The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit

The Black pioneers were Black people who moved to white enclaves in postwar Detroit. Black pioneers met with strong resistance from white homeowners, who used diplomacy, threats, and violence to maintain the city’s racial lines.

The DHC is a government organization charged with helping low- and moderate-income Detroiters access quality affordable housing. After World War II, the DHC made several attempts to build integrated housing projects, only to be foiled by white homeowners associations, developers, real-estate professionals, and lending institutions. After the Sojourner Truth riot of 1942, the DHC mandated the continuation of racial segregation in public housing.

The DUL is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to uplift people of color. Founded in 1916, the DUL ran the city’s most important Black employment agency through the 1940s. The DUL initially helped recent migrants find unskilled work. After World War II, however, it shifted its emphasis to helping skilled Black workers, further burdening Black workers who had lesser economic advantage.