Historian Jamon Jordan shares the legacy of Black Detroit: "I'm just telling their story"
(CBS DETROIT) — As Black History Month begins, Detroit's rich legacy of Black excellence, resilience, and innovation takes center stage. And who better to guide us through that history than the city's official historian, Jamon Jordan?
For Jordan, history isn't just a passion — it's a calling.
"Black history, African history, world history, I've always loved history," Jordan told CBS News Detroit.
That love for history eventually led him to share his knowledge with others.
"My students were Detroiters, and I felt that I'm cheating them if I teach them about all these other histories and I don't teach them about Detroit," he said.
A native Detroiter, Jordan spent a decade teaching middle school social studies, but when he incorporated Detroit's history into his curriculum, he quickly realized it wasn't just his students who wanted to learn more.
"Many of their parents who would go on field trips with the students would say, 'Hey, you mean I've been living around the corner from that historic site, and that happened?'" Jordan said.
That curiosity sparked something bigger. In 2013, he launched the Black Scroll Network, History and Tours, leading guided tours that highlight Detroit's deep-rooted Black history while shifting the way it's taught and understood.
"Black people have been taught in America, for the most part, that their history begins when someone else does something to them," Jordan said. "Black people are actors. They're subjects, they do things, and those things are important—not just the things that happen to them," he continued.
For a city where nearly 80% of the population is Black, Jordan says understanding that history is essential. From Detroit's role as a major stop on the Underground Railroad to its legacy as a thriving Black economic and residential hub — places like Black Bottom and Paradise Valley hold powerful stories that shaped the city's culture.
"We're standing at a site where so much history happened, but we can't see that history, except in the legacy that it created," Jordan said. "We see it when we listen to Motown, when we listen to jazz musicians, when we walk through the city."
Now, as Detroit's first official historian, Jordan is making sure those stories aren't just preserved — but celebrated.
"The people who are the heroes, sheroes, and great ones — the great people, places, and events that have happened in Detroit—did a lot of work. I'm just telling their story," he said.
Along with leading tours, Jordan also teaches a course at the University of Michigan as part of its Semester in Detroit program. The class, "From the Underground to Motown: A Course on Detroit's History," offers a deep dive into the city's past.
For Jordan, the work is personal.
"I see this Detroit culture. I see Black Bottom; I see Paradise Valley. I see all the things that have helped make Detroit what it is," he said.
