(Photo: Willie Mae Gaskin and Harding Block Club members)
In Detroit, the term community transcends Webster’s dictionary definition, morphing into something akin to family – an intricate network of support, care, and shared identity, where looking out for each other is not just a duty but a cherished way of life. Block clubs and neighborhood associations in Detroit’s Black communities have historically functioned as more than just social groups; they’ve been vital threads in the city’s social fabric where Black Detroiters grew a true love and pride regarding their neighborhood. Children grew up under the watchful and caring eyes of neighbors while the latest neighborhood updates were communally shared, keeping everyone connected and involved.
But why does this camaraderie matter so much, especially in Black communities? The answer lies in the historical context. For decades, Black residents in Detroit, like in many other urban areas, faced systemic challenges ranging from housing discrimination to economic disparities. Block clubs offered a way to counter these challenges, fostering a sense of agency and empowerment among residents.
Residents such as Willie Mae Gaskin. Gaskin’s dedication to the Harding Block Club, a group she has been an integral part of for over fifty years, reflects her deep-rooted commitment to community engagement and helping others. “We’ve been a block club for over 60 years,” she proudly states. Central to Gaskin’s life are the principles of faith, community involvement, and altruism. Since her move to Detroit’s West End in the 1960s, Gaskin has become a cherished figure on the city’s east side. Her contributions are multifaceted, ranging from active participation in the block club and the Eastside Community Network (ECN) to significant involvement with the Detroit Police Department. Her association with the police grew in the wake of a personal tragedy over two decades ago—the loss of her son, Gregory Gaskin, who was a dedicated police officer. Through these engagements, Gaskin continues to embody and promote the spirit of community solidarity and support.
For generations, block clubs have been the heartbeat of Detroit’s communities, embodying the spirit and resilience of its neighborhoods. Take, for example, the Harding Block Club. Established in the 1960s, it stands as a testament to longevity, possibly one of the oldest semi-operating block clubs in Detroit.
Many clubs go official by registering with the city’s Department of Neighborhoods. This step gives them more clout to get things done – like better street lighting, speed bumps, neighborhood watches, cleaning up streets, or fixing up vacant lots. “I live on Harding and my work was a day-to-day travel trying to keep our community together,” said Gaskin. “Harding Friendship Block Club is quite an old block club…through the block club we were able to stay connected, get yard lights, security doors for our homes, and get things done. Paint the Town also allowed us to get our houses repainted. You see, what you need is there you just have to go out and get it.”
The origin of block clubs in Detroit dates to the 1960s – 1980s, a period marked by significant social and political upheaval. Amidst this backdrop, block clubs emerged as beacons of hope and solidarity. They were more than just neighborhood watch groups; they were, and still are, a testament to the collective power of community action.
“The Harding Friendship Block Club had three groups: the children, youth (teens), and the regular block club, and each one of us had our own officers. The youth were the hype squad helping the children and other teens, and once a year, they’d have a skating party.” These clubs were not just about keeping an eye out for each other; they were about building something together, something that transcended the boundaries of individual homes and streets.
Today, the trajectory of this treasured camaraderie has become a dying breed.
“As everything else, it sort of goes down as people grow up,” Gaskin said. “The president of the children’s block club is 25 years old now. In just one year, we lost seven of our block club members; they passed away, and of course, the young folks grew up and moved on.”
During the Great Migration in the early 1900s, Detroit’s neighborhoods flourished as Black Southerners relocated to this booming auto city, seeking better livelihoods. This transformative era instilled a profound sense of community and mutual support, particularly evident in the auto plants where neighbors were the literal backbone of each other’s lives. The remnants of this vibrant generation, who gracefully aged while powering the community’s spirit, are now gradually departing, leaving behind a fleeing legacy of resilience and unity.
“Now our block, well, we’re holding on. It’s like the true Detroit people have been forgotten about; it’s a lot of abandoned space on our block,” said Gaskin. “They’re filling up downtown, but when it comes to the community, it’s another story. Our block, Harding, was one of the blocks that were in a sanction and now drawn out of the empowerment zone. Now they’ve shut everything down, even our school, Hutchison Elementary School.”
Throughout the years, the pride that once shone in Detroit’s neighborhoods has faded, not so much because the spirit of the people fled but partially because, as Gaskin puts it, their community has become forgotten about by their main source, the city. Oftentimes, reconstructing and rezoning of neighborhoods seemingly is a start to revitalization; however, somewhere down the line, it becomes a monopoly of which area gets an upgrade while others are left behind. This kind of decision-making is the kind of decision-making that has been going on in the city for so long that they decide that some neighborhoods are winners and some are losers – this is not new.
“When they did school redistricting, there was this perception with Detroit Public Schools that there were too many buildings for the number of students, so they started to reduce some of those buildings, and in a place where they reduced buildings, they actually lost students as well,” shared Eastside Community Network President Donna Givens. “Not because the students went to other schools, but that actually fueled families moving out of the community because there were no neighborhood schools. So, this idea that the district could just redirect people outside of their neighborhood was not well conceived.”
When block clubs in the same area unite to form Community Associations, their impact grows. These larger groups have more resources to take on bigger challenges. Community associations such as the Eastside Community Network. Givens of ECN advocating for Harding neighborhood and those alike say there has been a disconnect as the city has seemingly left schools as vacant buildings within the communities and moved into contamination factories.
“If you’re going to put slug businesses in neighborhoods that’s environmental contamination in addition to everything else, so when you decide to contaminate a neighborhood that’s creating a sacrifice zone inside of a city, that’s a decision that you’re making to allow people to be poisoned.”
Givens says that these decisions are a loss of investment, loss of vitality, and loss of anyone really valuing the neighborhood. “To have vacant houses standing for thirty years is neglect. There’s actually new tax credit housing near Ms. Gaskin’s neighborhood on French Road, and even that housing is vacant now, so you have old vacancies spreading to new housing, and it’s not going to improve until the city truly invests in our neighborhoods.”
“Where I am is a community, so it’s supposed to be just that, a community,” explained Gaskin. “I’m supposed to see the policemen drive down the street, have the firemen near, the garbage picked up on time, and whatever else. This is what we pay taxes for, we are supposed to have services available where we are. So, I walk around, clean up the neighborhood, go to the city meetings, and include whoever else can stand with me in order to feel included and advocate for something as simple as timely trash pick-up, but why should we have to fight so hard for these simple asks.”
Gaskin’s statement raises critical questions about the state of Detroit’s neighborhoods: Why has the city allowed these communities, once thriving and well-cared-for, to fall into neglect? What does it mean for these areas if dedicated individuals like Ms. Gaskin, who tirelessly advocates for basic services and community welfare, are no longer there?
The essence of Gaskin’s words lies in the fundamental expectation of municipal services and community care, which seems to have been overshadowed by broader urban challenges. Her efforts in cleaning up neighborhoods, attending city meetings, and rallying others to join her cause highlight a gap – a gap where basic amenities and services, which should be a given, have become a struggle to obtain.
This situation prompts a deeper examination: What happened to the care and attention these neighborhoods once received? How has the city’s focus shifted, leaving these communities feeling overlooked and underserved? And perhaps most importantly, what is the future of these neighborhoods without the presence of committed and caring individuals like Ms. Gaskin, who not only demand but also take active steps to ensure their communities receive the attention and services they rightfully deserve?
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