Wayne State University’s Detroit African American History Project (DAAHP) and the Walter P. Reuther Library are hosting a Black History Month reception honoring the history of the Detroit West Side on Thursday, Feb. 1, 5:30-7 p.m., at the Walter P. Reuther Library, 5401 Cass Avenue, in Detroit.

The reception will feature an oral history project, exhibit and essay contest winners, highlighting the history of Detroit’s West Side during its development between 1920 and 1950.

Bordered by Tireman, Grand River, Buchanan and Epworth streets, the old Detroit West Side fostered a strong sense of community. Many of its residents came from the South and worked in the auto industry; as homemakers, day workers, business owners and professionals. They developed strong ties to area churches, established numerous social institutions, ensured that their children received a quality education and supported African-American-owned businesses in their community.

The reception will offer a preview of “The Way it Was on the Detroit West Side, 1920-1950,” an on-line oral history project of the Detroit WestSiders, developed by DAAHP and the Walter P. Reuther Library.

Launched from www.daahp.wayne.edu, the oral history project is made possible in part by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

The reception will also feature “Our Village: an Exhibit of Detroit’s West Side.” An engaging way to understand and better appreciate the Detroit West Side, “Our Village” will be on display from Feb. 1 through April in the Woodcock Gallery of the Walter P. Reuther Library. Finally, the reception will acknowledge the winners of a student essay contest on the Detroit West Side.

The oral history project, exhibit and essay contest all reinforce the value of community and history in metropolitan Detroit. 

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.