Detroit's Birwood Wall: Hatred and Healing in the West Eight Mile Community (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781540239228)

In 1941, a real estate developer in northwest Detroit faced a dilemma. He needed federal financing for white clients purchasing lots in a new subdivision abutting a community of mostly African Americans. When the banks deemed the development too risky because of potential racial tension, the developer proposed a novel solution. He built a six-foot-tall, one-foot-thick concrete barrier extending from Eight Mile Road south for three city blocks--the infamous Birwood Wall. It changed life in West Eight Mile forever. Gathering personal interviews, family histories, land records and other archival sources, author Gerald Van Dusen tells the story of this isolated black enclave that persevered through all manner of racial barriers and transformed a symbol of discrimination into an expression of hope and perseverance.

Author: Gerald C. Van Dusen
ISBN-10: 1540239225
ISBN-13: 9781540239228
Publisher: History Press Library Editions
Language: English
Published: 06/03/2019
Pages: 194
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.50d