Zayn Nasser Polish 2710 12/6/17 The History of Detroit- Ethnic Layers of Detroit Response. To start off I did not know there were this many different cultures that had a significant impact on Detroit. In the presentation the speakers discussed about the Chinese, Polish, and Russian influence on Detroit. Detroit was colonized by the French long ago but I did not know it was so diverse until going to the presentation. I learned a lot of how the city was shaped in the past centuries. I also went back through the Wayne State website to find the ethnic layers section and found some interesting stories that were not shared at the presentation, such as the Cigar Strike in the mid-1800s. I did not realize how big of an impact women were in the cigar manufacturing community, also I have not realized that Detroit made the best smokes in the world. Cigars are not as big as the once where but there are still plenty of smoke shops, and a lounges in the area. But back then, cigarettes were not a big thing because they have only recently been invented. Through the video, I had learned that women were not being treated right in the workplace, which still might be true to this day. They were making half the money a man would make, be forced to work in harsh and nauseous environments, and were even sexually harassed. The working conditions might not be as hard as they were in the 19thcentury, but still to this day women have to fight to get equal pay in the workplace. Another interesting presentation is about Greektown and Germantown. The Germans came first the later followed by the Greek. Germans have many business such as Acme wiring and also 8 German breweries. The Greek built business such as restaurants and especially coffee
Zayn Nasser Polish 2710 12/6/17 shops. Both ethnic communities build churches that are still standing to this day. Germantown is not usually talked about today but Greektown is very popular for their restaurants and especially casino. Lastly, the Russian Bear Inn restaurant brought Russian Culture near Detroit but did not last long. But sadly it was only there from 1848-1852. It was both a restaurant and a night club and was a Detroit hotspot for many theater goers and celebrities. Before Comerica Park was opened, the area used to be the spot for the Russian Bear Inn. I liked this story because the Russian community is not ever given recognition in Detroit because of their small community. It is usually in the shadow of the other big communities such as the Polish, German, Chinese, and Greek.
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