As the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) delays its I-375 project in an attempt to “get this right” for the community, a Detroit nonprofit is sharing the stories from people who lived in the area before the freeway destroyed it.
Black Bottom Archives, an organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and amplifying Black Detroit stories, just opened its latest exhibit, “From the Bottom, Up,” at the Detroit Historical Museum. The display shows some of the work the organization has been doing over the past two years for its Sankofa Community Research Project, an initiative highlighting the stories of past residents, descendants and community members about the harm inflicted by the destruction of the Black Bottom neighborhood and their hopes for the redevelopment project. The project is a partnership with the Detroit People’s Platform, with funding from the University of Michigan.
Attendees can check out the Black Bottom Street View, a series of panoramas that stitch together more than 2,000 archival photographs of the neighborhood, taken from 1949 to 1950. In addition, people will be able to hear oral histories from former residents and explore reconstructed digital maps of Black Bottom and Paradise Valley.
Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and from 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for students, and $8 for children. The exhibit runs until Jan. 25.
I talked to Lex Draper Garcia, BBA’s co-executive director of community engagement and programs, about the exhibit and working on the research project alongside Marcia Black, BBA’s co-executive director of archives and education.
BridgeDetroit: How is “From the Bottom, Up” different from the exhibit you had earlier in the year, “10 Years Back, 10 Years Forward?”
Draper Garcia: The 10-year anniversary exhibit was just six panels front and back and this exhibit is an entire gallery. It is much more immersive. If you think about the 10-year anniversary being the story of what BBA has been up to for the past 10 years, this exhibit would be what our work is going to be like for the next 10 to 30 years.
For the past two years, we’ve been collecting stories of Black Bottom from former residents and the descendants of residents. We’re telling the story of what was lost and when the neighborhood was torn down. And then, what that community would consider when it comes to reparations and repair, especially as it relates to the I-375 redevelopment.
BridgeDetroit: How did the idea for the Sankofa Community Research Project come about?
Draper Garcia: It was more of a response to the I-375 redevelopment and thinking about centering the voices of the people who are in the neighborhood and making sure that we can help inform what is done with that 30 acres of land that should be available. We’re excited that the project is on a pause because it gave us time to be able to complete our report so that it’s a tangible thing that we can have for the future of the work.
We’ll have some reports available for folks to be able to take home with them. The report details how many people’s stories we got, what are some of the ideas that people have on what the neighborhood could look like, and they’ll be able to get some snippets of the oral histories. It’s a really comprehensive packet of information that people can digest and see more of what we’ve been up to for the past two years.
BridgeDetroit: What was the engagement process like? How did you and Marcia find people to talk to for the oral histories?
Draper Garcia: A lot of footwork, a lot of outreach, but also just talking to people, being out in the community. Our team expanded this year, so we had more capacity to go to more places, to answer more questions and calls, to be in rooms and spaces where we, Marcia and I as a two-person team, weren’t able to go.
One of the things that we found to be really true about the Black Bottom community is that they’re a close-knit community, and there’s a lot of word of mouth. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of mistrust of people’s intentions for that group of people, and it means a lot for people to trust us, to come into their homes, trust us with their elders, trust us with their family stories, and to be able to share the story of their lives. We recently had an opportunity to take (former resident) Miss Betty, who’s 83 years young, with us to Lansing to speak on a panel, and she said that she felt so honored to be able to share her story. To be able to give an 83-year-old woman that kind of opportunity, to feel that kind of pride, it’s like, “How could you not know that you’re doing the work that you’re supposed to be doing?”
BridgeDetroit: When did Detroit People’s Platform and the University of Michigan get involved with the project?
Draper Garcia: They’ve been involved since we’ve been fundraising for it.
For Detroit People’s Platform, we did teachings with them in 2020 and the fall of 2023 when we first launched the project because they wanted to make sure that we’re involved with reaching out to the community. They were also really instrumental in helping us create the language we want to use when talking about reparations and what reparations look like to the community. With U-M, we worked with one of the architects in their teaching program, Emily Kutil. She is the person who assisted with the development of the Black Bottom Street View, so she’s been part of the project, making sure that we have access to students in the architecture program to help us with the design of the maps.
BridgeDetroit: What are some of the things people can expect to see in the exhibit?
Draper Garcia: It’s an immersive exhibit. There’s a 53-foot timeline wall that covers a lot of the housing development crisis as it relates to the Black community and Black Detroiters. There is a porch that people can take pictures on, there is a mix done by DJ MilkyWay (Jantae’ Spinks), one of the co-owners of Someday gallery, and she’s infusing our oral histories with a mix that’s beautiful. It’s so Detroit, it’s so rich. It’s a new element that we’re adding to our work, to be able to put movement to music. We’ve got some photos from our archive on the walls. There’s photos of people’s families that they’ve given to us. We have some pictures of our storytellers in the exhibit.
