Detroit’s Black Hospitals
In order to tell the story of Black hospitals in Detroit, I start with a brief history of early hospitals in Detroit, including the segregationist policies that forced Black doctors…
Jazz Clubs and Black-Owned Businesses in Detroit’s Lower Paradise Valley
The lower Paradise Valley area, north of Gratiot and south of I-75, was an entertainment and business hub with a concentration of Black-owned businesses and jazz clubs. This area had…
Detroit’s Black-Owned Businesses in 1952 – New Map
In the early 1950s, Detroit’s population reached its all-time high of over 1.8 million people, and Black-owned businesses thrived. The Booker T. Washington Trade Association, an organization created to support…
Manufacturing Plants in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction – Map and Photos
Milwaukee Junction was the heart of early automotive manufacturing in the U.S. Others refer to this area as the cradle of Detroit's auto industry. The area was named for the…
Freeway Impacts on Black Communities: The Story of Miami’s Overtown
As part of my ongoing research of Detroit's Paradise Valley and Black Bottom, both areas severely impacted by freeway construction and urban renewal, I have been researching other cities that…
How many people lived in Detroit’s Black Bottom?
How many people lived in Detroit's Black Bottom? When I first started researching Paradise Valley and Black Bottom, I wanted to know basic facts, including population and racial composition. What…
Slavery in Detroit
By Rod Arroyo Northern states, territories, and Canada have a deep history of slavery. Early French settlers were enslavers. Slavery was considered legal in New York as early as 1725,…
Detroit Jazz Festival 2022 – Saturday Photos
Detroit Jazz Festival 2022 Saturday Photos by Rod Arroyo, www.city-photos.com. Instagram: rod.arroyo. Twitter: @mycityphotos Photos may be shared on social media with credit. No commercial use or printing without permission.…
Book Tower Transformation in Detroit
The Book brothers, J. Burgess, Jr., Herbert, and Frank, grew up in downtown Detroit. They were members of one of the wealthiest families in Detroit. Eventually, they sought to rehabilitate…
Chucho Valdés, Afro-Cuban Jazz Legend
Chucho Valdés has been named the Artist-in-Residence for the 2022 Detroit Jazz Festival. He gave a stirring solo piano performance at the Jazz Fest preview event on April 30, 2022.…