Detroit’s Black History By the People That Lived It Walking Tour

With Detroit’s long and interesting history, many have wondered, “if these walls could talk, what stories would they tell?” Well, wonder no more as lifelong Detroiters, Mike Daniels & Glen Hendricks share their personal stories and memories about Detroit over the last 70 years. Their lived experiences, like many Black Detroiters, are a huge part of Detroit’s history but too often are left out of the textbooks and headlines.

On this one-of-a-kind tour, you’ll walk through downtown hearing about Mike and Glen’s experiences with some people and places that are well-known like Black Bottom, Hudson’s, and Coleman Young, but you’ll also hear about Black businesses and inspirational people that many people have forgotten, or perhaps never knew about at all.

Discussion topics include:

Personal family stories about coming to Detroit during the Great Migration
Growing up in Black Bottom and Paradise Valley
How Coleman Young’s election impacted Black Detroiters
Longtime Black businesses like Hot Sam’s and Spectacles
Being an entrepreneur in Detroit in the 80’s
How all these stories are woven into the larger history of Detroit

Weather Policy:

Tours will occur indefinitely, rain or shine, unless a severe weather warning is issued by the national weather service on the date of the tour for the time of the tour. Weather related cancellation or ticket transfer requests will not be approved unless submitted at least 48 hours in advance of the event start time. If a severe weather warning or event causes the tour to be cancelled, City Institute will offer to transfer participant tickets to another date or provide a refund.

This tour is produced by City Institute. Please visit www.thecityinstitute.com to hear interviews with other Detroit residents, community leaders, and small business owners or to schedule a tour for your group on any number of topics.