The Ghetto Speaks

The Ghetto Speaks was a newspaper sponsored by the East Side Voice of Independent Detroit (ESVID) beginning in 1967. It advocated, informed, and supported the Black community of Detroit. Its articles and pictures inspired dignity and unity with the Black community. The Ghetto Speaks loudly supported the Black community in ways that the other newspapers didn't dare. It presented the community’s news, offered opportunities, and allowed their voice to be heard. ESVID’s articles and pictures brought to light injustice while inspiring dignity and unity within the Black community.

ESVID not only organized boycotts of stores that mistreated Black customers,but they also led a boycott against the Detroit News due to the larger newspaper’s bias against Black men. I understand that every newspaper may or can hold biases, so I think The Ghetto Speaks is different because its bias towards Black Detroiters worked to empower them. The Ghetto Speaks often tried to help Black Detroiters with problems that they faced.

Harvey Grant, “Shirley Chisholm For President- Speaks Out Against Crimes.” The Ghetto Speaks,(Detroit, Mich.) April 5, 1972. Folder 4 (1972), The Ghetto Speaks, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.

Darryl White, [untitled poem]. The Ghetto Speaks,(Detroit, Mich.) April 5, 1972. Folder 4 (1972), The Ghetto Speaks, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.

The Ghetto Speaks newspaper’s main objective was to inform the Black community on topics relevant to their community with their perspective in mind. Unlike mainstream newspapers, it didn't villainize Black people. Instead, its articles celebrated activists like Angela Davis and Rosa Parks. The Ghetto Speaks shed light on people who Black Detroiters should know about, like Shirley Chisholm, who was running for president at the time. They talked about the problems of Detroit, like the STRESS policing unit which harassed the Black community.

The newspaper also advocated for Black control of education in the public schools. It published articles about the people depicted on Wall of Pride, and wrote about the Harriet Tubman (Let My People Go) mural on the church across from Wall Of Dignity.

The Ghetto Speaks offered support by shining light on opportunities for the Black community. For example, the newspaper had printed scholarship applications in the back of the newspaper. They also offered summer jobs for boys and girls to deliver newspapers. They published young Black poets and talked about issues that readers mentioned in the letter to the editor. The Ghetto Speaks ran advertisements for Black-owned businesses, which offered those businesses a chance to be seen if you were to look through the newspaper (see advertisements from April 5, 1972). The newspaper supported the Black community and advocated for unity in the face of issues that mattered to the Black community.

ESVID’s Ad Campaign to Support the Poor People’s Campaign, “Protest The Inhumane Treatment of Poor People.” The Ghetto Speaks, 1972.

Top Left: Valerie. Lynn, “STRESS goes to trial”. The Ghetto Speaks, (Detroit, Mich.) April 5, 1972. Folder 4 (1972), The Ghetto Speaks, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.

Bottom Left: Coverage of the New Bethel Incident and the Crockett Ruling, The Detroit News, March 31, 1969. Page 4.

Right: “Boycott the Detroit News!!” The Ghetto Speaks,(Detroit, Mich.) May 15, 1969. Folder 1 (1967-1969), The Ghetto Speaks, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.

The Ghetto Speaks vs. Detroit Newspapers

Black Detroiters were not the main target audience for the conservative Detroit News, or for the more liberal Detroit Free Press. As Bill McGraw argued, these mainstream newspapers only started to support Black people after 1963, and their support was inconsistent. Black Detroiters' problems were often overlooked by Detroit newspapers– this neglect was one of the causes for the Detroit Uprising of 1967. Instead, the goal of The Ghetto Speaks was to cater to the Black community with information relevant to all people.

In 1969, Judge George W. Crockett ruled in favor of the defendants accused of assaulting the police. The Ghetto Speaks called for a boycott against the Detroit News, after the News' coverage of the "New Bethel Incident" had seemingly villainized Judge Crockett and his ruling. The conflict arose during the national convention for the Republic of New Afrika at the New Bethel Baptist Church, when a dozen cops from the Detroit Police Department invaded the church and arrested around 142 African Americans. Judge Crockett later held emergency hearings for those illegally detained. The Ghetto Speaks claimed that the Detroit News’ reporting omitted facts and caused polarization in the city through their newspaper’s "racist lens." The Ghetto Speaks actually fact-checked the Detroit News, and explained that Judge Crockett didn't let 130 people go using his authority, but rather that Wayne County Prosecutor William Cahalan released the 130 people. They stated how the Detroit News made Judge Crockett look like he didn't respect the law. The Ghetto Speaks, a small, new newspaper, called out the Detroit News and both protected and informed the public about the misinformation certain newspapers were spreading.

Written by Trinity Jackson

Works Cited

“Angela ... The Voice of the Innocence Speaks,” The Ghetto Speaks, August 14,1972.
“Boycott the Detroit News!!” The Ghetto Speaks, May 15, 1969.
Harvey Grant, “Shirley Chisholm For President- Speaks Out Against Crimes.” The Ghetto Speaks, April 5, 1972.
Darryl White, [untitled poem]. The Ghetto Speaks, April 5,1972.

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