the middle class and achieve financial stability, an accomplishment not often attainable in other industries. Boyd makes clear that while many of these middle-class jobs have disappeared, decimating the population and hitting blacks hardest, Detroit survives thanks to the emergence of companies such as Shinolawhich represent the strength of the Motor City and and its continued importance to the country. He also brings into focus the major figures who have defined and shaped Detroit, including William Lambert, the great abolitionist, Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, Coleman Young, the citys first black mayor, diva songstress Aretha Franklin, Malcolm X, and Ralphe Bunche, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. With a stunning eye for detail and passion for Detroit, Boyd celebrates the music, manufacturing, politics, and culture that make it an American original.
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Lesliereads
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....as part of my #BlackBookStack on Day 4 of the 2020 February #ReadSoulLit Photo Challenge, created by @BrownGirlReading . 🖤📚#blackbooks #blackbookspines #bookstacks

Hooked_on_books Nice stack. And your sequin heart is the bomb! 😍 5y
JamieArc Black Detroit! That‘s not one I see in other people‘s stacks often. Lots of interesting tidbits in that one. 5y
BrownGirlReading GORGEOUS stack!!!‘ 5y
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Nute Look at all of the potential in that stack of books! So much good information...I wouldn‘t know where to begin? Reaching immediately for Black Detroit and for Black: A Celebration of Culture! 5y
Lesliereads @JamieArc I‘m from Detroit and for the last couple of years I‘ve been reading more Detroit history, so I bought this one last year and will read it this year😊. 5y
Lesliereads @Nute 😍 Black: A Celebration Of Culture is full of black and white historical and contemporary photography of black life🖤. I plan to read Black Detroit this year! 5y
Lesliereads @JamieArc Thanks, Girl - I love it, too❣️It was a gift from my niece many moons ago. 5y
JamieArc @Lesliereads My husband is from Detroit. We picked the book up at the BookFest at Eastern Market and we‘re lucky to chat with the author. Have you read the tagged book? That‘s my next Detroit history read. Another good one I read a few years ago is Terror in the City of Champions - important history I didn‘t know about. 5y
Lesliereads @JamieArc thanks for recommending Terror in the City of Champions. I read about a third of Dawn of Detroit a few years ago but got kind of swamped in the density of research and put off finishing for later 🤔 5y
Lesliereads @Hooked_on_books Thanks, Girl - I love it, too❣️It was a gift from my niece many moons ago. 5y
BrownGirlReading Wonderful stack! I marked it over on Instagram.❤️ 5y
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Emilymdxn
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I love how this shows lots of different movements and events together jumbled up in a single city, taking you through escaped slave laws, the great migration, unions and autofactory conditions, motown, hip hop, political developments, and it never feels confused because it‘s tightly tied together by focusing just on Detroit. Loses a few points for a couple small factual inaccuracies which didn‘t affect the overall meaning but always makes me 🤷‍♀️

JaclynW Looks fascinating. 5y
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JamieArc
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A long weekend of meetings means sneaking in a few minutes of reading here and there when I can, especially when it‘s taking me forever to finish this one 😑

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JamieArc
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I do this thing where if I‘m only reading one book and I finish it, then I don‘t know which book to choose next and want to read ALL the books. So I may have started 5 books recently, which I don‘t like because it takes so long to finish them all! 😳😂 #problemsofareader

Readerann A 1st world problem I also have! 7y
63 likes1 comment
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WanderingBookaneer
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What a blurb! This is going on my TBR!

DGRachel That looks like an emotionally difficult read. 😳 7y
Zelma That sounds much better than another book I read about Detroit. I have a soft spot for the city as my dad grew up there. 7y
56 likes5 stack adds2 comments