Author Bridgett Davis Discusses ‘The World According to Fannie Davis,’ Numbers Running in Detroit

Davis joins Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson to talk about the book and the culture of numbers running in the 1950s and ’60s.

Joan Isabella/WDET

Fannie Davis was a numbers runner in Detroit in the 1950s and ‘60s, before the legal lottery began.

Running the numbers in Detroit allowed her to provide for her family, including private school educations that led to successful professions.

What was the larger role of numbers runners in supporting the economy of black communities in Detroit and other major cities before the legal lottery took over?

Bridgett Davis explores her mom’s story and the story of numbers running in her book “The World According to Fannie Davis”.

She joins Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson to talk about it.

Click on the audio player above to hear the conversation.

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    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.