Detroit: Race Riots, Racial Conflicts, and Efforts to Bridge the Racial Divide

by Joe T. Darden, Richard W. Thomas

Episodes of racial conflict in Detroit form just one facet of the city’s storied and legendary history, and they have sometimes overshadowed the less widely known but equally important occurrence of interracial cooperation in seeking solutions to the city’s problems. The conflicts also present many opportunities to analyze, learn from, and interrogate the past in order to help lay the groundwork for a stronger, more equitable future. This astute and prudent history poses a number of critical Why and where have race riots occurred in Detroit? How has the racial climate changed or remained the same since the riots? What efforts have occurred since the riots to reduce racial inequality and conflicts, and to build bridges across racial divides? Unique among books on the subject, Detroit pays special attention to post-1967 social and political developments in the city, and expands upon the much-explored black-white dynamic to address the influx of more recent populations to Middle Eastern Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans. Crucially, the book explores the role of place of residence, spatial mobility, and spatial inequality as key factors in determining access to opportunities such as housing, education, employment, and other amenities, both in the suburbs and in the city.

Genres: History

370 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Joe Darden is a professor of geography at Michigan State University (Lansing, MI).

Reviews

[Chris Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and researched. Book makes several of its points with data from nearly every possible socioeconomic standard to explain what has happened to Detroit and the Metro area from the 1967 riots (authors also use 'rebellion' and 'disorders') to roughly 2008. I thought that the section on the mayors of Detroit post-riot was excellent, although the omission on Roman Gribbs and any mention of Coleman's first inauguration speech and Krugerrand controversy was noticeably absent. Also found the discussion of suburbs Southfield, Dearborn and Warren very enlightening and the section on Vincent Chin was tremendous. At times it was a bit tedious going through some of the statistical data and since the book is over-sized, each page was like two of a standard book. Enjoyed it very much.