The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-01-29
THE FACTS
m OUR NEWS
BY HORACE A. WHITE
THE DEFENSE
HOUSING PROGRAM

HOUSING PROGRAM
The defense housing program in
the city Of Detroit and Wayne
County has not been too efficiently
carried out when you look at II as q
whole from any angle. As this pro-
gram relates 10 helping Negro de-
Tense workers have q shelter over
their heads. IL has been very inef-
fective. This Is partly due TO the
very bad situation with which Ne
groes are confronted in housing In
the city OF Detroit. Certain inter
ests and individuals In Detroit have
made themselves accept the idea
that Negroes must live only in GER
tain areas in Detroit. This has
been the accepted idea In Detroit
for q long time before the war.
Very little has been done to break
this foolish notion down. Negroes
themselves have accepted uncon-
sciOusly the Idea that Negroes are
relegated to a certain part Of the
town. and that here they must
stay. This Is shown In the attitude
many Negroes have taken about
the new Medical Center. Certain
real estate interests in our city
raise a great howl whenever II Is
suggested that new territory may
be opened up for Negro occupancy.
Within the city limits there are sew
eral large plots Of land on which
housing for Negroes could be built
under the defense housing program.
Instead, however, Of using this land
on which to build very much
needed housing for black defense
workers. the governments pro-
gram has been. through the Detroit
Housing Commission. 10 secure
numbers Of little lots scattered
through the So-called Negro COM
munity and build some defense
homes on these lots.
The time has come when the
liberal-minded people and the Geo.
nomically responsible people in our
city must deal with this matter of
housing for Negroes. There is no
sense to the idea that because a
large plot of land is across the
street from a so-called white neigh
borhood. that you cannot build a
housing unit there for Negroes for
fear of the whites protesting that
Negroes are too near and that the
city Of Detroit and the Federal
Government are changing the char
acteristics Of the neighborhood In
America neighborhoods may be
made up Of anybody who is an
American.
The vicious idea that Negroes
must not live in certain general
sections of the town must be
stopped now by both Negro and
white unification around the idea
that housing must be provided for
Negro defense workers common
surate with the need Of housing for
Negro defense workers. At this
are building houses and building
them very slowly for Negro defense
workers to fit the pattern of race
prejudice Of few people with
vested interests. This has got to
stop II we are to continue to keep
Detroit q dynamic and cooperative
city.
This general idea that Negroes
must live in certain locality is
greatly responsible for the fact that
the Federal Government through
the Detroit Housing Commission Is
only able to build enough houses to
satisfy twenty-five per cent Of the
need Of Negro defense workers. AZ
this very moment, the Housing
Commission has In its files between
seven and eight thousand applica-
tions Of people who work in de-
svxI gtrfA x.,kA fvve
a shelter over their heads. The
emergency shelters. which are
places set aside in case a family
has no place to 20 for the night. are
oyer-crowded. People have been
there as long as two or three weeks,
unable TO get a permanent place in
which to live while producing the
instruments OF war.
The Federal Government had
programmed for Detroit twenty
five hundred new defense housing
units for Negro occupancy. The
Federal Government has been able
to find sites for few of these
units. There are two reasons for
this. First. the city of Detroit,
through its Housing Commission.
sites shall be selected for q defense
housing project that have not been
approved first by the Detroit
Housing Commission. This means,
in effect. that the Detroit Housing
Commission through the majority
of its members can curtaii the de-
Tense housing program for Negroes
by just not approving any sites on
which these houses might be built.
The Detroit Housing Commission
now only approves sites for Negro
defense housing In Negro neigh
borhoods." which means very linn
tied building Of houses, because In
order to build defense housing you
have to use vacant land.
The Federal Government has
lodged its responsibility to Negro
defense workers by hiding behind