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Crash Course Black American History Preview

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I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness- Austin Channing Brown

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Mothers of Massive Resistance: White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy- Elizabeth Gillespie McRae

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We Do This 'Til We Free Us- Mariame Kaba

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An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States- Kyle T. Mays

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The Mexican-American diaspora in Detroit dates back more than a century, when, like other migrant communities, Mexicans began relocating here to experience the city's early industrial boom. Much of the population is concentrated on the city's southwest side, but also Downriver and in Pontiac, and out-state in pockets of Grand Rapids and Lansing. The community's growth is also a reflection of immigration policy, with the passage of the Bracero Program when thousands of Mexican farmworkers were "imported" during World War II to perform manual labor, the 1980s when immigrants who lacked legal residency in the country were allowed en masse to apply for legal status, through the NAFTA-era '90s when thousands more migrated to the United States in search of living wages. These waves of migration have resulted in a diverse mix of communities from all over Mexico, most noticeably from the state of Jalisco. The Jaliscense population is so concentrated, in fact, that many residents come from the same villages in that state's highlands.

The diversity can easily be seen on the storefronts that line Vernor Highway, one of Southwest Detroit's main drags, through signage representing Arandas (a pueblo in Jalisco); the Pacific coastal region of Nayarit; the northern Mexican states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Durango, the southernmost state of Oaxaca; and the longtime Chicano Detroiters whose families have been here for generations. The result is a rich tapestry of culinary styles, music, art, and local traditions.

One of the most visible reminders that you're in Southwest Detroit is the murals. Murals have a rich tradition in Mexican American culture, with roots dating centuries back to pre-Hispanic Mexico. During the 1960s and '70s, the Chicano mural movement served as a platform for political and social equality, featuring colorful and complex scenes that depict the deep history Mexican Americans have in this country. Today, dozens of murals cover the brick walls of local businesses and viaducts throughout the neighborhood. On St. Anne and Bagley, you'll find longtime works such as "Corn Field, " painted by Vito Valdez, and "City Spirit," just across the street and painted in 1979 by Martin Moreno and George Vargas. Other works from a younger generation - such as Freddy Diaz, aka SW Freddy - can be spotted on the exteriors and interiors of dozens of local businesses.

Speaking of murals, one of the most iconic Mexican murals in Detroit takes up four gigantic walls in the halls of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Mexican muralist Diego Rivera was famously commissioned by Edsel Ford during the Great Depression to produce "Detroit Industry," a fresco-style installation in the DIA's Garden Court. The painting is really 27 distinct paintings that portray the history of Detroit through the lens of laborers working at Ford Motor Co.'s River Rouge Plant as well as advances made in scientific fields, such as medicine and emerging technology.

One of the most popular draws to Southwest Detroit every year is the annual Cinco de Mayo Parade, a staple of the community for more than half a century. The parade, which runs between Clark Park and Patton Park, is marked by days of celebration, including bar and restaurant crawls, mural tours, baile folklorico (traditional dancing), live music, and the Blessing of the Lowriders, a street-side showcase of decked out classic lowrider cars usually taken out of protective storage for the special occasion.

Xochi's Gift Shop on Bagley is a 30-plus-year-old institution where shoppers could get lost for hours. The family-owned shop specializes in Mexican imports, featuring handmade Mexican folk art, extravagantly painted pottery, Dia de los Muertos artwork, sterling silver jewelry, and Western wear. Whether you're tapping into your Mexican roots or you got excited about a new recipe while perusing TikTok, Algo Especial, also on Bagley, is the place to go for those hard-to-find ingredients. Epazote for that Oaxacan recipe for tamales? Check. Flor de calabaza (pumpkin flower)? You got it. Dried chili peppers of all varieties? Check mate. Carniceria Guadalajara on Lawndale is a meat-lovers heaven, or in particular, a destination for folks looking for just what they need for the backyard carne asada (cookout). The shop produces chorizo, chicken fajitas, and arrachera-style marinated skirt steak, perfect when smashed into a grilled tortilla, and a round of chelas (beers).

