Black History in Detroit: Sojourner Truth Housing Project Riots

Picture Detroit in 1942. 700,000 people are working round the clock to keep factories churning out war machines. This workforce includes 500,000 itinerant southerners driven north in search of employment. The city is doing more than its share to equip and transport American troops in World War II, covering 30 percent of the nation's war demand. This earns Detroit the distinction "arsenal of democracy." But it comes at a painfully high cost as the Sojourner Truth Housing Project riots showed.  Black History in Detroit: Sojourner Truth Housing Project Riots

Organizing Ford Motor Company: Black Detroit Autoworkers, Communism, Cadillac Square

For the last 100ish years, the word "communism" has held negative connotations. Even now, saying you're a Communist will quiet the room fast. In 1930s Detroit, being a Communist wasn't necessarily considered a bad thing, though -- at least not for 60,000 black American autoworkers. Here's the story of how black autoworkers helped turn the union tide at Ford Motor Company. Organizing Ford Motor Company