"And Still They Prospered" - Series Examines Automotive, Labor Developments in the 1930s
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Packard. Nash. Hudson. Ford. They were common names in the Detroit of the 1930s, but now, only one of those automobile companies survives. As part of a new program series at Macomb Community College, a series of presentations will be offered on these companies, on the working life and labor union developments in the auto factories of the times, and examine the role of Henry Ford as perhaps the nation's first hero tycoon.
And Still They Prospered: Living Through the Great Depression - a program series at Macomb Community College's Lorenzo Cultural Center running Feb. 27-May 8 - examines the 1930s and the economic, social and cultural changes that took place during that decade, laying the groundwork for future prosperity in the Motor City and beyond.
Key to the area's economic life during the time was the activities of the auto companies. Among the presentations on this critical aspect of life in Detroit at the time will be:
* Working Detroit, tracing the ebb and flow of working-class
activity and union organization in Detroit, 1 p.m. March 10.
* Forgotten at 7:30 p.m. March 26. The musical drama relates the
story of the Rev. Lewis Bradford, a Methodist minister and advocate for
the homeless and the unemployed who worked at the Rouge Plant. At the
plant, he advocated for fair and just treatment of the workers before he
died from injuries in an unexplained "accident" at the plant in November
1937.
* Factory Workers in the 1930s and Today: This Is Not Your
Grandparents' Depression, 11 a.m. April 7.
* An April 21 presentation on the Henry Ford Trade School, an
industrial training program created by Henry Ford. The school graduated
more than 8,000 young men during the 33 years it operated, beginning in
1916. Following the presentation, a private reception and reunion will
be held for those who were students at the school.
* How Nash Motors and the Hudson Motor Car Company Survived the
Great Depression, 11 a.m. April 23.
* The Essential Henry Ford, 1 p.m. April 24.
* Packard Motor Car Company, 11 a.m. April 28.
* The Union's Role During the 1930s, 1 p.m. April 28.
The series will feature exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution and the Michigan State University Museum; more than 40 presentations providing a comprehensive look at the people and the times; and a performance of Forgotten, a "jazz-blues opera" that tells the story of a mysterious death at the Ford Rouge Plant during the effort to organize a labor union there.
"Many of the lessons that were first learned in the 1930s are being re-examined and reapplied today," said Geary Maiuri, dean of Community & Student Enrichment at Macomb. "Through the And Still They Prospered series, we have an opportunity as a community to look back at not only the challenges of the 1930s and the Great Depression, but how those times became a springboard from which great things were launched."
Highlights of the series at the Lorenzo Cultural Center include:
* David Kennedy, Stanford University professor emeritus and
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Freedom From Fear: The American People
in Depression & War, who will offer a vivid account of how Americans
coped with the Great Depression. Kennedy's March 11 presentation will
begin at 7 p.m., with a Meet & Greet opportunity at 5:30 p.m. Tickets to
the presentation only are $15 or $5 for seniors, students or military;
tickets including the Meet & Greet are $30.
* Columbia University professor Alan Brinkley, whose latest book,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was published in January 2010, will identify
aspects of Roosevelt's New Deal program that have left a lasting legacy.
Brinkley's presentation will begin at 7 p.m. April 29, with a Meet &
Greet option at 5:30 p.m. Tickets to the presentation are $15 or $5 for
seniors, students or military; tickets including the Meet & Greet are
$30.
* Presentations highlighting some of the key local personalities
of the times, including Detroit Mayor Frank Murphy, architect Eliel
Saarinen and Detroit Tigers great Mickey Cochrane.
* A look at the artistic accomplishments of the decade, including
the role of the Works Progress Administration in Detroit, the Diego
Rivera murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts, key movies of the
decade, the Art Deco movement and the Detroit jazz scene.
Exhibits will include The Way We Worked**, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution that reveals the effects of industrialization, urbanization, immigration, labor unrest, wars, and economic depression on ordinary working Americans, whether they toiled in a coal mine, on a tractor, at a typewriter or on an assembly line. An exhibit from the Michigan State University Museum will highlight the challenges faced by Michigan's Jewish population during the 1930s and another offers a look at the legacy of quilt-making from that era.
The Lorenzo Cultural Center is located on Macomb Community College's Center Campus, Garfield & M-59, Clinton Township. The cultural center is open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wednesday - Saturday; and 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Additional information on the cultural center and on the And Still They Prospered program series is available at www.lorenzoculturalcenter.com
.*The Smithsonian Community Grant program, funded by MetLife Foundation, is a proud sponsor of these public programs.
**The Way We Worked is an exhibition created by the National Archives with the support of the Foundation for the National Archives and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
About the Lorenzo Cultural Center
The Lorenzo Cultural Center explores the influences and experiences that shape our community's heritage, examining topics from a variety of perspectives and creating interactive opportunities for learning, celebration and entertainment. Located on Macomb Community College's Center Campus, Hall and Garfield Roads in Clinton Township, the cultural center is adjacent to the Macomb Center for Performing Arts.
About Macomb Community College
Macomb Community College (www.macomb.edu is one of the nation's leading community colleges, providing learning experiences to more than 59,000 students annually. Macomb nationally ranks in the top two percent in the number of associate degrees awarded and as the largest grantor of associate degrees in Michigan. The college's comprehensive educational programming includes pre-collegiate experiences, university transfer and career preparation programs, bachelor degree completion and graduate degree programs, workforce training, professional education and certification, and continuing education and enrichment opportunities.
Dan Heaton Manager of Media Relations www.macomb.edu heatond@macomb.edu 586.445.7271 (o) 586.549-2688 (c) <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Warren-MI/Macomb-Community-College/121910 565643> Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Warren-MI/Macomb-Community-College/121910 565643>