Scope and Content
Collection consists of video recordings and transcripts for 12 interviews. African American residents of Detroit's West Side reminisce about their family's arrival in Detroit, in many cases via migration from the South; their childhoods; family life, religious life, and community and leisure activities, including the Nacirema Club; values, views on education, and work ethic; local businesses and occupations; area churches, schools, and other important institutions; the impact of World War II and other historical events; racism, segregation, and integration efforts; and the character and history of the neighbhorhood as a whole.
The following participants were interviewed: Catherine Carter Blackwell, Julius Combs, Juanita Rosario Diggs, George Gaines, Horace Jefferson, Amelita Mandingo-Burton, Jean Ernst Mayfield, Suesetta Talbert McCree, Jean Hurst Mitchell, Cornelius Pitts, Felix Seldon, and Glenn Wash.
Language of Materials
Material entirely in English.
Collection is open for research.
Refer to the Walter P. Reuther Library
Rules for Use of Archival Materials.
RESTRICTIONS: Due to the personal nature of oral history, the Library prohibits use of the material in any way that infringes on individual right to privacy, or results in libelous statements or slander, in accordance with U.S. law.
The Detroit WestSiders organization was founded in 1995 to research and preserve the history of the people and institutions that made the west side of Detroit a nurturing and progressive enclave for African Americans in the period from 1920 to 1950. (The boundaries of this neighborhood are Epworth to W. Grand Boulevard, Tireman to Warren, Vinewood to Grand River, Buchanan to W. Grand Blvd., and American, Bryden, and Central.) In 2005, as part of the WestSiders project, Reuther Library Field Archivist Louis Jones conducted oral history interviews with 12 longtime community members. The WestSiders compiled and selected this documentation for books and a website to educate the public about the neighborhood's culture and history.
.75 Linear Feet ((1 MB, 1 OS). ) : Consists of 12 printed transcripts and 12 VHS tapes.
0.868 Megabytes ((12 files). ) : Consists of MS Word documents.