Detroit: African Americans
The Dancy 12th Street Academy, a Detroit Urban League educational program, undated 1970s (Detroit Urban League records, Box 87) image bl004051
Abrams, Alan E.
- Alan E. Abrams papers 1961-1982 (bulk 1964-1970).
- 2 linear ft.
Detroit-based press agent/public relations consultant in the music business; publicist for Motown Record Corporation, 1964-1966, later with Stax Records, 1967-1968.
Press releases, clippings, publicity material, scrapbooks containing press coverage of the recording artists that he represented, including the Supremes; also photographs and his writings about Motown, Otis Redding, and Florence Ballard.
Baskin, Alex.
- Alex Baskin interviews, 1959-1960.
- 1 volume.
Professor of history, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Transcripts of interviews with participants in the Ossian Sweet murder trial that took place in Detroit in 1925; include conversations with Thomas F. Chawke, John C. Dancy, Charles Mahoney, William C. Osby, Sr., Cecil L. Rowlette, Otis Sweet and Robert M. Toms. The interviews contain material concerning trial judge, Frank Murphy, and defense lawyer, Clarence Darrow.
Bethel A.M.E. Church (Detroit, Mich.)
- Bethel A.M.E. Church records, 1897-1990s (bulk 1912-1969)
- 0.2 linear ft., 2 oversize items, and 2 microfilm reels.
Historical and background information; inaugural address of pastor Joseph L. Roberts; biographical sketch of pastor William H. Peck; and photographs.
Microfilmed materials include quarterly conference reports; record books with lists of members, baptisms, marriages, and related information; minute books of trustees and various church groups.
Booker T. Washington Business Association.
- Booker T. Washington Business Association records, 1941-1999 (scattered dates)
- 1 linear ft.
Organization of Detroit African American business and professional men and women established to promote the development of local businesses, before 1960 known as Booker T. Washington Trade Association.
Business and membership directories, newsletters, annual meeting programs, and miscellaneous correspondence.
Brown, Gloria.
- Gloria Brown papers, 1964-1967.
- 50 items.
Chairwoman of the Detroit chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality.
Correspondence, news releases, and printed material relating to the activities of the Detroit CORE.
Cleage, Albert B.
- Albert B. Cleage Jr. papers 1949-2005
- 19 microfilm reels.
Detroit, Michigan clergyman, pastor at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, which later became Central Congregational Church. In the 1960s, Cleage and his congregation began restructuring the church's rituals, programs, and theology to conform to the Black Christian Nationalist philosophy. In 1970, the church was renamed the Shrine of the Black Madonna.
The collection contains correspondence, sermons, and writings of Albert B. Cleage, Jr. (his name would later be changed to Jaramogi Abebe Agyeman); records of the shrine of the Black Madonna; papers of individuals within the church who assisted Cleage; and records of the National Office of the Shrine.
Finding aid available in library
Curtis, Austin W., 1911-
- Austin W. Curtis papers, 1896-1971.
- 2 linear ft., 1 oversize volume, and 1 oversize folder.
Assistant to George Washington Carver at Tuskegee Institute, later a Detroit businessman.
Correspondence and other papers of G. W. Carver relating primarily to experiments with soil improvement and the discovery of new applications for the peanut and other Southern agricultural products; newspaper clippings and memos relating to Curtis' campaign for Congress in 1958 and his work with Carver; and photographs.
Dancy, John C. (John Campbell), 1888-1968.
- John C. Dancy papers 1920-1960
- 1 linear ft. and 1 v. [outsize].
Executive director of the Detroit Urban League.
Correspondence, scrapbook, photographs, and miscellanea concerning personal matters, the work of the Urban League, and the concerns of the African American community of Detroit.
DeLano, Fred H., 1916-
- Fred H. DeLano papers, 1907-1923 and 1949-1987.
- 0.5 linear ft.
Journalist from Dowagiac, Michigan with interest in sports public relations; general manager of the Detroit Pistons.
Scattered correspondence relating to his career with the Detroit Pistons.
DeMeunier, Leon.
- Leon DeMeunier papers, 1960-1964.
