DETROIT, MI (WXYZ) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have devoted $65,000 in federal Underrepresented Community Grant Program funding to the City of Detroit and the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).
SHPO was awarded $15,000 to nominate Vaughn’s Bookstore, the first black-owned bookstore in Detroit, to the National Register of Historic Places.
“The nomination of Vaughn’s Bookstore to the National Register will recognize a significant location that served as a center for Black culture and played a meaningful role in the Civil Rights movement in the city of Detroit,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said.
The city of Detroit was awarded $50,000 to conduct a historic study of Latinx communities in Detroit.
This historic context document will provide a broad historical overview of the settlement and development patterns of Latinx communities in Detroit between 1880 and 1980.
“These grants will shine a light on places and experiences vital to the Civil Rights movement and help us further expand our understanding of the Civil Rights movement in Michigan,” Governor Whitmer said.