Learn About Michigan
Our popular “Michigan Tales” event series returns this fall virtually and in person. Attendees will hear from authors and local historians about different historical events and subjects, including a famous cereal manufacturer and our state’s most dangerous women. We’ve also partnered with the Historical Society of Greater Lansing to host a special documentary screening about Lansing’s cross-town expressway. Learn more and register for the events below! Events that have already taken place are noted below.
Documentary Screening & Panel Discussion – Join us at CADL Downtown Lansing for a screening and panel discussion of “They Even Took Dirt,” a one-hour documentary that shares first-hand accounts of how the I-496 Expressway construction impacted a thriving African American neighborhood in Lansing. The documentary includes more than 75 oral histories of survivors and their children who experienced dislocation and the destruction of social connections, friendships and relationships due to the project.
The documentary is part of the Pave the Way: The I-496 Project, a joint effort of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing, the City of Lansing and funded by a grant from the National Parks Service. Visit the Pave the Way Project website to learn more. (A photo of the I-496 Expressway construction is pictured above). This event has already taken place.
Michigan Tales – “Lansing and the Civil War” by Matthew VanAcker – Explore Lansing’s role in the war to preserve the Union and end slavery. Hear the stories that offer a glimpse into the lives of soldiers, their families and the city they left behind. This event has already taken place.
Michigan Tales – “Michigan’s Most Dangerous Women” by Tobin Buhk – Calling all true crime fans! Peek behind the walls of the old Detroit House of Corrections, Michigan’s only penal institution for women. Meet intriguing characters in this fascinating talk about a unique segment of Michigan history.
Michigan Tales – “Kellogg’s: The Story of America’s Breakfast King” by Christopher Locke – Snap, Crackle, Pop! From the lives of the Kellogg brothers to mascots like Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam, to the products that made Kellogg's a household name, this trip down memory lane will make you long for a bowl of Rice Krispies, Froot Loops, or Frosted Flakes.