Journalist Charles LeDuff once wrote: “Michigan may be geographically one of America’s most northern states, but spiritually it is one of its most southern.” This course will focus on the history of Michigan’s largest city, Detroit, and especially the conflicts between African Americans and whites. Special focus will be given to the difficulties Blacks faced when they moved to the city, the development of a rich Black culture, and the effect of three race riots on Black-White relationships within the city. 

Session 1: Initial Settlement: This session will focus on Detroit as the northern terminal of the Underground Railroad; the risks Blacks faced in settling within the city; and the city’s first race riot, the Blackburn Rebellion. 

Session 2: The Great Migration: Henry Ford’s offer on January 5, 1914, of $5 a day wages to anyone who would work in his factories sparked the Great Migration of nearly six million Blacks from the South to northern cities. Detroit with its automobile assembly plants was the favorite destination for the migrants but also drew southern whites and Jim Crow. 

Session 3: The July 1967 Race Riot: On July 23, 1967, the largest race riot in American history erupted in Detroit. This session will examine the causes of the riots, the events of the five days of rioting, and the role the riots played in the development of Detroit today. 

Subject: history 

Doug Vrieland has been an ordained pastor in the Christian Reformed Church since 1983. Raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, during the Civil Rights era, he was deeply shaped by that time. He has served as pastor of three churches and as a US Navy chaplain. His military service included deployments to New York after 9/11, to Iraq, and to the Persian Gulf. He also led three volunteer teams to assist in disaster recovery in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. He now works primarily as a freelance writer.