Detroit historian Jamon Jordan offers fuller picture of city’s past that goes beyond cars and Motown
By naming him the city’s official historian, Jamon Jordan says the city is “making a conscious decision to take a stand on [racial inequality] … civil rights, the Underground Railroad, slavery, is going to be front and center in talking about Detroit’s history.”
Ever year, February is celebrated as Black History Month. Jamon Jordan is Detroit’s first official historian with a focus on Black and other marginalized histories in the area. He wants Detroiters and onlookers to better understand the city’s comprehensive past by bringing awareness to important historical spaces and figures.
“By the city appointing me as the official historian, the city is making a conscious decision to take a stand on [racial inequality] because everyone knows what I do … racial inequality, civil rights, the Underground Railroad, slavery, is going to be front and center in talking about Detroit’s history.” — Jamon Jordan, Detroit’s first official historian
Listen: Detroit’s history is more than Henry Ford and Black history is more than Motown, Jamon Jordan says.
Guest
Jamon Jordan is Detroit’s first official historian and the founder of the Black Scroll Network History and Tours. Jordan says that history is always a battleground of ideas, but it’s being vociferously fought over at school board meetings and other localities.
“By the city appointing me as the official historian, the city is making a conscious decision to take a stand on [racial inequality] because everyone knows what I do,” says Jordan, adding, “racial inequality, civil rights, the Underground Railroad, slavery, is going to be front and center in talking about Detroit’s history.”
Read more: Tour the historic sites that shaped Detroit’s civil rights legacy
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