The papers of Joseph L. Hudson, Jr., date from 1967 to 1983 and measure 6 inches. The collection consists entirely of material relating to the New Detroit Committee, which Hudson chaired during its first year of existence.
The collection includes correspondence relating primarily to the composition of the Committee; membership lists; notes made by Hudson; speeches and articles by Hudson and by Kent Mathewson, who was chief executive officer of New Detroit; press releases and periodic progress reports of New Detroit; photographs; and newspaper clippings about the, riot and about New Detroit. Most of the material dates from the period 1967 to 1969, but a few progress reports from the 1970s and 1980s and a 1983 General Fact Book regarding New Detroit are also included.
The papers reflect the difficulties faced by Hudson and the Committee in trying to create an organization that included representatives of the white "establishment" and grass roots black organizations. It was necessary for the Committee to be responsive to the needs of various sectors of the community ranging from prominent white businessmen to militant blacks. A folder entitled "Important Considerations" contains a frank assessment--apparently by Hudson--of the credibility problems the Committee would face within the black community and outlining steps to be taken to mitigate such problems. The collection is also useful in documenting attitudes and divisions within the black community over the direction that should be taken in rebuilding Detroit. Included is correspondence of the Federation for Self-Determination, a militant black organization that rejected a grant from New Detroit and severed its relations with the committee early in 1968 because it found unacceptable the stipulation that a New Detroit Committee member oversee the project. Also included is correspondence of the more moderate Detroit Council of Organizations, which accused the New Detroit Committee of catering to militant blacks and ignoring the desires of moderate blacks.
Several photographs of the July 27, 1967 meeting of community leaders are contained in the collection.
Joseph Lowthian Hudson, Jr., was born in Buffalo, New York, on July 4, 1931, the son of Joseph L. and Elizabeth (Gilbert) Hudson. He married Jean Bent Wright in 1952. In 1953 he received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and began work at J.L. Hudson's, the Detroit department store founded by his great-uncle. Hudson was president of the J.L. Hudson Company from 1961 until 1972 and became chairman and chief executive officer of the Company in 1972.
In the wake of the Detroit Rebellion of July 1967, Governor George Romney and Detroit mayor Jerome Cavanagh called a meeting of community leaders to discuss the rebuilding of Detroit. Romney and Cavanagh appointed Hudson chairman of the New Detroit Committee, a 39-member committee composed of business, labor, governmental, and civic leaders, including spokespersons for the Black community of Detroit. The Committee was to address the problems that had led to the rebellion and develop proposals to improve conditions for Blacks in the areas of housing, employment, education, recreation, youth affairs, economic development, community services, the law, and communications. New Detroit was to be a coordinating agency, referring proposals to the appropriate government and private agencies rather than taking action itself.
By the end of its first year of operation, New Detroit reported that it had facilitated cooperative programs between Detroit businesses and schools, had encouraged corporations such as Michigan Bell and the Ford Motor Company to establish recruitment and training programs aimed at residents of volnurable communities, had pressed for open housing laws and construction of low-cost housing, and provided grants for work training and other pilot projects in the Detroit schools. New Detroit had been less than successful in gaining the confidence of Black residents of Detroit and was regarded with suspicion by sections of the white community as well. The Committee was also hindered by inadequate funding, as it relied on government financial support and donations from private agencies. Therefore, New Detroit decided to incorporate in August 1968. Joseph Hudson resigned as chairman at that time and was succeeded by Max Fisher. Hudson continued to serve on the board of trustees through the 1970s and into the 1980s. Joseph L. Hudson, Jr. passed away December 2, 2020.