This is one of the most meaningful and, I would even say, life-changing pieces of work that I’ve been able to do with BBA because we’re really creating a conceptualization of how people can interact with our work. With this being our 10-year anniversary this year, we’re really wanting to just reimagine our work and also offer more embodied experiences that people can take with them.
BridgeDetroit: As the I-375 project continues to be on hiatus, what do you hope to see from MDOT when they resume work?
Draper Garcia: I think really getting an understanding and clarity about what the public sees as a reparative process or like what the public would like to see. I really want it to be received as something that people could benefit from, something that people can utilize. I hope they get the information to do it right, really taking the time to listen to the community and implement what it is that they like to see.
BridgeDetroit: What messages do you hope people will take away from the exhibit?
Draper Garcia: I hope that they are able to have pride in their own neighborhoods and just a curiosity to be able to preserve their own stories. There’s an African proverb that says, “Until the lion speaks out, the hunter will always be the hero.” I want folks to feel empowered to share their stories and know that their voice is important, no matter what the story is. You can’t entrust your story to be told by other people.
As always, have a great week!
Until next time,
Micah
313 Scene
- BridgeDetroit Engagement Editor Bryce Huffman and I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the Hannan Center, an arts center in Midtown dedicated to senior citizens. To celebrate its centennial, the Hannan Center has its 2025 Emerge! Art Festival and an exhibit at the Detroit Historical Center on display.
- A decade after its founding, local footwear business Pingree Detroit is getting ready to open its first flagship shop. The company, which is worker-owned and supports U.S. military veterans by making shoes and bags out of upcycled auto materials, says it will open its new shop at 11 a.m. on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11. The store will be located at 22 W. Columbia St., around the corner from the Fox Theater. (Detroit Metro Times)
- Craft cocktail bar Castlia at Sfumato is closing its doors at the end of the year, its ownership recently announced on social media. The bar has operated out of a garden-level space in Midtown since 2018 and was known for pairing its cocktails with fragrances by Sfumato, a perfumery that also operated out of the building. (Detroit Metro Times)
- A new restaurant is headed for the Hudson’s Detroit site, and acclaimed restaurateur and author Danny Meyer is behind it. The restaurant, set to open in 2026,marks the first Detroit project for Meyer, who established Union Square Hospitality Group in 1985 and later founded Shake Shack in the early 2000s. (Detroit Free Press)
- The highly anticipated Marrow in the Market, housed in a historic space, will open to the public Nov. 13 with a 4 p.m. ribbon cutting, followed by dinner service. At 2442 Riopelle and touted as a “Butcher’s Brasserie,” Marrow in the Market is 14,000 square feet of space that housesMarrow Detroit Provisions meat processing facility and butcher shop, two bars, a dining room and a private event space, all while highlighting Detroit’s and Eastern Market’s vibrant food culture. (Detroit Free Press)
What’s Going on in the D?
- Kick off your holiday shopping with a stop at Pewabic Pottery’s student sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Students from the Detroit ceramic studio will show off their wares in the upstairs museum gallery.
- N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art is hosting an artist talk and gallery walkthrough for new exhibit “Whatsoever Things are Pure” from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at its Midtown gallery, 52 E. Forest Ave. Detroiter and Irwin House Gallery director Misha McGlown is the featured artist for the show.
- Art gallery Hatch Art is hosting an opening reception for its latest exhibit “Sweet Tooth” from 6-9 p.m. Saturday at its Hamtramck headquarters, 3456 Evaline. The show features artwork by 18 local artists in a variety of mediums, all with the idea of treats, desserts and other delights.
- Small business shopping event All Things Detroit is back at Eastern Market from 12-5 p.m. Sunday. The holiday shopping experience will feature more than 200 vendors in sheds 3-5. General admission is $7, while VIP tickets are $15. VIP access allows attendees to shop two hours earlier, beginning at 10 a.m., as well as a complimentary All Things Detroit tote bag and a surprise holiday gift.
- The author series at the Detroit Public Library welcomes Michigan writer and cookbook author Maureen Abood at 2 p.m. Sunday at the library’s main branch, 5201 Woodward Ave. Joining Maureen in conversation is Michigan chef, former farmer and writer Abra Berens. Vesper Books and Wine will be on site with copies of Abood’s cookbooks for sale. After the discussion, stop by Vesper for a special afterparty featuring Lebanese wine. The event is free and open to the public, but registration on Eventbrite is encouraged.
