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The SOUTHERN WHITE MIGRATION TO DETROIT IN THE 1930s series dates mainly from 1936-1937 when Kemnitz, as part of a sociology course at the University of Michigan conducted interviews and made observations on the topic of the adjustment and life of Southern whites who migrated to the industrial North. The files provide some information on church life, the reaction of shop keepers and social agencies to the migrants, their work within the auto plants, and general living conditions. Of note is the information accumulated relating to activities of the Black Legion in Michigan. Some of these files were created by a classmate of Kemnitz, Elmer Akers.