Wartime racial tensions erupt in Detroit, leaving 34 dead, most of them Black, after attacks and clashes spread through the city.
At a Glance
- Date
- 20 June 1943
- Location
- Detroit, Michigan
- Category
- Civil Unrest & Racial Violence
- Source
- Contemporary press; state records (1943) · Britannica
What It Meant Then
It exposed the strains of the Great Migration and segregated war industries.
What It Means Now
The riot foreshadowed the urban uprisings of the next two decades.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The Detroit Race Riot of 1943.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-detroit-race-riot-of-1943/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The Detroit Race Riot of 1943. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-detroit-race-riot-of-1943/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The Detroit Race Riot of 1943.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-detroit-race-riot-of-1943/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.