Grocery shopping in the past

We all have been hearing so much lately about supporting minority businesses. I look through some family archives, and I find old documents from an African-American owned business that opened a supermarket in Detroit, The business was called "Our Enterprises", and it aimed to unite the black community in Detroit after the riots in 1967. A group led by entrepreneur M. Stewart Thompson recruited investors and sold stock in the business in 1968, and after a few setbacks, Our Market opened in May of 1970, Our Market near the intersection of Dexter and Joy Road in northwest Detroit. The business went well for some time, but eventually, the store closed in 1972. I mention Our Market and Our Enterprises because my father always mentioned this store and that he owned stock in the company before it folded. He always mentioned that it was an attempt to bring a positive business to the area after the riot. 

Under Construction

These buildings are parts of Detroit Metro building history in the past 40-50 years. These are the Providence Tower Condominiums and the IBM headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. Southfield is an "inner ring" suburb of Detroit. Providence Towers were built in the early-mid 1970s near Providence Hospital, which moved from Detroit in the mid-1960s, and the IBM building was built between 1975 and 1977, so these were taken betwen 1974 and 1976. I posted these pictures on Facebook on a Detroit Architecture group, and I got a good bit of information on both. Providence Towers were supposed to be an exclusive apartment complex with many amenities but got caught up in financial concerns. The IBM headquarters has a unique design about it, and the outer covering was so unique, it was copyrighted! The IBM building at last check was up for sale. 

 

Labor joins together in Solidarity

As I am scanning a box of negatives that were in my father's collection, I find these pictures from the 1981 Detroit Labor Day parade in downtown Detroit on September 7, and  Solidarity Day in Washington DC. 1981 was a ride on the labor front. the Air Traffic Controllers Union, PATCO, went on an illegal strike and were fired in August of 1981. Many other labor unions were in support of them, and Detroit branches of the labor unions showed this support in the Labor Day parade. Solidarity Day was in Mid September in Washington DC. Labor Unions from across the nation came to the Nation's Capitol in droves to protest perceived cuts in social security and other programs the Reagan administration that the unions disagreed with.. There are more pictures where these came from, and I will try to post some later. 

 

YouTube Friday: Seven Whole Days-Toni Braxton

 

YouTube Friday is here! . Today's selection for YouTube Friday is "Seven Whole Days" by Toni Braxton. I heard this song originally on Detroit Radio, namely WGPR in Detroit before they went Hip-Hop about 10 years ago. This has been on my mind recently, being a cool sounding song and a cool video, as well. 

Research and Learn

 They say that some people and their stories stick with you after you learn about them. There are two people whose stories stick with me, 30 years after their passings. Back in May of 2020, as I am going through my father's possessions after his passing, I go through his yearbook from his senior year of High School, as well as a school newspaper, and a program from his senior breakfast and graduation, and see the name Longworth Quinn, Jr., dad's class president. I think to myself, "Wow, this young man did it all, and was in many school activities. If he is still alive. where is he now, and what did he do with himself after high school?" I did a search online, and learned quite a bit, as I continue to do today. Born in Chicago, Longworth Quinn, Jr. was the son of Longworth Quinn, Sr., who was with the Chicago Defender at the time, later with the Michigan Chronicle, where he rose to the position of  Publisher. After High School, he went to Alma College, and later Wayne State University Law School, where he got his Juris Doctor degree in 1973.  Longworth Quinn was a member of the Wolverine and Michigan State Bar since 1974 and was an attorney for the City of Detroit at one time. In 1982, he was elected to the 36th District Court, later he was elected head judge. He was a member of the Detroit Board of Education, the Detroit Commission of Community Relations, New Detroit, and many other groups. He stayed very involved in the community. He was known to have an active interest in helping the black community in Detroit. In January 1990, he committed suicide. He was 46 years old. His funeral was attended by family, friends, and many 36th District Court staff. Many that knew Judge Quinn personally say that the passings of his father and two close friends of his in 1989, and the suicide of a girlfriend in 1984 may have led to his suicide. When I read about his girlfriend's suicide, I decided to get to researching her, as well. I find this article from May 6, 1984 (part 1, part 2, part 3) about Lisa Likely, a 23-year-old second-year law student who had met Judge Quinn at court when she was a student attorney, helping with Landlord-tenant issues. Born in 1960, she was academically gifted and worked hard at her studies, often while working two jobs. She was friendly with those she encountered while in school and at work.  Friends and those she was closest to said she had emotional issues beginning when she was a teenager and got worse as she got older. She would act inappropriately, get a hot temper when she did not get what she wanted and attempt to harm herself numerous times, and call the suicide hotline to talk about her problems. When she went to therapy, she would stop when she felt better, then relapse. She committed suicide by jumping from Judge Quinn's apartment balcony in February 1984.  Looking at this article from near 37 years later, it sounds like she was dealing with Histrionic Personality Disorder, in which a person will do nearly anything to be the center of attention, including threatening or attempting to harm themselves to get someone to notice them.  I pray that if you are going through a difficult time, especially in these times, call a friend or the suicide hotline if you are feeling like this world is against you, and you cannot bear it. 

Honored Detroiter

 In the waning days of 2020, I learned about various figures in history that had ties to Detroit and the metro area. One of these figures is James Okubo, who posthumously earned the Medal of Honor in 2000 after records of Asian-American soldiers were re-examined.  He was born in Washington State in 1920 to Japanese parents. He was a Technician, Fifth Grade in the Army, and was a medic. He came very close to the enemy line to help fellow soldiers who were injured. After the war, he moved to Detroit with his family, and was an instructor at the University of Detroit's dental school, and operated his own dental practice in Detroit.  He died in January 1967 in a car accident near Flint, Michigan while heading back to Detroit with his family, who survived the accident. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, where the above picture was taken on New Year's Eve, 2020.

Happy New Year!

 Hope everyone is having a somewhat decent 2021 so far. I am doing well, considering. Sometimes, I get a bit panicked, but I go through my pictures and work on my family history, as well as do research on things that interest me or get my attention in some way or another. Hopefully in 2021, I will be able to share with you things that are interesting or historic in nature. Bear with me as I go through different things, and I will be writing some when I get around to it. 

Lauren