Life for us is what we make it

"The process of black community building was not smooth or free of conflict. There was much trial and error and more than a little rancor between its chief builders and benefactors. Notwithstanding those impediments, by 1945 the black community in Detroit had developed into one of the major centers of black progress." "Richard W. Thomas begins his analysis of black community building in the key period 1915-1945 by examining the community's roots in nineteenth-century Detroit. He focuses on how industrial workers, social workers, ministers, politicians, protest leaders, business and professional people, housewives, youth, and community institutions and organizations all contributed to the process. Thomas's approach draws on, but differs from, studies that emphasize the ghetto and proletarianization in the black urban experience. Rather than singling out a few dominant aspects of that experience, Thomas employs a holistic perspective to present a fuller understanding of the creation of black community."--BOOK JACKET.