At the height of the Second World War, Detroit—the Arsenal of Democracy—was paralyzed by a bloody race riot that left 34 people dead in its wake. In this presentation, historian Thomas Klug will explore a number of questions. How was the riot the consequence of deeply-rooted policies of racial segregation that coincided with Detroit becoming one of the leading industrial cities of the world? What “spark” set it off? Is “race riot” the best or only way of looking at the event? What does the evidence show about the behavior of the Detroit Police Department during the riot? Despite a couple of sensational criminal trials in months following the violence, why did public memory of the Detroit race riot quickly fade?

Historian Thomas Klug is Professor Emeritus of History, Marygrove College. He is a graduate of Wayne State University—he received a B.A. in history in 1978, and a Ph.D. in history in 1993. His areas of expertise is Detroit history, including labor, industry, race, and immigration history. He is also the editor of the Great Lakes Books Series at WSU Press.