Birwood Wall - Photos
Birwood Wall
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The Birwood Wall as seen from the Alfonso Wells Memorial Playground
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The Wall is an artifact of segregation in the North part of the US.
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The Wall was built by real estate developer James T. McMillan to keep Black Detroiters out of a new subdivision on the city's west side, which made it easier to obtain federal loans.
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Running north to south from Eight Mile to Pembroke, it’s a strong reminder of the city’s segregated past.
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Beautiful murals of equality, justice and joy now adorn the most visible portion of the wall.
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"They are building an eight-foot wall a half mile long as a barricade against the negro families in this section. That is a serious handicap to the unity that we are striving for. Even in the South they wouldn't do anything like that." - Detroit Housing Commissioner Rev. Horace White on June 27, 1941 in the Detroit Free Press.
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"They built it about 20 years ago, so the white folks on Mendota wouldn't have to see the Negroes on Birwood. Now there are no whites anywhere near the wall. - Mrs. Princess Boyd, 79-year-old resident of Eight Mile-Wyoming. Detroit Free Press, December 5, 1965.
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In 2006, Detroit artist Chazz Miller and area residents painted a colorful mural across a stretch of the wall showing scenes from Black history, like Sojourner Truth leading children through the Underground Railroad, and images reflecting life in the Eight Mile-Wyoming Neighborhood.