StoryCorps Detroit Podcast: What the Kids Are Saying About 1967

What happened in July 1967 in Detroit from the perspective of kids, then and now.

Trevelle Crosby James and Grace Lee Boggs School

In this episode of StoryCorps Detroit, we look at the violence and looting that occurred in July 1967 through the eyes of youth. We hear from a group of students who researched what happened and then took a field trip to relevant sites in the city. Plus, two people who witnessed the event share what they saw back when they were adolescents.

WDET/Laura Herberg

StoryCorps

Students at the James and Grace Lee Boggs School in Detroit explain what they learned about the historic violence and its aftermath. Curtis Rodgers, Jr., now 64, tells his 82-year-old mother Clarice Rodgers about the looting he witnessed on July 23rd back when he was 14. Marsha Music recalls what happened to her father’s record store, located on 12th Street, when she was 13 years old.

Click on the player at the top of this page to listen to this episode of StoryCorps Detroit.

You can download the StoryCorps Detroit podcast here or wherever you like to listen. You can also explore more StoryCorps Detroit stories online here.

Editor’s Note: The podcast episode says that Marsha Music was 12 years old on July 23, 1967 when in fact she was 13.

 

Authors

  • Sascha Raiyn is Education Reporter at 101.9 WDET. She is a native Detroiter who grew up listening to news and music programming on Detroit Public Radio.
  • Laura Herberg is a civic life reporter for Outlier Media, telling the stories about people inhabiting the Detroit region and the issues that affect us here.