- 1 linear ft.
Chairman of the Detroit chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality.
Correspondence, minutes of CORE meetings, and printed materials, relating primarily to the activities of CORE in Detroit, concerning activities against job discrimination, and in support of Freedom Rides into the South in the early 1960s.
Dessaw, Marie.
- Marie Dessaw papers, ca.1956-ca.1985.
- 0.5 linear ft.
Detroit, Michigan civic leader, member and officer of the National Housewives League of America.
Correspondence, reports, minutes, and other materials relating to her participation and leadership of the National Housewives League.
Detroit (Mich.)
- Race riot scrapbook, 1943.
- 1 oversize volume.
Detroit (Mich.)
- Detroit riot scrapbooks, 1967.
- 2 oversize volumes.
Clippings from local and national newspapers detailing the riot of July 23-30, 1967.
Detroit Urban League.
- Detroit Urban League records, 1916-[ongoing].
- 96 linear ft. and 1 oversize folder.
Detroit branch of the National Urban League.
Minutes of the Board of Directors, correspondence and topical files of executive directors and presidents, budgets and financial records, and papers concerning National Urban League conferences and Green Pastures Camp; also departmental files relating to community services, housing, vocational services, health and welfare, job development and employment, and education and youth incentives; and photographs.
Fine, Sidney, 1920- collector.
- Sidney Fine collected research materials, ca. 1900-ca. 1970 (scattered).
- 13 linear ft.
Professor of history at the University of Michigan.
Collected materials pertaining to his research interests; include copies of FBI and Justice Department files relating to the 1967 Detroit riot.
Franklin, C. L. (Clarence LaVaughn), 1915-1984.
- C. L. Franklin papers, 1957-1991 (bulk 1963-1984).
- 0.5 linear ft.
African-American clergyman active in the civil rights movement in the 1960s; pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. Collection consists of photocopies and copy prints of originals in donor's possession.
Papers accumulated by Franklin's daughter, Erma Franklin, relating to the life and career of her father; include biographical information, transcripts of oral interviews; scattered sermons and correspondence, including letters from daughter Aretha and from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; topical files about his church and civil rights activities; and photographs.
Goin' north : Black Detroit and the great migration, 1910-1930.
- Exhibition materials, 1991.
- ca. 1 linear ft. and 2 oversize folders.
Exhibit (1991) of photographs and documents produced by the Bentley Historical Library in commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at the University of Michigan.
Gordon family.
- Gordon family papers 1924-1946
- .25 linear ft.
Papers of Mattie Bell Hudson Gordon, Willie Lee Gordon and their son, William Hal Gordon, African American family that came to Detroit from Georgia and settled in Highland Park. William Hal Gordon, a musician, attended Detroit Northern High School and was drafted into the U.S. Navy near the end of World War II, where he served as a hospital aide.
Primarily correspondence, including some letters from family in Georgia, but mostly letters (1945-1946) from William Hal Gordon to his parents about his experiences in the military, especially as a black and as a musician; includes some letters written to William by his mother, and some miscellaneous personal items.
Gordy family.
- Gordy family papers, 1928-1947.
- 2 linear ft.
Detroit business and cultural family.
Materials of Berry Gordy, Sr. and Bertha Fuller Gordy and their children largely relating to business, church and civic activities; include letters of daughter, Esther Gordy, written from Howard University, and letters from sons, Fuller and George Gordy, written while serving in the military during World War II; also assorted materials detailing Detroit church activities with the Church of God in Christ and Bethel A.M.E.; and miscellaneous records relating to the Booker T. Washington Grocery Store, and the Booker T. Washington Trade Association; and other materials concerning interest in black organizations and individuals. Use of this collection requires the permission of the donor.
Finding aid available in library
Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church (Detroit, Mich.)
- Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church records ca. 1920-2008
- 2 linear feet.
Church also called Shiloh Baptist Church.
Church history, celebratory and obsequy programs, clippings, and notebooks of materials accumulated during the pastorates of R. B. James, Solomon David Ross, William H. Crews, and Harold Knox; also bulletins of church services.
