The Fraga family's farm was its most significant achievement and played a crucial role in the growth of America's agricultural industry. The Fraga family lived in Michoacan, Mexico until they journeyed to the United States in February 1919, in search of a better life. Valeriano, a father and husband, made many sacrifices for his family. Valeriano, his wife Martina, and his two young children left their home behind, along with all their personal belongings, friends, and families. They came to America in difficult conditions and were not accepted as citizens, but rather used as agricultural laborers, not allowed to go into jobs in industrial and manufacturing. Valeriano faced many hardships and challenges but persevered through them, leading his family to success. After years of hard work, the Fraga family finally owned their first farm, which remains a welcoming gathering place for their family and friends. This farm is important not only because it demonstrates Valeriano's hard work but also because it represents the work of many Mexican immigrants who played a crucial role in the growth and success of Michigan's agriculture.
The historical address of the first Mexican Catholic church on Roosevelt St. in Southwest Detroit can no longer be located on modern day maps. Named ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe’, the church’s closest address marks an empty lot leaving all of the cultural history attached to the church by the Mexican immigrants who established it lost. Against the United States implementation of different systemic measures to attempt to keep Mexican immigrant laborers socially immobile and economically limited, the immigrants who sought opportunities within industrial Detroit built the foundation for a prosperous Mexican community. Blooming with financial and social aid from the churches that could be found in Detroit, Mexican immigrants were able to establish a vast social network and create a place for themselves within American society. On the other hand, the United States government persecution of Mexican immigrants during the 1930s led to devastation in Detroit’s Mexican community, the effects of which can be seen in the empty lots that once housed Our Lady of Guadalupe.
This is the final resting place of Elizabeth Denison, an African American woman born into slavery in 1793. Denison lived most of her life in Detroit, and her life before 1807, when she was able to safely return to Detroit after previously escaping to Canada, demonstrates that slavery was not limited to the American South. Denison's return to the United States and life as a free woman also shows the importance of court decisions such as the 1807 Michigan Territory Supreme Court case that established the precedent that African Americans who escaped slavery by traveling to Canada could not be returned to slavery in Michigan. Denison worked as a domestic and invested her earnings in real estate and various businesses and owned many acres near present-day Elmwood Cemetery where she was buried following her death in 1866.
On June 19, 1982, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz killed 27 year old Vincent Chin near Detroit, Michigan. [1] When he was beaten, he was at a McDonalds in Highland Park, after Chin first got in an argument at a strip club called Fancy Pants. [2] Although people drive by this McDonalds, they most likely would think it is an ordinary McDonalds, when in reality, it is a truly historical location in the state of Michigan. With the death of Vincent Chin, this was just one of the numerous points of anti-Asian sentiment as more people from Asia started to immigrate into the US.[1] “June 19, 1982: Vincent Chin Beaten to Death in Hate Crime,” Zinn Education Project, accessed August 15, 2023, .[2] Harmeet Kaur CNN, “Vincent Chin Was Beaten to Death 40 Years Ago. His Case Is Still Relevant Today,” CNN, June 23, 2022, .
This entry centers around the experiences of Japanese Americans during the post-war era of the 1950s in Detroit, Michigan with a highlight of one of the areas in which many families lived. Hundreds migrated to the city after the end of World War II as they were released from the internment camps they were forced into after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Americans and immigrants that were taken away from their homes and businesses in California, Oregon, and Washington state had nowhere to go back to after three years spent in the camps.1 Therefore, many elected to get away from the traumatic memories of the west coast and settle in Detroit, where work was easier to come by. This city brought a new wave of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes to the Japanese residents, who made up a small portion of the population and had not built a solid community yet. With help from one another and their formation of the Japanese American Citizens League in 1946, most Japanese Americans decided to do their best to start new lives in Detroit. [1] Kiska, “No-No Boy and the Japanese-American Migration to Detroit,” Detroit History Podcast.
This historical marker commemorates the Flamingo Club of Idlewild, Michigan, a vacation destination that catered to the Black middle class and opened in 1915. Idlewild started as a small location around a lake but quickly gained popularity and after World War II, several entrepreneurs invested in Idlewild including Phil Gates, who opened the Flamingo Club in 1955. It featured performances by many local and well-known musicians during its time, providing a place for interracial mingling and entertainment. Idlewild’s popularity dwindled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Flamingo Club closed in 1968 and a historical marker was dedicated in 2009.
