Detroit, MI - The City of Detroit Historic Designation Advisory Board (HDAB) has announced that it received a $75,000 Underrepresented Community (URC) Grant and is one of 21 projects throughout the country selected by the National Park Service (NPS).
The awarded project focuses on the history and impact of women in Detroit. This is the third time the City of Detroit has been awarded a federal grant through the URC program. Founded in 2014, the URC Grant works to diversify the nominations submitted to the National Register of Historic Places.
The $75,000 grant secures in part the necessary funding to create a historic context to identify themes and sites in Detroit's history related to women and will include nominating at least one property to the National Register of Historic Places. The HDAB will reach out and work with community partners to provide education and outreach opportunities regarding women's history in Detroit.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2022 women made up 50.5 percent of the total U.S. population. Conversely, to our knowledge, currently less than five percent of the National Register historic districts or sites are listed for their association with women's history. The Historic Context Study of Women in Detroit is part of a broad, multi-year initiative to document and highlight underrepresented communities in Detroit. This includes the now completed intensive-level survey of Eight Mile/Wyoming area, the oldest Black neighborhood in northwest Detroit. Currently underway is the preparation of an in-depth context study of Latinx history in Detroit, which includes research and the collection of oral histories from across the city ending with the identification and nomination of a property to the National Register of Historic Places. Another project, estimated to begin later in 2023, focuses on creating a context of Middle Eastern history in Detroit and an eventual nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
For updates regarding all HDAB grant projects, please visit https://detroitmi.gov/government/boards/historic-designation-advisory-board/special-projects, and for more information about the Underrepresented Community Grant Program, please visit go.nps.gov/urc.