African Americans have been living in Detroit since the French arrived in 1701. Black people have never accepted slavery, and by the 1800s, the leadership and foundation of the abolitionist movement - the fight against slavery - were Black men and women in Detroit. These men and women formed alliances, founded churches and organizations that not only helped to obtain freedom for thousands of freedom seekers, but also built the foundations of the Black community to this day. The Black leaders of Detroit's abolitionist movement in the 1800s are the foundation for Detroit's African American community in the present-day. They built the foundation for faith institutions, businesses, music, recreation and civic life.
Rich place-based learning experiences that allow youth to see themselves directly as an interdependent part of a local community with important histories. And, using available technologies for storytelling, including recording, preserving, archiving, and/or sharing local stories to share with public audiences (i.e.., oral history projects, databases, podcasts, video field trips).
