To celebrate Juneteenth this week, Gastro Obscura and guest editor Michael Twitty are sharing stories of food and liberation in Black history. In the sweltering summer of 1967, Detroit had reached a breaking point. Heightened racial tensions, socioeconomic disparities, and growing allegations of police misconduct culminated to create a city on the brink of chaos. The ensuing riots would last five days, riddling the streets of Detroit with terror and violence: 43 people killed, 7,000 people arrested, and more than 5,000 residents left homeless by the destruction. Most businesses had…
