I understand that today is the 70th anniversary of the 1943 riots in Detroit; here are a few photos from Life magazine.

One photo that I always remember is not in this colllection - a group of whites preparing to rush a street car on Woodward, in front of the Bonstelle Theatre, its beautiful dome in the background of the madness.

Elders in my family, who were kids at the time, would talk about being chased down by angry rioters. Our current divisions have roots in this explosion. The 1967 Riots were a generation later.

Lest we forget.


http://life.time.com/history/detroit-race-riots-1943-photos-from-a-city-in-turmoil-during-wwii/#1