Detroit’s Black Business Heritage Brought to Life Online
Detroit’s Black Bottom and Paradise Valley once pulsed with the energy of Black-owned businesses—barbershops, restaurants, professional offices—thriving amid the Great Migration’s influx of Southern migrants. Kendra D. Boyd, Assistant Professor of History, has launched an interactive digital map and database to bring this history back into focus.
Debuting in June 2025, the project documents more than 1,500 locations that formed the backbone of Detroit’s Black business community before mid-century urban renewal dismantled it. Drawing on years of archival research, business directories, advertisements, and historic maps, the database reveals connections between entrepreneurs, community institutions, and neighborhoods.
Visitors can explore the interactive map to compare the historic business district with today’s city streets, discover the stories behind each location, and learn about the entrepreneurs who helped shape Detroit’s history. Explore the project to see how this once-thriving network of Black businesses came to be—and why it matters today.
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