DETROIT, June 2, 2016 — PNC Bank will provide $100,000 to support Detroit 67: Looking Back to MOVE FORWARD, a multi-year project convened by the Detroit Historical Society (DHS). The project is intended to commemorate the events and climate leading up to the summer of 1967, as well as engage the community in thoughtful discussion and provide connections to opportunities to get involved and take action in initiatives to move Detroit forward.
“PNC’s support of Detroit 67 reflects our commitment to strengthening the communities where we do business,” said PNC Regional President Ric DeVore. “As the 50th anniversary of the 1967 civil disturbance approaches, it’s vital that we come together to remember what happened and why. Only then can we truly move forward together as a community.”
The PNC Bank funds will be used to assist DHS as they conduct interviews and in-depth, immersive research necessary to complete the project’s objective of bringing together diverse voices and communities around the effects of a historic crisis, not only to find their place in the present, but to inspire the future as well. DHS taken the lead in the conversation by engaging with more than 100 organizational partners to develop a model for highlighting the relevance of a community’s past in shaping its present and future. Funding will also support Detroit neighborhoods through placemaking initiatives in conjunction with the Detroit 67 project.
To achieve this objective, DHS is collecting stories from the past 100 years, which will contribute to the creation of the largest collection of oral histories ever amassed on this subject. This oral histories will be universally accessible through an online digital database and influence the development of a comprehensive, balanced and experiential exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum.
“The Detroit 67 project will cover a period of 150 years,” said Project Director Marlowe Stoudamire. “First we will reflect on the people, places and events that defined Detroit during the 100 years between 1917 and 2017, with a specific focus on the transformative events that occurred during the summer of 1967. The 50 years that lie ahead, 2017 to 2067, will also be a primary focus of the project as we use an understanding of our collective history to inform and define our future.”
A number of changes in 1960s Detroit, including demographics and growing racial tension, triggered the violence that erupted in Detroit in the summer of 1967, leaving 43 dead, nearly 1,200 injured and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed. In the wake of the violence, tens of thousands of Detroiters moved to the suburbs, negatively impacting the city’s tax base and overall economy.
“Detroit ’67 will ensure that we continue to speak frankly about difficult topics, such as racism and inequality,” said DeVore. “That ongoing dialogue is necessary to solve some of society’s greatest challenges and help make certain that we learn the lessons of the past to achieve a better tomorrow.”
About the Detroit Historical Society
The Detroit Historical Society, established in 1921, is a private, nonprofit organization located in Midtown, the heart of Detroit’s cultural center. Founded in 1921, its mission is to tell Detroit’s stories and why they matter. Today, the Society operates the Detroit Historical Museum and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. In addition, the Society is responsible for the conservation and preservation of more than 250,000 artifacts that represent three centuries of our region’s rich history. Through its museum exhibits, school tour programs, community-based programs and history-themed outreach efforts, the Society serves more than 150,000 people annually.
About PNC Bank
This exhibition is supported by PNC Bank, National Association and The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking; residential mortgage banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
CONTACT:
Robert J. Darmanin
(248) 729-8478
robert.darmanin@pnc.com
