Author Event | Herb Boyd discusses Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-Determination

Thu, 10/18/2018 - 12:36pm

When: September 25, 2018 at Downtown Library

Author Herb Boyd visits the Library to discuss his award-winning book, Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-Determination, a 2018 Michigan Notable Book.

Black Detroit looks at the evolving culture, politics, economics, and spiritual life of Detroit–a blend of memoir, love letter, history, and clear-eyed reportage that explores the city’s past, present, and future and its significance to the African-American legacy and the nation’s fabric. It brings into focus the major figures who have defined and shaped Detroit, including William Lambert, the great abolitionist; Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records; Coleman Young, the city’s first black mayor; diva songstress Aretha Franklin; Malcolm X; and Ralph Bunche, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Herb Boyd is an award-winning author and journalist who has taught African American History since 1969 when he was a founding member of the Black Studies Department at Detroit’s Wayne State University. He currently teaches African American History and Culture at the City College of New York in Harlem where he lives.

In 2013, Boyd was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted into the Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent and as a journalist, into the Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame. Along with his writing and teaching Boyd frequently moderates panels on African American issues and current events. An avid researcher, Boyd embraced the challenging research effort that resulted in his most recent book, Black Detroit: A People’s History of Self Determination.  This event included a book signing.