We Shall Not be Moved

In 1941, when the federal government announced its plans to build housing for Black war workers in northeast Detroit, there was immediate backlash from racist groups who didn’t mince words. The Fenelon Avenue Improvement Association distributed flyers that insisted, “Keep this neighborhood white.”

In 1942, as the Fenelon association and its sympathizers picketed City Hall (they stormed it too), the Black community staged a counter-demonstration at City Hall. While they didn’t sing, they chanted, “We shall not be moved!”

Even though it’s an anachronism, Mavis Staples’ version of this song, from the Civil Rights era, is the best.