In 1912, the Idlewild Resort Company was created and they amassed 2700 acres of land around what was then Crooked lake. The Idlewild Resort Company tried to appeal to African Americans by making advertisements in Black newspapers and hiring African American salespeople to bring attention to the newly created resort. Their marketing was a success as many African Americans from Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland began coming to the area. Idlewild saw some prominent African American people at its resort such as Madame C.J. Walker, the first self made woman and African American millionaire. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, the first surgeon in the U.S. to do a successful open heart surgery, bought a property in Idlewild. In 1921, the original developers of Idlewild gave ownership to the Idlewild Lot owners Association, which was run by African American property owners. In the 1950s, Idlewild was still growing, seeing the completion of new attractions like a roller rink and nightclubs like the Flamingo Club. As a whole Idlewild is significant because it was a “Black Eden” where African Americans could live and vacation without facing the segregation they would at resorts that did not even allow African Americans to stay there.
The biracial schoolhouses in Covert, Michigan, were not only the first implemented in the United States but also drastically influenced the town’s educational landscape. Having their origins dating back to the mid-to-late 19th century, these institutions served as centers for teaching the local children of Covert, despite their race. This had started because of the morals of the founders of this town, who were radicalists, believing that the color of each other's skin should not determine a difference in equality. This marked a significant step in both integration as well as the educational divide, becoming an example to the state and the rest of the nation. Even to this day, Covert still stands as a crucial historical place in representing the start implantation of integration and equality into the United States with the Covert History Museum giving more insight into stories such as the schoolhouses and more.
During the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth century, migrations were happening all across the United States with people of all ethnic backgrounds trying to find job stability and a sense of community. For many this was found in Michigan where many ethnic groups were finding and meeting together to try and start their new lives. Specifically in the Chinese community places such as Detroit and Grand Rapids were becoming centers for Chinese culture and business. Many laundromats and eventually small convenience stores were owned and operated by Chinese families. However, some people sought bigger dreams and business such as Chan Hoy who owned and operated one of the most successful restaurants in Michigan. Chan Hoy’s restaurant is significant in Michigan’s history as not only did it show the growth of ethnic groups within the state, but also showed how communities came together and began to integrate through business.
The Roaring 20s was a period of surging economic growth and prosperity, rapid innovation, and cultural change within the United States. From jazz music to the Harlem Renaissance to the introduction of the automobile and films confidence within the American public was at an all-time high and it seemed like it would continue this way forever. However, these benefits were not enjoyed by everybody, and within this vibrant period remained much of the same issues plaguing and harming the African American community for decades within the US. The racial intolerance in America was only amplified after World War 1; race riots and mob rule swept across the country like wildfire, inflicting countless deaths and even more injuries between whites and blacks. From the systemic murders of African Americans by law enforcement to the lynchings of innocent black men and women, many African Americans felt abandoned by the government, and took matters into their own hands. Such was the case of Ossian Sweet, an African American physician who opened a doctor’s office in a local pharmacy within the neighborhood of Black Bottom, a majority black neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. With racial intolerance at its peak at the time, doctors and hospitals refused African Americans in need of medical attention solely for the color of their skin. Sweet’s personal experiences and medical knowledge prompted him to step in, aiding and potentially saving the lives of a community that has little other options at the time when it came to accessible healthcare.
The late 1800s was a bustling time of industrialization and economic growth for not only the state of Michigan, but the whole country. In Michigan the lumber, agriculture, and railroad industries are just a few examples of the booming business that was on the rise. With this swift move towards industrial capitalism, the call for laborers was also at an all time high. These job openings drew in immigrants from all over the world, but in Michigan mainly Mexican and Chinese immigrants moved in to fill laboring positions. This is what drew Chan(g) Ball to Michigan in 1872[1]. Chang Ball’s Chinese Bazaar and Laundry, located at 21 E Bridge St., is important because it gives context to how the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 affected Chinese immigrants, was the first exclusively Chinese products store in Grand Rapids, and brought Chinese culture to Grand Rapids.[1] www.grcmc.org, “Chang Ball’s Case.”
Ossian Sweet was born in 1895 in Orlando, Florida, living with his parents, whose occupations were tenant farmers. Sweet earned his medical degree from Howard University in 1921 and later moved to Detroit, Michigan, in the same year, living with his wife’s parents. In 1925, he bought a home in Black Bottom, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Detroit. This move led to Sweet’s house being crowded and subsidized. Sweet and his wife met a white couple who were willing to sell them their house. Although Sweet and his wife knew all the risks, they took the deal. On September 8th, 1925, Sweet, his wife, and his daughter moved into the predominantly white neighborhood. Ossian Sweet is most known for the incident when he moved into the home when a mob gathered and someone inside the home shot into the crowd. Sweet and his friends were charged for this incident. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) defended Sweet, bringing Clarence Darrow as chief counsel. The first trial led to the jury declaring a mistrial, and the second trial ended in an acquittal. After the trial, no further attempts were made to prosecute Sweet or his family, allowing Sweet to move back into the house in 1928. He lived there till when he sold the house in 1958.