Hammond Church of God in Christ (Detroit, Mich.)
- Hammond Church of God in Christ records, 1964-1989.
- 0.3 linear ft.
Church and Sunday school account books detailing money offerings; bylaws and other organizational records; brief history; publications and other mailings; and photographs.
Hartford Memorial Baptist Church (Detroit, Mich.)
- Hartford Memorial Baptist Church records, 1922-2000.
- 13 linear ft.
Files concern church governance and policies; church committees and other organizations; and church events, celebrations, and services; also include publications and topical files with information on pastors Charles Hill and Charles Adams.
Hill family.
- Charles A. Hill family papers, 1917-1981 (bulk 1939-1970)
- 2.7 linear ft.
Charles A. Hill was pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church (formerly Hartford Avenue Baptist Church) in Detroit, 1920-1969.
Papers of Charles A. Hill and family pertaining to his church activities and to his involvement in various political and civil rights causes; includes minute book to the meetings of the Detroit chapter of the NAACP, 1944-1947; collected material on Hill and his activities gathered by the Detroit Police Department; and scrapbooks of clippings and photographs of Hill relating to his role as a pastor.
Hilliard, William Alexander, 1904-
- William Alexander Hilliard papers, 1946-1980 (scattered dates).
- 0.5 linear ft.
Pastor of St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church, Detroit, 1947-1959; bishop of A.M.E. Zion Church, 1960-
Church reports written by Hilliard and his wife Edra Mae Hilliard, programs, published A.M.E. Zion Church materials, biographical information, and photograph.
Hunter, Sara E.
- Sara E. Hunter papers 1800s-1990s
- 0.5 linear ft.
African American member of St. Matthew's and St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, Detroit, Mich.; historian of her family.
Family and genealogical materials, accumulated relating to different family lines, notably O'Neal, Jones, King, Garlington, and Johnson families.
Jefferson, Alexander, 1921-
- Alexander Jefferson papers 1921-2006, bulk 1944-2006
- 6 linear feet and 1 oversized folder.
African American pilot, member of the Tuskegee Airmen fighter group; founding member of Tuskegee Airmen veterans group, both national organization and Detroit chapter.
Biographical materials about Jefferson and other members of the Tuskegee Airmen, correspondence, press materials, speeches and other appearances files; also records of Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated, Tuskegee Airmen Detroit Chapter, and Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum; and photographs.
Kellogg African American Health Care Project.
- Kellogg African American Health Care Project records, 1997-2000.
- 5 linear ft.
Project funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to document the health care experiences of African Americans in southeastern Michigan consisting primarily of oral history interviews with African American health care practitioners and administrators covering the period 1940-1969.
Background files relating to the project, and 42 oral history interview transcripts and tape recordings. Interviews discuss biographical details, desegregation efforts in Detroit area hospitals, and social conditions facing African Americans.
Kornegay, Francis A.
- Francis A. Kornegay papers, 1936-1977.
- 18 linear ft.
Executive director of the Detroit Urban League.
Correspondence and topical files relating to his career as vocational services secretary, 1944-1956, assistant executive director, 1956-1960, and executive director of the Detroit Urban League, 1960-1978.
Lawson, William H., 1890-1966.
- William H. Lawson papers 1958-1992
- 1 folder.
African American optometrist, resident of Detroit, Michigan.
Biographical information and miscellanea relating to Lawson and his son, optometrist William Emmet Lawson.
Louis, Joe, 1914-
- Joe Louis papers, 1935-1951.
- 93 volumes, 0.2 linear ft., and 1 oversize folder.
Champion prizefighter of Detroit.
Scrapbooks, 1935-1941 (arranged chronologically by bout), and clippings, articles, and fan letters, 1948-1951, relating to his career as a boxer.
Finding aid available in library
McCauley, Dorothy.
- Dorothy McCauley papers, 1961-1989.
- 1.5 linear ft.
Organizer and executive director of the Dav-Joy-Lin-Dex Community Council, Detroit network of neighborhood block organization; community activist concerned with neighborhood youth and senior citizen programs, and with interest in matters of zoning, health, housing, and police-community relations.
