Dorothy Slay | Ann Arbor District Library

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There Went The Neighborhood: The Closing of Jones School

Sun, 02/04/2024 - 2:00pm

As part of Ann Arbor 200, the Ann Arbor District Library and 7 Cylinders Studio (7CS) have produced a documentary film about the closing of Ann Arbor's Jones School. In 1965, the Board of Education closed the majority-Black school. Ann Arbor joined a nationwide trend of school desegregation during the Civil Rights Era. But for these young students, the loss of a neighborhood school foreshadowed changes to their close-knit community. Gentrification came to Ann Arbor on the heels of desegregation.

In the making of this film, 7CS filmmakers and AADL archivists interviewed over thirty former Jones students and Black community leaders. They shared memories of Jones School and "The Old Neighborhood"—the areas now known as Kerrytown and Water Hill. A filmed walking tour, studio interviews, and historical photos form the core of the film. Run time is approximately 40 minutes.

The AADL Archives has many additional materials to explore relating to these topics, including a history of Jones School and dozens of Ann Arbor News articles that appear in the film:

Bar-B-Que King's Queens Catch Pop Fly During Women's Slow Pitch, July 1981 Photographer: Larry E. Wright

Bar-B-Que King's Queens Catch Pop Fly During Women's Slow Pitch, July 1981 image

Year:
1981

Published In:
Ann Arbor News, July 16, 1981
Caption:
CATCH BY COMMITTEE: Judy Shepard and Dorothy Slay of Bar-B-Que King's Queens go after a pop fly which Shepard finally snares on the infield in play at Forsythe in Wednesday Red Division, Women's Municipal Slow Pitch league. It was just practice for the Queens, who forfeited the game 7-0 to M.D.S.I. The loss dropped the Bar-B-Que King's Queens a game back out of a tie for first with Resources Unlimited, a 15-0 winner over T. J. Scanners. The Queens stand at 6-2, M.D.S.I. at 2-6 on the season.