Detroit’s complicated racial history illustrates the array of issues underlying racial injustice and disparity in America. As a city that saw a large number Black migrants during the great migration, Detroit is the home to direct descendants of enslaved Americans and those targeted by Jim Crow laws in the South. Structurally racist policies and practices in Detroit, like redlining and race-based housing covenants, served to segregate and economically oppress Black residents. The effects persist today: Detroit’s population, job, and housing markets mirror those in other industrial Great Migration cities like Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore, making it a good location to demonstrate the impact and scalability of Reparation Generation’s initiatives.
A significant example of government-sanctioned racism in Detroit is the demolition of the Paradise Valley district and Black Bottom neighborhood. From the 1920s to the 1950s, Black Bottom—an area already home to diverse immigrant populations—was one of the few Detroit neighborhoods where housing covenants permitted Black residents to reside. The Great Migration brought thousands of Black migrants fleeing the Jim Crow South in search of jobs in the automotive industry. Paradise Valley was known for its thriving Black music scene and a number of Black-owned businesses, including several restaurants, grocers, medical providers, churches, and nightclubs.
In the late 1940s, Detroit leaders began planning “urban renewal” projects in the area, using National Housing Act funds to demolish older buildings; in the mid-1950s, the National Highway Act provided funds for the construction of freeways through the area to connect Detroit’s industrial hub with the growing population of suburban, predominantly white workers. The neighborhoods’ diversity and lower tax base made them prime targets for renewal and demolition. By the early 1960s, Black Bottom and Paradise Valley had been replaced by the Chrysler Freeway and Lafayette Park, a middle-income residential and business district. Former residents were displaced throughout the city, often to nearby housing projects. The demolition of these neighborhoods erased significant aspects of Detroit’s Black culture, history, and wealth. Today, the city is striving to reclaim its place as a hub of Black innovation and prosperity. (Reference: information here)
Reparation Generation is just one thread in the fabric of the Reparation tapestry. We are committed to working with other Reparative Justice programs in a movement that will lead our nation to a Federal Reparations Act. However, right now, individuals, corporations, and foundations that are ready to reconcile history and to atone for slavery and its legacy can immediately impact the racial wealth gap by making reparative transfers through Reparation Generation. The Reparative Wealth Transfers will go initially to homeownership, but we will also expand into addressing education and business ownership barriers. This process will allow for healing of our nation and provide real evidence of the demand for and the power of reparations.
Black descendants of enslaved Americans have endured the most profound harm from slavery and its enduring legacy. While other groups of Black people have faced significant challenges, those with enslaved American ancestors uniquely carry the generational trauma of having sacrificed the most to build America, yet having benefited the least. Our focus honors the pioneers who initiated the movement for Black reparations and their descendants, who continue to seek justice and repair for these historical wrongs.