Newsletters and minutes of executive committee of the Dav-Joy-Lin-Dex Community Council; newsletters of area block clubs; files relating to her community and organizational involvement; published materials; and photographs.
Michigan Historical Collections.
- Detroit Riot Oral History Project transcripts, 1984-1985.
- 0.3 linear ft.
Interviews conducted by Sidney Fine, University of Michigan history professor, with community leaders and law enforcement and political officials about the Detroit riot of 1967. Interviewees include James Bannon, William Cahalan, Kenneth Cockrell, Karl Gregory, Arthur Howison, Joseph L. Hudson, Damon Keith, James Lincoln, Richard Marks, John Nicholls, Richard Marks, Robert L. Potts, Robert Roselle, and Cyrus Vance.
National Housewives' League of America.
- National Housewives' League of America records, 1931-1996 (bulk 1941-1987).
- 2.1 linear ft. and 1 oversize item.
Organization established in 1933 to encourage African American housewives to patronize African American-owned businesses. The national organization was comprised of local groups, the most important of these being the Housewives' League of Detroit, which was founded in 1930 under the leadership of Fannie B. Peck. The Detroit League worked in conjunction with the Booker T. Washington Trade Association, whose organization was headed by the Rev. William H. Peck, and the National Negro Business League.
The records, accumulated by Fannie B. Peck and subsequent officers of the organization, Christina Fuqua and Lydia Hibbert, include minutes, correspondence, publications, and activity files of both the national organization and the Detroit league. The same individuals maintained the records. The series in the record group are History and Organization; Core Records; Correspondence; Programs and Events; Media Coverage; Publications; Chapters; Related Organizations; and Other Materials. The largest portion of the Chapters series consists of records of the Detroit league and includes history, publications, and other organizational materials.
New Bethel Baptist Church (Detroit, Mich.)
- New Bethel Baptist Church records, 1979-1988.
- 0.3 linear ft.
Organized in 1932, New Bethel Baptist Church has long been a center for religious development, civil rights leadership, and social action in the Detroit neighborhood of Linwood. Its pastors have included C. L. Franklin and Robert Smith, Jr.
The collection consists of five booklets and promotional materials pertinent to a variety of commemorative programs (1979, 1985-1988), and two membership handbooks (1987, 1988). Program booklets contain numerous photographs and some church history and pastoral biography.
New Harmony Baptist Church (Detroit, Mich.)
- New Harmony Baptist Church (Detroit, Mich.) record book 1946-1959
- 1 volume.
African American Baptist church.
Record book includes financial records, membership lists, record of offerings, and minutes of scattered meetings.
Potts, Robert L.
- Robert L. Potts papers, 1966-1992.
- 4 linear ft.
Episcopal priest, member of the executive committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Citizens Development Authority, civic organization established with the goals of improving the economic, social, educational, cultural and general welfare of the people of the city of Detroit; also coordinator of the Youth Opportunity Council of Detroit.
Executive committee minutes, financial statements, and miscellaneous papers relating to his activities; also writings of his son, Randolph Potts and sound recordings of sermons given by Potts.
Robinson, Remus, 1904-1970.
- Remus Robinson papers, 1927-1930.
- 2 linear ft.
Detroit physician and civic leader.
Student notes and other materials taken while attending the Medical School of the University of Michigan; and photographs.
Rosenfeld, Ralph.
- Ralph Rosenfeld papers, 1965-1966.
- 35 items.
Chairman of the Detroit chapter of Congress of Racial Equality.
Correspondence, memos, schedules and other papers concerning the activities of Detroit CORE.
Salvatore, Nick, 1943-
- C. L. Franklin oral history project 1998-2002
- 47 transcripts of interviews and 117 audiocassettes (in 3 boxes).
Professor of history at Cornell University.
Recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted in the course of his research into the life and career of C. L. Franklin, African American clergyman, long-time pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, and active participant in the civil rights movement.
Second Baptist Church (Detroit, Mich.)
- Second Baptist Church records, 1911-1989, bulk 1926-1988.
- 14 microfilm reels and 1 folder.
