The Metro: A treasure of Black film history at Motor City Cinema Society
The Metro, Lauren Myers, Tia Graham January 30, 2025Metro Detroiters will have the opportunity to screen some of the films from the collection at the Motor City Cinema Society on Monday, Feb. 3.

The 1943 American musical film, "Stormy Weather," starring Lena Horne and Bill Robinson, will be among the films screened at the Black Canon event at Motor City Cinema Society on Feb. 3.
Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
Late Detroiter James Wheeler’s love for media grew from his early childhood, and throughout his life he amassed more than 40,000 pieces from the 1910s and beyond.
The extensive collection features film, visual arts, albums, books, magazines, artifacts and so much more. His organization Concept East II — named after the first Black theater in Detroit — curated exhibits and traveled around the world showing his rare collection of Black media.
After his death in 2022, Wheeler’s children — Ali Wheeler and Alima Trapp — inherited the collection and have been working to maintain, preserve and share the memorabilia with as many people as possible.
Metro Detroiters will have the opportunity to screen some of the films from the collection at the Motor City Cinema Society on Monday, Feb. 3. Trapp joined The Metro on Thursday along with Motor City Cinema Society Co-founder John Monaghan to discuss the event and the Black Canon collection.
Hear more stories from The Metro on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2025.
Monday’s question:
“Would you homeschool your kids and why?”
Join the conversation by calling 313-577-1019 or leaving us an Open Mic message on the WDET app.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today. Donate today »Authors
-
-
-
Tia Graham is a reporter and Weekend Edition Host for 101.9 WDET. She graduated from Michigan State University where she had the unique privilege of covering former President Barack Obama and his trip to Lansing in 2014.