On the topic of food, Southwest Detroit is arguably the largest culinary destination in the city. The Loncheria El Parian taco truck fleet has its trailers set up in six locations throughout the neighborhood, and also operates La Palapa del Parian, a brick-and-mortar spot on Lawndale. Customers of all walks of life line up daily during lunch break to grab a paper plate topped with tacos al pastor (marinated pork that's roasted on a spit), tacos de campechano (charred bits of carne asada and chorizo), meaty quesadillas, tortas, or burritos. The restaurant location also features a full bar and a variety of margaritas and fancy micheladas (a beer and Clamato "Bloody Mary" of sorts that usually comes to the table in an oversized goblet with a couple of Corona bottles dumped in upside down). Lots of spots feature a Jalisco specialty called birria, a chili and citrus-marinated meat (usually beef or goat) that is slow-cooked until the tender pieces can melt in your mouth: Los Altos, La Terraza, Tacos El Primo, El Caporal, and a growing number of other places. It's traditionally served on its own as a dish or soup, in tacos, or as a quesabirria, a griddled corn tortilla stuffed with birria and melty cheesy until crispy. Sweet-tooths should head over to Mexicantown Bakery on Vernor, La Gloria on Bagley, or Sheila's Bakery on Springwells for freshly baked conchas, churros, or pastel de tres leches (three milks cake). On hot summer days, hit Neveria Michoacana or Raspados y Obispos La Niña for paletas (Mexican popsicles made with fresh fruit and ice or milk), raspados (shaved ice drenched in fruit flavor), and aguas frescas (refreshing drinks made with fruit, flowers
like hibiscus, or rice).

Did You Know?

Southwest Detroit, with its proximity to Tigers Stadium, historically was a favorite neighborhood for both sports fans and Tigers players alike. Fans could hit up any number of Mexican restaurants to load up on snacks after the games - dishes like botana, an only-in-Detroit delicacy of fried tortilla chips, bean and chorizo mix, onions, sliced avocado, green peppers, tomatoes, jalapeños, and a mountain of melted Muenster cheese. Specifically, Armando's on Vernor was a legendary haunt for the players after game day. When the Tigers won the World Series in 1984, the restaurant's original owner, Armando Galan, hosted the team, locking the doors and celebrating all night long.

Detroit's Mexicantown has increasingly become home to a growing Central American community. While cultural landmarks or public points of interest representing this region aren't prominent, a few eateries have been making inroads in this department. Pupusería Y Restaurante Salvadoreño on Livernois is likely the most recognizable eating place to date. The specialty there is the pupusa, one of El Salvador's most beloved dishes, made of a thick corn or rice-based tortilla amply filled with any combination of pork, beans, cheese, or loroco (a flower typical of Central America). It's usually topped with curtido, a fermented cabbage relish, and a tomato-based salsa. Honduran restaurant Antojitos el Catracho
is another casual eatery where one can find pupusas but also Honduran-style pastelitos, baleadas, and Banana Tropical, a traditional Honduran soda pop. In Troy, El Guanaco,
a small restaurant and grocery on Livernois, is another popular destination for pupusas, Salvadoran-style tamales (wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks), as well as Mexican food.

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City Guide 2021: Explore Mexican Culture in Southwest Detroit

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The Mexican-American diaspora in Detroit dates back more than a century, when, like other migrant communities, Mexicans began relocating here to experience the city's early industrial boom. Much of the population is concentrated on the city's southwest side, but also Downriver and in Pontiac, and out-state in pockets of Grand Rapids and Lansing.

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Arab American National Museum - Arab American History and Culture

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The Arab American National Museum (AANM) is the first and only museum in the United States devoted to documenting and sharing Arab American contributions that shaped the economic, political and cultural landscapes of American life. The Museum also brings to light the shared experiences of immigrants and ethnic groups, paying tribute to the diversity of our nation.

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For information about Underground Railroad Tours, click the button:

Welcome to

Who

we

are

We are a vibrant, thriving, worshiping community, serving God and Humanity, unified by the love of Christ.

​

Our mission is to strive to know Christ and to win, raise, and equip His people for service.

​

We are a historical church that opened in 1836. We have thrived at our current location since 1857. We welcome you to the traditional yet modern worship experience that binds us all in the love of Christ Jesus.

Upcoming Events

Join us Live on Facebook!

TOURS

​ Take a ride on the train that traveled without tracks. Sit in the Croghan Street Station and hear the stories of runaways who, escaping slavery, rested in secret at Second Baptist Church before crossing the Detroit River into Canada and "Freedom."

