Grant to help document history of Black housing in Inkster

INKSTER, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office of the Michigan Strategic Fund has received a $50,000 grant to document the history of Black housing in the city of Inkster from 1920-1970.

It also will conduct a survey of sites to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The project is one of five in Michigan to share more than $1.4 million in federal grants to help preserve sites and history related to the African American struggle for equality. The funding is through the National Park Service 2020 African American Civil Rights program.

“These federal grants will help us shine a light on the places and experiences vital to the Civil Rights movement in Michigan,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. “We will preserve these sites to tell the story of housing discrimination in Michigan and pass on the enduring lessons of the past to build a just future.”

Inkster is southwest of Detroit.

The Russell Woods— Sullivan Neighborhood in Detroit, Second Baptist Church of Detroit, restoration of the Detroit Urban League and restoration and preservation of Malcolm X House in Inkster projects also are receiving grants.