EMU Today

YPSILANTI -- Eastern Michigan University Assistant Professor Peter Blackmer, Department of Africology and African American Studies, is leading the launch of a community-focused oral history project called Voices from the Grassroots. Several EMU students and alumni have contributed to the project, which will have an official launch on Oct. 26. The launch event, Reckoning with Racism, Resistance, and Emergency Management: Voices From The Grassroots Website Launch, will take place at Wayne State University Law School in the Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium from 6 - 8 p.m. There will be an opportunity to learn about the project and participate in workshops with several generations of activists committed to combating systemic racism in Detroit and beyond.

The Voices from the Grassroots Oral History Project was designed to document, preserve, and amplify the voices of grassroots organizers in Detroit during the period following the 2013 appointment of an emergency manager, a pivotal chapter in the city’s history. Through interviews with longtime activists and organizers, the project explores how Detroiters are organizing their communities to challenge systemic racism and build movements for racial equity and self-determination. According to Blackmer, these stories must be told to prevent the whitewashing of Detroit’s history and to preserve important lessons for future generations of organizers.

“As an academic discipline, Eastern’s Department of Africology and African American Studies recognizes the collective knowledge within Black communities and uplifts Black perspectives to critically analyze and challenge systems of oppression,” said Blackmer. “The Voices from the Grassroots Oral History Project is important because it amplifies the voices of long-term Black Detroiters and community organizers whose resistance to systemic racism and austerity politics have been marginalized in the decade since emergency management was imposed on the city in 2013. 

“In the Winter 2021 semester, students in my Dimensions of Racism class (AFC244) studied these oral histories and wrote essays profiling the political thought and action of grassroots organizers in Detroit, several of which are featured on the Voices of the Grassroots website. Through this project, students developed critical analyses of systemic racism in the 21st Century, learned about community organizing, and contributed to an important resource for educating, inspiring, and empowering future generations of activists.”

For more information about the project, and to register for the free event, visit the Voices from the Grassroots website. 

About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 14,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. National publications regularly recognize EMU for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. Visit the University’s rankings and points of pride websites to learn more. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website. To stay up to date on University news, activities and announcements, visit EMU Today.