​Tours of the church are conducted by members of the Detroit Underground Railroad Historical Society (DUHRS). Their mission is to collect, preserve, and disseminate Church history through lectures, tours, and educational programming.​

The history of Second Baptist touches on three centuries of service to the community and is equally, if not more, important than our participation to the Underground Railroad. Detroit Underground Historical Railroad Society offers three types of tours designed to fit the various time constraints of our visitors.

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Prayer Request

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

​

Philippians 4: 6-7

Join us for prayer!

Our prayer line is open Monday, Tuesday,

and Thursday at 7 am, noon, and 7 pm.

Our Friday prayer is at noon.

Call: 16465588656

Meeting ID# 853862207#

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For information about Underground Railroad Tours, click the button: Welcome to We are a vibrant, thriving, worshiping community, serving God and Humanity, unified by the love of Christ. ​ Our mission is to strive to know Christ and to win, raise, and equip His people for service.

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In Memoriam - Eric E. Peterson

The Charles H. Wright Museum Family is deeply saddened by the loss of Eric E. Peterson, our longtime Trustee and Chair.

We will truly miss his incredible leadership, counsel, and guidance.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family and large circle of friends and colleagues.

Watch his memorial service.

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The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

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The Charles H. Wright Museum Family is deeply saddened by the loss of Eric E. Peterson, our longtime Trustee and Chair. We will truly miss his incredible leadership, counsel, and guidance. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and large circle of friends and colleagues. Watch his memorial service.

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The Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP) is one of four regional Equity Assistance Centers, funded by the United States Department of Education under Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The MAP Center provides technical assistance and training, upon request, in the areas of race, sex, national origin, and religion to public school districts and other responsible governmental agencies to promote equitable educational opportunities and work in the areas of civil rights, equity, and school reform. The Center serves 13 State Educational Agencies, 7,025 Public School Districts, and 11,249,050 Public School Students.**

Our Mission

Mission: Equitable, Responsive Education for All.

Core Activity Domains

To achieve our mission, we seek to:

Improve distribution of effective teachers and principals;

Improve school engagement, environment, and school safety, as well as family and community engagement in schools;

Increase and support data-based decision making related to use of research-based, culturally responsive curricula and instructional practices in classrooms, schools, and districts;

Build coalitions between higher education, PreK-12 systems, communities, and families;

Promote equity by addressing needs of historically underserved students, including students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds;

Address the disproportionate representation of minority students in special, gifted, and advanced placement (AP) programs as well as STEM education;

Support, develop, and disseminate effective approaches to school dropout prevention and reentry;

Support districts transitioning to unitary status in desegregation cases.

Tiered Service Delivery Framework

Great Lakes Equity Center's and Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center's approach to resource and service delivery is grounded in a multi-tiered framework of technical assistance. Our goal is to engage in well-defined, content-rich technical assistance such that knowledge and expertise are shared in a way that results in transformative systemic change, as well as personal reflection and growth.

We offer a variety of tools, publications, and resources to a broad public audience.

We bring together role-alike stakeholders across district and state boundaries, support peer-to-peer mentoring, and offer opportunities to share information quickly across individuals focused on similar problems of practice.

We engage in sustained partnerships of transformative professional learning and improvement grounded in examination of local data and historical contexts and action-research case studies that bring practitioners and researchers together in inquiry. These partnerships are entered into through development of a formalized agreement with agency leadership, and include the development of a memorandum of understanding detailing the proposed project scope, timeline, and responsibilities of both the requesting agency and the Great Lakes Equity Center.

*US Department of Education (2016). Programs: Training and Advisory Services Equity Assistance Centers. Retrieved from: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/equitycenters/index.html

**National Center for Education Statistics, Elementary/ Secondary Information System Table Generator: 2014-15 State Data.

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Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center

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The Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP) is one of four regional Equity Assistance Centers, funded by the United States Department of Education under Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

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The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is hosting a webinar series in collaboration with institutions of higher education, cultural centers, and the 12 federally recognized tribes of Michigan that form the Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments to assist educators with the teachi…

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An African American and Latinx History of the United States- Paul Ortiz

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Copper Sun- Sharon Draper

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How to Be An Anti-Racist- Ibram X. Kendi