Dr. Felicia George explains how number lotteries in the city’s Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods in the 20th century, although illegal and rife with exploitation, also raised some Black Detroiters out of poverty and created an important social support in a community stressed by racial discrimination and job insecurity.

Dr. George is an adjunct professor of anthropology at Wayne State University and the author of When Detroit Played the Numbers: Gambling’s History and Cultural Impact on the Motor City.

Related Resources:

When Detroit Played the Numbers: Gambling’s History and Cultural Impact on the Motor City

Related Collections:

Folklore Archive: Student Field Projects Records (WSR002714)

Folklore Archive: Student Field Projects Oral Histories (WSOH002714)

Folklore Archive: Studies and Research Projects Records (WSR001731)

Untold Tales, Unsung Heroes Oral Histories (UOH001605)

Wayne State University Libraries Digital Collections

Episode Credits

Interviewee: Felicia George

Producers: Dan Golodner and Troy Eller English

Music: Bart Bealmear