Ann Arbor Times

Eastern Michigan University's Preservation Studies program has officially embarked on the second phase of a comprehensive survey of Detroit's African American civil rights history. This initiative, supported by a National Park Service grant, will concentrate on the city’s east side. The three-year project aims to connect experts in Detroit’s civil rights and Black cultural heritage with residents and community groups to identify and designate significant sites associated with the African American struggle for equality.

EMU Preservation Studies professor and project lead Dan Bonenberger believes this work is significant in preserving and educating about history.

“While the civil rights movement is often associated with the South, a National Park Service survey completed in 2020 highlighted significant places in and around Detroit as a pivotal northern hub of the movement,” said Bonenberger. “This led to the designation of important Black civil rights landmarks such as the Birwood Wall, New Bethel Baptist Church, Rosa Parks Flat, and the Sojourner Truth Homes in the National Register of Historic Places.”

Despite the important work underway at the Malcolm X House in Inkster and the Ossian Sweet House in Detroit, Bonenberger highlights a pressing concern: preserving newly identified sites at risk of demolition.

“Numerous newly identified landmarks on Detroit’s east side are associated fair housing, equal rights, activism, and cultural heritage, and at least two are tied to Malcolm X and his time in Detroit. The Gladys Mitchell Sweet House and many others face the imminent threat of demolition, making our work urgent and vital,” Bonenberger added.

The project began with a review of historical records from the Detroit Black Historic Sites Committee, covering documents from 1971 to the present. Places identified in these records will be integrated into EMU’s Black Heroes of Detroit geodatabase, a comprehensive historical geographic information system documenting Detroit’s African American heritage sites.

The research team will map the results and engage with residents and groups in three historically Black neighborhoods on Detroit’s east side, inviting them to share their knowledge of other significant sites. This collaborative effort will uncover lesser-known places and open new research avenues. Findings will be showcased through an online driving tour and a final illustrated report.

The project will expand the geodatabase of Black heritage sites, produce National Register nominations for two of the most significant places, and complete numerous Michigan State Historic Preservation Office inventory forms. These efforts will provide local preservationists with valuable resources, aid future preservation initiatives, and help eastside residents, community groups, civil rights activists, and visitors connect with Detroit’s rich civil rights legacy.

The project is funded in part by the African American Civil Rights grant program through the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service Department of Interior. The effort builds upon the NPS Survey of Detroit's African American Civil Rights History 1900-1970 and Multiple Resource Nomination. Additional support is being provided by Eastern Michigan University and the Detroit Historical Society. Contact project leader Dan Bonenberger at dbonenbe@emich.edu.

Founded in 1849, Eastern Michigan University currently serves more than 13,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate specialist doctoral degrees across various disciplines including arts sciences business education engineering technology health human services graduate school.

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