DISCOVER DETROIT’S BLACK HISTORY

Whether you already live in Detroit or are just passing through, you may be surprised to find that the Motor City is also a hub of African-American heritage.

Explore Detroit history at our many must-see museums, galleries, monuments and restaurants for a history lesson that’s entertaining, fulfilling and jam-packed with stories of courage, survival and superior talent.

In the mid 1800s, Detroit became a beacon of hope. It was the last stop in a long journey for fugitive slaves before crossing the river to Canada and freedom. There are numerous historical sites in Detroit that have maintained their original sanctity to preserve African-American history. They not only tell the story, they take you back in time to experience the moment.

An estimated 200 Underground Railroad stops were discovered in Michigan between 1820 and 1865. A number of these stops were located in Detroit.

Detroit figured prominently in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th Century. King Solomon Baptist Church’s auditorium hosted civil rights leader Malcolm X in 1963, where he gave his “Message to the Grassroots” speech. The church complex was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Throughout the 20th Century Detroit’s Black citizens worked to establish equality in housing, employment, education, health care, criminal justice, and government. Long a stronghold of civil rights activism, Detroit was the site of the 1963 Walk to Freedom, which was the first major civil rights march in America, where Martin Luther King Jr. first delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Later that same year, Malcolm X’s “Message to the Grassroots” speech given in Detroit signaled the radicalization of the Civil Rights movement and increased interest in Black Nationalism.