Pave the Way Documentary to premiere in Lansing
“They Even Took the Dirt” a one-hour documentary compiled from more than 75 oral histories of survivors and their children which tells the crushing story of the destruction of a thriving African American neighborhood on Lansing’s westside in the 1960s will premiere at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, July 9, at the Lansing Public Media Center, 2500 South Washington. This first premiere showing is sold out as the venue is at capacity with those registered. A second showing will follow the first at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, July 9. Please do not come to the first showing unless you have already RSVP'd. The link to RSVP to the second showing is here: https://forms.gle/QS59duoGBcyK2F429.
The event is free but since seating is limited organizers are asking attendees to register and indicate the number of tickets they would like to reserve. Reservations for the first showing are closed and all seats are full. RSVP to the second showing online here: https://forms.gle/QS59duoGBcyK2F429 or by calling 517-449-8771.
The title “They Even Took the Dirt” was derived from an oral history given by James “Jet” Davis and refers to the massive amount of dirt that was excavated to build I-496 which stretches across Lansing and was constructed from 1965 to 1970 resulting in the loss of nearly 700 homes and scores of businesses.
The oral histories were completed by a team of volunteers led by community members Kenneth Turner (videographer) and Adolph Burton (interviewer).
The oral histories have been compiled and will be available for researchers through local research institutions.
The Pave the Way Project was a joint effort of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing, the City of Lansing and funded by a $40,000 grant from the National Parks Service.
The post production editing of the documentary was completed by Craig Jones, an award winning cinemaphotographer and editor from Lansing.
Following the premiere and second showing, the documentary will continue to be shown at events and programs across the city.
Bill Castanier, president of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing, said the Pave the Way project involved hundreds of community volunteers who were committed to telling the story of the impact of the expressway construction on Lansing’s African American neighborhood.
“What makes this documentary so compelling is it is told in the first person by residents who lived through the destruction of their neighborhood and way of life,” Castanier said.
“Despite the impact of Covid, the scope of the project was without precedent and the HSGL is in the process of creating an online report featuring photographs, documents and historical material which was gathered during the project,” he said.
“I expect 50 years from now social scientists and historians will be using that material to plumb the impact of the construction of expressways across the United States,” Castanier said.
One such document is a scrapbook compiled by Richard “Dick” Letts who was the city of Lansing liaison on relocation during the I-496 construction. It can be viewed at Pave the Way – The I-496 Project | Library of Michigan Digital