Detroit in 1872 had a population of one Chinese man, Ah Chee. Chee opened a laundry business to support his expenses and send money across the ocean to his family. Many other Chinese people settling in Detroit followed this way of living. An example includes O.K. Laundry, originally owned by Wau Lee and Ah Tun. Eventually, the community began to grow with the first Chinese woman, Rose Fang, calling the area home in 1910. The formed society was full of culture and hard workers who would overcome the Vincent Chin murder, which occurred over 100 years after their arrival. They formed associations for the support of the general community. They celebrated cultural holidays and honored traditions passed down through generations, which aided in the growth and development of Detroit’s Chinatown despite the passing of The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
Roma Hall was built in 1930 by Giovanni Battista Russo aka G.B Russo[1]. The hall was built on the second floor of the family’s apartment building where they lived and owned a grocery store. It was located at 746 South Division Ave. Many members of the family including G.B.’s wife, his kids and youngest brother all worked at Roma Hall. The hall went through many names such as Genoa Café and Russo Café and it was the home to Club Indigo. Roma Hall was open from 1930 to 1991, and home to events for all people, regardless of race or color.1[1] “Roma Hall Story | West Mich Music Hysterical Society.” n.d. https://www.westmichmusichystericalsociety.com/roma-hall-story/.
In the late 19th century, the arrival of the first "Oriental" in Detroit, Michigan from Canton marked the beginning of a new chapter in the city's history—the birth of "Detroit Chinatown." What began as a small laundry service on Gratiot Street in 1872, rapidly evolved into a thriving ethnic enclave, solidifying its presence along Third Avenue.1 The Chinese community began to form with the establishment of influential Chinese organizations like the On Leong Merchants Association and the Association of Chinese Americans, both playing crucial roles in organizing for residents' interests and cultural celebrations. Despite some challenges, Detroit’s Chinatown attracted journalists, government officials, and even international elites.2 However, the Chinese were driven to enter only a few businesses due to their exclusion from other job opportunities deemed "American” and the U.S. in general. Detroit's Chinatown exemplifies the pivotal role of Chinese Americans in shaping Detroit’s history as they challenged exclusionary policies, ultimately contributing to Michigan's diverse culture.[1] “History | Detroit Chinatown.”[2] “History | Detroit Chinatown.”
Grand Rapids South High School first opened its doors to the public in 1917, housing students from 7th all the way to 12th grade. South High was notorious for its particularly honorable standards graduating some of the prominent figures in our nation’s history including none other than President Gerald R. Ford himself, graduating with the class of 1931.[1] Unfortunately, as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was put into action, not very many people at South High were as keen on the idea of integration as some may have hoped. Over time, the formerly “elite” public High School found itself on the edge of the red-lined neighborhoods in which African Americans were forced to reside, therefore causing the African American population of the school to raise to 30% during the 1960s.[2] These students were met with an abundance of racial discrimination based upon appearance and dress code, sparking what we would soon know as, the Mustache Saga. Today, the building still stands as it is currently home to the Gerald R Ford Job Corps Center, named after the famous graduate.[1] Ashcroft, “‘The Spirit of South High’ | 50 Years after Closing, Legendary School Still Teaches.”[2] Eric, “Episode 50: ‘a City within a City’ – the Mustache Saga.”
The Chinese Community experienced different obstacles while immigrating to Michigan in the 1870s. Some historical actors were impacted by Americans' discriminatory thoughts toward the Chinese. In Michigan, Grand Rapids was the main area that Chinese Immigrants lived and worked in laundromats. Chinatown faced challenges while exporting to Michigan, but it has shown how the Chinese community built a culture in Michigan.
The era following World War I was marked by significant social, cultural, and economic changes in the country. After World War I, the United States experienced economic prosperity and rapid growth. Industries like manufacturing, automobiles, and consumer goods saw tremendous expansion, leading to increased production and job opportunities in agriculture to meet the demands of the country. During this time, sugar beet companies first relied on European immigrants but as they joined the urban revolution, companies were forced to seek a new source of labor, beginning the recruitment of Mexicans and Tejanos/as. The Menominee River Sugar Co. is relevant to this analysis as it contributed to the campaign of labor recruitment.
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Students in the course Michigan and the World created these sites to commemorate under told narratives of people of color in Michigan from the 1800s to the 1980s.
