Carbon Works in Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Ford Hunger March

March 7, 1932

Photographed By Joel Seewald, March 13, 2020

1. The Ford Hunger March Marker

Inscription.

The Ford Hunger March. March 7, 1932. , Approximately 3,000 unemployed workers and labor activists braved bitterly cold weather and mobilized in Oakwood on March 7, 1932, for the first Ford Hunger March. , , The men and women crossed the old Fort Street drawbridge chanting and singing, and began the march up Miller Road. The primary mission was to deliver a list of demands to Henry Ford for jobs, food, fuel for heat, and help with rent and mortgages. The marchers also carried banners calling for greater public relief, freedom for the Scottsboro Boys, and other urgent causes. The march was peaceful until crossing into Dearborn, where police fired tear-gas into the crowd. Near Gate Three, fire hoses were turned on the marchers, who responded by throwing clods of frozen dirt, rocks, and brickbats. At this point, gunfire came from the police line. Four marchers died from gunshot wounds that day and a fifth died a few weeks later; several others were injured. Although the march was organized primarily by communists, its participants were politically, ethnically, and racially diverse. The tragedy was a pivotal moment in the formation of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which was formally chartered in May 1935. , ,

, Several thousand took part in a procession that carried the dead , Joseph York, Joseph DeBlasio, Joseph Bussell, and Kalman Leny , to Woodmere Cemetery, where they were buried in an unmarked grave in view of the Rouge colossus. Curtis Williams, an unemployed African-American and the fifth fatality of the march who died on Aug. 7, 1932, was denied a grave at Woodmere; his cremains were reportedly scattered over the Rouge plant from a rented airplane. , , The headstones for four of the marchers , Leny, York, Bussell, and DeBlasio , were laid in 1979; the stone for Williams was installed on March 14, 1992, in a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the march. A historical marker was installed on the bridge that same day. , ,

, For more information on the Hunger March go to: http://region1a.uaw.org/local600/. , And be sure to visit the Fort Street Bridge Park, just across this bridge.

Approximately 3,000 unemployed workers and labor activists braved bitterly cold weather and mobilized in Oakwood on March 7, 1932, for the first Ford Hunger March.

The men and women crossed the old Fort Street drawbridge chanting and singing, and began the march up Miller Road. The primary mission was to deliver a list of demands to Henry Ford for jobs, food, fuel for heat, and help with rent and mortgages. The marchers also carried banners calling for greater public relief, freedom for the Scottsboro Boys, and other urgent causes. The march was peaceful until crossing into Dearborn, where police fired tear-gas into the crowd. Near Gate Three, fire hoses were turned on the marchers, who responded by throwing clods of frozen dirt, rocks, and brickbats. At this point, gunfire came from the police line. Four marchers died from gunshot wounds that day and a fifth died a few weeks later; several others were injured. Although the march was organized primarily by communists, its participants were politically, ethnically, and racially diverse. The tragedy was a pivotal moment in the formation of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which was formally chartered in May 1935.

Several thousand took part in a procession that carried the dead — Joseph York, Joseph DeBlasio, Joseph Bussell, and

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Kalman Leny — to Woodmere Cemetery, where they were buried in an unmarked grave in view of the Rouge colossus. Curtis Williams, an unemployed African-American and the fifth fatality of the march who died on Aug. 7, 1932, was denied a grave at Woodmere; his cremains were reportedly scattered over the Rouge plant from a rented airplane.

The headstones for four of the marchers — Leny, York, Bussell, and DeBlasio — were laid in 1979; the stone for Williams was installed on March 14, 1992, in a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the march. A historical marker was installed on the bridge that same day.

For more information on the Hunger March go to: http://region1a.uaw.org/local600/.
And be sure to visit the Fort Street Bridge Park, just across this bridge.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events. A significant historical date for this entry is March 7, 1932.

Location. 42° 17.496′ N, 83° 8.523′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. It is in Carbon Works. Marker is at the intersection of Fort Street (State Highway 85) and Miller Road, on the right when traveling west on Fort Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10520 Fort Street, Detroit MI 48209, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. March On (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also

The Ford Hunger March Marker - upper image image. Click for full size.

Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University

2. The Ford Hunger March Marker - upper image

named The Ford Hunger March (about 500 feet away); Rouge River History (about 500 feet away); 19th U.S. Infantry (approx. ¼ mile away); Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines (approx. ¼ mile away); Woodmere Cemetery Iraqi Freedom Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Woodmere Cemetery (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Hunger March (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Detroit.

The Ford Hunger March Marker - lower image image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Joel Seewald, March 13, 2020

3. The Ford Hunger March Marker - lower image

Hunger march held June 1933.

Photographed By Joel Seewald, March 13, 2020

4. The Ford Hunger March Marker

In the background is the new (2016) Fort Street bridge.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2020, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 365 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 15, 2020, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.