Black Bottom was a neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan thought to be named for the region’s dark and rich soils (Detroit Historical Society). The neighborhood was home to a predominantly Black population that migrated during the early 20th century from southern states in an effort to escape Jim Crow era restrictions and start a new life in Detroit (Stateside Staff). Black Bottom would continue to grow in size and population as more people arrived and new businesses were started. The area was hit especially hard during the Great Depression but rebounded by the 1950’s as a “mecca” of Black-owned businesses, restaurants, and night clubs (McFarland, Detroit Historical Society). The neighborhood also boasted an incredible music scene in the commercial area of Paradise Valley, attracting performances from Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and multiple other notable musicians (Hunter). Black Bottom, however, began to face a housing shortage with an ongoing increase in its population (Crawford).
A view of the Paradise Valley Theater preparing for an upcoming show. Black Bottom Archives.
A late view of the Black Bottom area. Dated March 19, 1959. Detroit Historical Society.
Despite the neighborhood’s active businesses and historical ties, the City of Detroit began condemning the land as early as 1946 for demolition as part of an “urban renewal” project. Subsequent federal legislation, including the Housing Act of 1949 and the 1956 Highway Act, gave the city the necessary funding to demolish the neighborhood. Residents were required to leave their homes, often without the support of the government to relocate. Both the historical neighborhood of Black Bottom and the well-known area of Paradise Valley were destroyed to be replaced by a freeway (Detroit Historical Society).
A view of the freeway replacing Black Bottom. Dated November 29, 1961. Detroit Historical Society.
At first, this may not appear to be a form of systemic injustice, as existing buildings are demolished quite often for infrastructure improvements. The story of Black Bottom, however, is just one of the many Black communities that was targeted for removal by the aforementioned 1956 Highway Act. Black communities were disproportionally targeted for removal in favor of constructing new highways, leading to frequent displacements of people from their homes. Oftentimes, decisions to demolish Black neighborhoods and communities were made without the input from Black citizens living in them, as was the case for Black Bottom (McFarland). It is this consistent pattern of targeting Black communities for demolition in favor of other projects (some that resulted in gentrification as predominantly white communities were established) that constitutes a systemic injustice. Governmental leaders, using an established system of power, repeatedly targeted Black communities for demolition without offering or providing just compensation.
I believe that the story of Black Bottom and the larger injustice of targeting Black communities for demolition can be connected to de Beauvoir’s One and Other theory, in which government officials (typically white at this time in history) use their perceived status as the superior One to impose their will onto Black communities, which had been established as the inferior Other. Targeting these communities enabled government officials to exercise a sense of power and superiority over Black communities, contributing to their perceived definition as an inferior group.
This system can still be employed today, however, it should be noted that there are ongoing movements to reform this practice (McFarland) with a goal of re-establishing communities and preventing mass demolitions from occurring in the future.
Works Cited
Coleman, Ken. “Black Bottom and Paradise Valley: Detroit’s Lost African American Communities.” Detroitisit, 5 Oct. 2017, detroitisit.com/black-bottom-and-paradise-valley-communities/.
Crawford, Amy. “Capturing Black Bottom, a Detroit Neighborhood Lost to Urban Renewal.” Bloomberg CityLab, Bloomberg, 15 Feb. 2019, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-15/photos-detroit-s-black-bottom-before-urban-renewal.
“Encyclopedia Of Detroit.” Detroit Historical Society – Where the Past Is Present, detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/black-bottom-neighborhood.
Hunter, Branden. “How Much Do You Know about Black Bottom Detroit?” The Michigan Chronicle, Real Times Media, 7 Dec. 2018, michiganchronicle.com/2018/12/07/how-much-do-you-know-about-black-bottom-detroit/#/?playlistId=0&videoId=0.
McFarland, Matt. “Highways That Destroyed Black Neighborhoods Are Crumbling. Some Want to Undo That Legacy.” CNN, Cable News Network, 27 Feb. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/02/27/cars/buttigieg-highway-removals/index.html.
“Paradise Theater – Detroit, MI.” Black Bottom Archives, 15 May 2015, www.blackbottomarchives.com/blackhistory/2015/5/15/paradise-theater-detroit-mi?rq=paradise+valley+theater.
Staff, Stateside. “How the Razing of Detroit’s Black Bottom Neighborhood Shaped Michigan’s History.” Michigan Radio, NPR, 11 Feb. 2019, www.michiganradio.org/post/how-razing-detroit-s-black-bottom-neighborhood-shaped-michigan-s-history.