January - March 2024 Edition
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DABO Celebrates Black History Month Black Bottom and Paradise Valley Presentation By Ken Coleman Detroit’s lower east side is where blues great John Lee Hooker performed at Henry’s Swing Bar on Madison Street in Black Bottom strumming his guitar and voicing in his signature style spoken-word Mississippi drawl. Here, he recorded one of his popular hits, “Boogie Chillen.”
traveling its way north together with the Black migrants in the 1920s.
Paradise Valley was essentially a commercial area just north of Gratiot Avenue along Brush, Beaubien, St. Antoine, Hastings, and East Adams streets. It sat where Comerica Park and Ford Field sit today. It was It is also where Black congregations like Tabernacle home to a bowling alley, several boutique hotels, lively Baptist Church, which the Sheffield family helped to bars, a couple of swank supper clubs, and a few greasy found, Plymouth Congregational Church and others spoons. Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis was launched their religious institutions. It is also where a business owner there. Coleman A. Young, Detroit’s first Black mayor grew up. Ken Coleman, veteran The city’s Black population skyrocketed from 5,700 in journalist and historian, 1910 to 120,000 by 1930 during the period called The will offer an interactive Great Migration. By estimates, about 350 African presentation that will American-owned businesses were located in the Black shed more light on Black Bottom and Paradise Valley area. Black Bottom was Bottom and Paradise largely a residential area, south of Gratiot and bounded Valley. It will be held at by Brush Street on the west and the Grand Trunk the Dr. LaVonne M. Railroad tracks on the east. Sheffield Bridge Center Some say the rich black soil of the original area gave Library, 9928 Grand Ave., on rise to the name Black Bottom. Yet, others have raised River questions about the possible racial origins of the name Saturday, Feb. 17th at stemming from the segregation era Black Bottom dance 12 noon. This is free and — considered to be invented in Black areas of the South, open to the public. The Detroit Association of Black Organizations is a 501c3 non-profit organization.