Annual reports, financial records, histories, minutes of advisory board meetings, pastoral correspondence, annual and quarterly publications, and weekly bulletins; include files of pastors Robert L. Bradby, Sr. and Allan A. Banks, Jr. detailing in part their efforts in finding employment for members of Detroit's black community, especially with the Ford Motor Company; and photographs.
St. Matthew's and St. Joseph's Episcopal Church (Detroit, Mich.)
- St. Matthew's and St. Joseph's Episcopal Church records, 1884-1997.
- 12.5 linear ft.
Church formed in 1971 from the merger of two Detroit Episcopal parishes.
Historical and informational files; vestry minutes and treasurer's records; records of church organizations; publications and church bulletins; subject files; scrapbooks; and photographs.
St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (Detroit, Mich.)
- St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church records, 1957-1987.
- 4 linear ft.
Correspondence, administrative files, Sunday bulletins, and topical files relating to the activities of the church and its pastors, most notably William Hilliard and William C. Ardrey.
Sweet, Ossian, 1895-1960, defendant
- Ossian Sweet transcript of proceedings, 1925-1926.
- 2 microfilm reels (Originals in: Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library)
Proceedings of the iPeople vs. Ossian Sweet, et al/i in the Recorder's Court of Detroit.
Testimony presented before Judge Frank Murphy, and arguments of prosecuting attorney, Robert Toms, and defense attorney, Clarence Darrow.
Top Ladies of Distinction. Ann Arbor Chapter.
- Top Ladies of Distinction, Ann Arbor Chapter records, 1982-1987.
- 0.3 linear ft.
Ann Arbor, Michigan chapter of an African American women's organization.
These records include minutes and newsletters of the Detroit area district of the organization.
University of Michigan. Institute of Public Policy Studies.
- Aberbach-Walker Detroit riot studies, 1967-1971.
- 24 linear ft.
Records, 1967-1971, of the studies on the Detroit riot of 1967 conducted by Joel Aberbach and Jack Walker, staff members of the Institute of Public Policy Studies of the University of Michigan; includes survey forms, 1967, 1968 and 1971, audio-tapes of interviews with Detroit civic leaders; and administrative records of the project. Permission of the donor is required for access to these records.
Finding aid in the library.
Waddles, Charleszetta, 1912-
- Charleszetta Waddles autobiography, [ca. 1975].
- 1 folder.
Pentecostal minister and founder of the Perpetual Mission for Saving Souls of All Nations in Detroit.
The autobiography describes her mission work and other aspects of her life.
Walker, Moses L.
- Moses L. Walker papers, 1926-1950.
- 0.2 linear ft.
Officer in the Great Lakes Mutual Life Insurance Company at Detroit and with the Detroit branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Correspondence concerning the Plymouth Congregational Church of Detroit, local politics, social problems and civil rights, and partial transcript of the Ossian Sweet murder trial.
Finding aid available in library
Williams, Robert Franklin, 1925-
- Robert F. Williams papers, 1959-1997.
- 14 linear ft.
Civil rights activist, black militant, and president of the Detroit-based Republic of New Africa.
Correspondence, newsletters entitled, iThe Crusader/i, radio broadcasts entitled, iRadio Free Dixie/i, audio tapes and photographs; include materials concerning his life in Cuba, 1961-1966, in the People's Republic of China, 1966-1969, and concerning his legal fights against extradition to North Carolina on charges of kidnapping.
Williams, Wallace C., 1921-
- Wallace C. Williams papers, 1958-1992.
- 1.25 linear ft.
Detroit businessman active in numerous minority business affairs and organizations. Williams was director of the Michigan Division of Minority Business Enterprise within the Michigan Department of Commerce, 1959-1978.
Biographical information, correspondence, files relating to his activities on behalf of minority business development, especially with the Minority Technology Council of Michigan; also files relating to involvement with Detroit civic and cultural organizations, and photographs.
Girls on their way to Green Pastures Camp, a program of the Detroit Urban League, 1931 or 1932. Photograph by Robert Moseley (Detroit Urban League records, Box 87) image bl000411