The struggle for civil rights and the blossoming of Detroit as a center for music and culture during the 1930s will be examined as part of a larger program at Macomb Community College on how that challenging decade shaped Detroit and the nation. And Still They Prospered: Living Through the Great Depression – a program series at Macomb’s Lorenzo Cultural Center running Feb. 27-May 8 – will examine the 1930s and the economic, social and cultural changes that took place during that decade, laying the groundwork for future prosperity in the Motor City and beyond.
Included in the series’ opening weekend is a presentation on the Paradise Valley community in Detroit and the impact the Great Depression had on the city’s African-American population. The presentation will examine how the times were reflected through the works of Detroit poets Robert Hayden and Dudley Randall. The free presentation by Marygrove College English professor Frank D. Rashid will be 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28.
Oral histories and their use in the writing of the book “Who’s Jim Hines?” – a story aimed at readers age 8-12 that examines a young boy’s interaction with racism in the 1930s – will be discussed by author Jean Alicia Elster at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. March 5.
Other presentations of note include:
• Working Detroit, 1 p.m. March 10
• Jazz in Detroit During the Great Depression, 1 p.m. April 10
• The Union’s Role in the 1930s, 1 p.m. April 28
• Detroit: The Black Bottom Community, 1 p.m. May 1
The series will feature exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution and the Michigan State University Museum; more than 40 presentations providing a comprehensive look at the people and the times; and a performance of Forgotten, a “jazz-blues opera” that tells the story of a mysterious death at the Ford Rouge Plant during the effort to organize a labor union there.
“Many of the lessons that were first learned in the 1930s are being re-examined and reapplied today,” said Geary Maiuri, dean of Community & Student Enrichment at Macomb. “Through the And Still They Prospered series, we have an opportunity as a community to look back at not only the challenges of the 1930s and the Great Depression, but how those times became a springboard from which great things were launched.”
The Lorenzo Cultural Center is located on Macomb Community College’s Center Campus, Garfield & M-59, Clinton Township. The cultural center is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday; and 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Additional information on the cultural center and on the And Still They Prospered program series is available at www.lorenzoculturalcenter.com.
About the Lorenzo Cultural Center
The Lorenzo Cultural Center (lorenzoculturalcenter.com) explores the influences and experiences that shape our community's heritage, examining topics from a variety of perspectives and creating interactive opportunities for learning, celebration and entertainment. Located on Macomb Community College's Center Campus, Hall and Garfield Roads in Clinton Township, the cultural center is adjacent to the Macomb Center for Performing Arts.
About Macomb Community College
Macomb Community College (www.macomb.edu) is one of the nation’s leading community colleges, providing learning experiences to more than 59,000 students annually. Macomb nationally ranks in the top two percent in the number of associate degrees awarded and as the largest grantor of associate degrees in Michigan. The college’s comprehensive educational programming includes pre-collegiate experiences, university transfer and career preparation programs, bachelor degree completion and graduate degree programs, workforce training, professional education and certification, and continuing education and enrichment opportunities.
Media contact:
Dan Heaton
586.445.7271
heatond@macomb.edu