Dear Friends,
Happy Black History Month! Michigan’s Black history is rich with stories of leadership in championing democracy. From being a safe-haven stop along the underground railroad to Canada, to Detroit being the home of several historical figures in Black history — including Rosa Parks, the Rev. C.L. Franklin and Albert Cleage — Michigan is part of America’s story of civil rights and the fight for democracy. I’m proud to be one of the Black Legislators continuing the political legacy of our city and state.
As your representative, I am most effective at my job when acting on your input. As you know, I am the chair of the House Regulatory Reform Committee. I also serve on the following House committees: Judiciary; Criminal Justice; Military, Veterans and Homeland Security; and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Economic Development, and Lifelong Learning. I encourage you to reach out to me and my staff with any questions, comments or concerns you may have about issues in the district or legislation that will impact our state. You can contact me at (517) 373-0154, toll free at (888) 254-5291, by email TyroneCarter@house.mi.gov, or through my website. Thank you for your commitment to the community we both call home; I look forward to hearing from you!
In Service,
Tyrone Carter
State Representative, 1st House District
Coffee Hours
I hope you can join me for my upcoming coffee hours! I look forward to having an informal conversation with you about what I’ve been doing in Lansing and in the community as well as any concerns you may have about issues facing House District 1.
March 8
1-2 p.m.
Location: River Rouge City Hall,
10600 W. Jefferson Ave.,
River Rouge
2:30-3:30 p.m.
Location: Midwest Civic Center,
6602 Walton St., Detroit
Celebrating Black History: Orsel and Minnie McGhee House
As we celebrate Black History Month, I would like to highlight a historical site on Detroit’s west side. The home at 4626 Seebaldt St. is known as the Orsel and Minnie McGhee House. When Orsel and Minnie purchased the home in 1944, the property deed stated, “[t]his property shall not be used or occupied by any person or persons except those of Caucasian race,” otherwise known as a racially restrictive covenant. The McGhees were unaware of this racial covenant.
Shortly after the purchase of the home, the McGhees were confronted by the neighborhood association, demanding they leave due to the covenant. The McGhees refused to be pushed out of their home, and their neighbors, the Snipes, decided to sue, in a case known as Snipes v. McGhee. The McGhees were willing to put up a fight. Defended by Thurgood Marshall, a legal defense attorney for the NAACP at the time, the Wayne County Circuit Court ruled against the McGhees. They appealed the case to the Michigan Supreme Court, where they were ruled against yet again.
The McGhees were determined not to give up. During this time, the country was facing many cases similar to Snipes v. McGhee, and the NAACP consolidated these into Shelley v. Kraemer and appealed the case to the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1948, the court unanimously ruled in favor of the McGhees and other black homeowners, holding that the enforcement of racially based restrictive covenants in a state court would violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
In 2022, the Michigan Legislature passed an act to discharge prohibited restrictive covenants, and in the same year, the McGhee house was added to the list of National Register of Historic Places. Administered in Michigan by the State Historic Preservation Office, the National Register of Historic Places is the United States federal government’s official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance.
Highlighting Black Owned Businesses
in Detroit
Check out some of the black owned business in Detroit by clicking on the links below:
Detroit’s Black-Owned Businesses | Visit Detroit
Detroit | RankTribe™ Black Business Directory
Learn about Black History:
Charles H. Wright African American History Museum
The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
The Henry Ford – Museum, Greenfield Village & Rouge Factory
MBAD’s African Bead Museum
Tuskegee Airmen Museum
National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen | Michigan
Detroit Historical Museum
Detroit Historical Museum | Detroit Historical Society
Detroit Institute of Art:
Motown Museum:
For more information about Black History in Michigan, visit Black History in MI and learn more about Black History in the Michigan Legislature from the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus.
We Want to Hear from You
Representative Carter would like to hear from you! Use the link below to let us know your concerns about both legislation and issues within the district. Additionally, we would love to hear what you would like to see included in future monthly newsletters.
District 1 Concerns/Suggestions