8 GROUNDCOVER NEWS LOCAL HISTORY Reflection on the "Letter to the West Side" MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 “A Letter to the West Side” had two showings, February 8 and February 26, 2025, at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, and at both showings there was a full house. I attended the second showing, and was very impressed by the production of the documentary. “A Letter to the West Side” is a personal visual account of the once-vibrant Black neighborhood located in Ann Arbor. I grew up on the westside. I wrote an article in Groundcover News November, 1, 2022 (Volume 13, Issue 21), titled “Gentrification of Ann Arbor, my hometown, through the eyes of Shanty Wobagege aka Mike Jones.” To read it, visit the Groundcover News website and go to the archive section. “A Letter to the West Side” is a glimpse into the history of Ann Arbor — history that people who live, work and play in this small town don’t know about. I often talk to Groundcover News customers and Ann Arbor residents who don’t know the history of the westside. Just like the United States, Ann Arbor is now home to people from all over the world. This documentary started at the roots. The Underground Railroad and the Great Migration where millions of Black people moved from the South to the North in search of a better life. My granddad, James Y. Jones, migrated from Jones County, Mississippi to Ann Arbor along with Ann Arbor notables Mr. Delong of Delong’s BBQ and Rosey of Rosey Barber Shop. This showing also explained the difference between segregation in the south which was implemented through law, and in the north where segregation was an unwritten law. One example of this was how white landowners would not sell homes to Blacks outside of the westside area in Ann Arbor. The documentary then moved into explaining the gentrification of this once thriving Black community. Gentrification in Ann Arbor took place 30 to 40 years ago. The movie conveyed how this gentrification actually took place. I was so happy to learn things I didn't know about in the neighborhood I grew up in. Like the history of the Dunbar Center that would become the Ann Arbor Community Center where I used to play along with my childhood friends as a young lad. Mainly, what I got out of this wonderful documentary is what I experienced as a child growing up in a loving and nurturing environment; visiting other Black families and businesses, MARCH 21, 2025 Jones in front of the mural on 4th and Catherine on the Westside. while also having friends of different backgrounds other than my own race who I consider family. A community where everybody knew one another and looked out for one another. The most meaningful time in my life was in that beautiful neighborhood called the westside. I was greatly surprised by the massive turnout to the showing, and I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a long time from the westside neighborhood. The audience was in full support of the experience, expression and the direction of this well-produced informative documentary by Breyko, in partnership with the Ann Arbor Housing Commission. Overall, I believe this documentary covered all the bases, and I myself was a student of my own history. It's a great feeling knowing I was a part of history with so much culture, pride and togetherness in a beautiful community and neighborhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I hope documentaries such as “A Letter to the West Side” will help bring awareness to prevent future neighborhoods being gentrified. I also hope we as the human race can learn to live together in peace without worry of what race, color or creed a person might be. We are all one race, the Human Race. We are One!
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