Events

Acre for acre, Black Bottom is the most significant historic neighborhood in the state of Michigan. The history includes the Indigenous Anishinaabe people who lived there before Europeans arrived in Detroit. It also is important when the French arrive in 1701. The French farmers would name the area "Fond Noir" - Black Bottom.

It would be highly important for European immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Greece.

But its importance for African Americans in Detroit is what this neighborhood is most known for.

Black Bottom recently gained a Michigan Historical Marker and has been the subject of books, research projects, and the Black Bottom Street View project.

Black Bottom has been a major topic of interest in the past few years!

We will meet at the Black Bottom Street View Exhibit -  a photographic recreation of the streets and sites of Black Bottom - near the Lafayette entrance of the Dequindre Cut, where we will tour the exhibit that tells the pictorial history of Black Bottom. We will then leave the Dequindre Cut and tour the Lafayette Park neighborhood to see the area that once was Black Bottom and learn about the people, places, and events that tell the story. 

Registration is required as class capacity is capped. Please only register if you are able to attend. If class capacity is reached, please email info@detroitriverfront.org to be added to the waitlist.

Register Here