About Our Projects

ORAL AND WRITTEN HISTORY PROJECTS

Detroit Responds: Stories from the Time of Covid-19 collects the experiences of Detroiters and Metro Detroiters during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Residents are encouraged to share their perspectives and how the pandemic has affected their lives. Learn more and contribute.

The Detroit 1967 Oral and Written History Project collects stories and memories of Metro Detroiters that relate to their lives and experiences before, during, and after the unrest of July 1967. As part of the Detroit 67 project, the Society has cultivated the most comprehensive collection of written, audio, and video histories ever assembled on this topic. 

A wide range of perspectives is represented, including those of individuals who were present and in positions of authority in 1967, people who lived in the city at the time and have remained, and people who have moved away. In addition, we have interviewed people who were not yet born in 1967 but have been eager to reflect on how the events affected their lives, families, and futures. Learn more and contribute.

The Hustle: Celebrating Detroit’s Unsung Entrepreneurs chronicles the inspiring Black Detroiters who rose to success in some unexpected industries, uncovering and documenting the stories of the men and women whose work has made everyday life in Detroit special, while helping to create a deep sense of hometown pride. Their individual narratives bring to life the social justice and civic rights issues they have confronted along their path to success, offering inspiration and context for conditions today.  

The Hustle celebrates these inspiring stories using oral histories and photography which informed a series of exhibitions, public programming and events beginning in 2022 and concluding in 2024. We are proud to offer this catalog as a record of that work. Funded by Bank of America with additional support from the Gilbert Family Foundation, Toyota Motor North America, and AAA – The Auto Club Group. Learn more about The Hustle.

Neighborhoods: Where Detroit Lives collects stories about Detroit's neighborhoods by talking with the folks who know them best - the residents. Detroit is made up of beautiful and diverse neighborhoods which each have their own story. The Society wants to preserve the rich character of the neighborhoods by interviewing the folks that make them what they are. Current and past residents are welcome to share the stories that defined their time in the neighborhoods. Learn more and contribute.

The Neighborhoods: Where Climate Change Matters collects the stories of Detroit residents that have experienced the impacts of extreme weather events due to the changing climate in Detroit. Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the generous individual donors of the Detroit Historical Society who stepped in to preserve this work when the foundational grant was unexpectedly terminated.

Marygrove College’s “Defining Detroit” Series is a cooperative project between The Detroit Historical Society and the Marygrove Conservancy. Materials in the collection include photographic prints and negatives, original film and video (8mm, VHS, DV mini), archival promotional, material and correspondence in both print and electronic form. This scholarly series was produced by the Center for Detroit Studies at Marygrove College from October 2000 to February 2020. Funded by Michigan Humanities and the Marygrove Conservancy.