Race riots

Norman McRae Papers

drice — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:38:35 -0500

Norman McRae was a longtime teacher and administrator in the Detroit Public School System, playing a major role in the development of multicultural and human rights curricula. His papers mainly reflect his avid research on African-American history and the African-American experience.

Part II of the Norman McRae Papers consists mainly of educational curriculums and resources, the centennial celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, and secondary sources on Detroit and Michigan African-Americans.

The 1943 Detroit Race Riot

jruss — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:07:36 -0400

On June 20, 1943, a fight broke out between African American and white Detroiters spending their Sunday on Belle Isle, the city’s large park in the middle of the Detroit River. Fighting spread to the mainland, and rumors crisscrossed the city, stoking racial tensions that had been running high and threatening to boil over into violence for months. Rioting spread, with little attempt from the police to stop it (in fact, much evidence points to many white police facilitating and even participating in violence against African Americans), and by the time President Franklin Roosevelt sent in federal troops on the evening of June 21, hundreds had been injured, and 34 people had died: 25 African American (17 of whom were shot by police), and 9 white. Of the arrests made later, 85% were African American. read more »

(28770) Political Cartoon

jruss — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:50:47 -0400

This political cartoon appeared in an issue of the UAW Education Department's publication Ammunition in the 1940s. It draws attention to the negative impact racism had on the war effort. This particular version was scanned from the Reuther Library vertical files Race Riots 1940s folder.

(28773) Work stoppages over advancement of African Americans

jruss — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:08:56 -0400

This chart appears on page 8 of a pamphlet entitled What Caused the Detroit Riot? An Analysis produced by the NAACP and written by Walter White and Thurgood Marshall in July 1943. The chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics details work stoppages enacted in Detroit factories from 1943 March 1 - 1943 May 31 over issues related to the job advancement of African Americans.

(33636) Race Riot, Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 1943

eclemens — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 10:59:25 -0400

Cars burn on Woodward Avenue near Stimpson Street during the 1943 race riot.

(33637) Race Riot, Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 1943

eclemens — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 10:59:25 -0400

A car, turned on its side, burns in front of the Mayfair Theatre Detroit's 1943 race riot.

[Podcast] Race and Rebellion: Reexamining the Unlearned Lessons of the Kerner Report a Half Century Later

teller — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 20:18:12 -0400

Reuther Library outreach archivist Meghan Courtney discusses the conclusions of the 1968 Kerner Commission report in the context of today’s protests over race relations and police brutality. read more »