Panel Discussion: Black Bottom & I-375: Past, Present, and Future - Free Admission!

May 16 2024 | 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Black and white aerial photograph depicting a view along I-75, looking south from the Division Street pedestrian bridge, with the I-375 interchange under construction. In the lower right is the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects. In the lower left is Bishop Union School. In the background is the downtown skyline.

Black Bottom was a thriving Black neighborhood when it was torn down to create a freeway in the name of “urban renewal.” Sixty years later, I-375 is slated to become grade level, presenting an opportunity for 31 acres of new development where Black Bottom once stood. What will that new development look like, who will benefit, can we repair past harms, and who decides and how?”  Panelists include Jamon Jordan (City of Detroit Official Historian), Adena Hill (Kresge Foundation’s Detroit Program), and a Downtown Detroit Partnership representative. Moderated by New Detroit COO Jodee Fishman Raines.

Before the discussion, visit In the Neighborhood: Everyday Life on Hastings Street, Jewish Historical Society of Michigan’s exhibition located in the Robert and Mary Ann Bury Community Gallery (2nd floor).

Presented by Jewish Historical Society of Michigan.

Admission is free courtesy of the William Davidson Foundation.

Register now