[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17137-17138]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            COMMEMORATING THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF ROYAL OAK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2012

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the Charter Township of 
Royal Oak, and express my gratitude to the residents who have provided 
me with the honor of representing them in Congress for 30 years. The 
Township represents an important place in the history of the racial and 
economic struggles our nation and state have confronted. It is not a 
history that should be forgotten.
  I want to submit segments of this history from the Township's 
website.

       ``The Eight Mile segment of the Township is imprinted with 
     the social history of the country. It reflects the social 
     status and the physical segregation of African-Americans 
     throughout the country's history.
       ``African-American families had settled in Detroit prior to 
     1763, when the British took possession of the city and found 
     them in residence. Aided by the Underground Railroad, which 
     used Detroit because of its proximity to Canada as a 
     dispersal point, growth of the African-American population 
     was fairly rapid. By 1860, the African-American population in 
     Detroit had grown to 1,403 people, with a few of such 
     families settling on scattered farm locations throughout the 
     region. These farmland holdings later were sold to White 
     families, with the exception of an area spanning Eight Mile, 
     centered around Wyoming Road.
       ``Families in advance of Detroit's outward growth settled 
     the Eight Mile area. Its initial development represented a 
     hopeful ``leapfrog'' movement of African-American families 
     from the inner city to outlying areas beyond the normal 
     growth area of Detroit. Because of the effectiveness of 
     restrictive covenants and other discriminatory practices, 
     African-Americans seeking less dense areas were constrained 
     from relocating to the immediate surrounding areas of city, 
     as then defined. The Wyoming/Eight Mile Road area was a 
     feasible and desirable option for African-American families 
     seeking an escape from crowded areas of the City.
       ``The African-American population within the City increased 
     dramatically in three different waves before World War I, 
     with industrial expansion following both World Wars. Coming 
     from the rural south, many African-American families seeking 
     escape were attracted to the Eight Mile area because of their 
     desire to replicate an open rural environment, which they had 
     left. Many of the homes were built with sweat equity on a 
     payday-to-payday basis, resulting in what might have been 
     described as a ``shack town.'' Many homes were constructed of 
     makeshift materials. Around 1925, the portion of this area 
     lying south of Eight Mile Road was annexed by the City of 
     Detroit and became subject to the housing and building

[[Page 17138]]

     controls enforced by the City. The area north of 8 mile 
     within the Township, subsequently felt the housing pressures 
     exerted on African-American families seeking other 
     residential options than those offered by the City of 
     Detroit.
       ``With the need for emergency housing during World War II, 
     the federal government for temporary wartime housing acquired 
     much of the available land in this part of Royal Oak 
     Township.
       ``The dramatic increase in population created burdens for 
     the Township including burdens on the existing housing stock. 
     Because of the war effort, many of the homes were overused 
     with families doubling up. Garages, sheds and attics were 
     also pressed into use as housing. In 1944, the population of 
     this segment of the Township was only 2,989 persons. 
     Temporary housing added 1,464 families by 1945 or an increase 
     of 5,500 persons. In 1950, the population rose to 10,508 and 
     a special census in 1956 indicated a population of 11,000, 
     which appeared to be the saturation point for the one-half 
     square mile area. By 1959, 1,708 or 75 percent of the 
     approximately 2,300 units in the Township were adjudged 
     dilapidated.
       ``Beginning in the 1940's while the Township was feeling 
     the deterioration pressures, the surrounding areas were being 
     built up by an affluent white population whose exodus from 
     the City of Detroit had grown to the Township's border. The 
     African-American segment of Royal Oak Township thereby 
     effectively became an isolated and deteriorated community in 
     the midst of an affluent white area.
       ``Taking advantage of the Housing Act of 1954, the Township 
     in 1959, finally approved an urban renewal project covering 
     most of the Eight Mile Segment. The project area, encompassed 
     all of the area east and west of Wyoming, north of the north 
     end, plus a couple of adjacent blocks. Activities were 
     carried out over a 16-year period in accordance with the 
     officially adopted urban renewal plan. The project (which had 
     been officially amended for the seventh time by 1972) was 
     terminated under ``close-out procedures'', as a federally 
     supported urban renewal project as of 1975. Project 
     activities remaining to be completed now fall to the 
     Township's community development department.
       After the annexation of the north end of the Township to 
     the City of Oak Park, the current population is approximately 
     2,840 people.''

  This is not an easy history, but it is one that we must remember. The 
financial collapse and the economic recession have also been difficult 
for the Township and its residents. But I have always been struck by 
the fabric of community that exists in Royal Oak Township, the 
generations of families whom have called it home and the determination 
to maintain the identity of the Township and build a stronger future.
  I have enjoyed participating in many activities and events in the 
community like the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Day commemoration and 
the ever popular Pearls of Wisdom luncheon, which honors citizens of 
90+ whose lives represent the splendor of the American story.
  Newly elected Township Supervisor, Donna Squalls, along with all of 
the dedicated Township Trustees and other local elected officials are 
poised to move the Charter Township of Royal Oak forward, and I look 
forward to following their success in the years to come.
  As I close, I can say with confidence that Royal Oak Township and its 
residents are in good hands with Congressman Gary Peters. My office 
will, of course, stay in close touch on issues that impact Oakland 
County and southeast Michigan as we all work together to re-vitalize 
our Michigan economy.

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