When Detroit Played the Numbers: Gambling's History and Cultural Impact on the Motor City (Title Not in Series) Cover
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When Detroit Played the Numbers Gambling's History and Cultural Impact on the Motor City (Title Not in Series)

Felicia B. George

A testament to the tenacious spirit embodied in Detroit culture and history, this account reveals how numbers gambling, initially an illegal enterprise, became a community resource and institution of solidarity for Black communities through times of racial disenfranchisement and labor instability. A...

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Author Felicia B. George discussed her book, which offers a critical re-examination of the numbers game in Detroit. George challenged the typical negative perspective, arguing that historians often overlook the significant positive economic impact the game had on the Motor City. She highlighted how the dollars generated by the numbers game flowed directly into low-income Black communities, providing a necessary correction to the historical narrative.

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The author, Felicia George, stated that the typical perspective of the numbers game is negative. She added that people tend to overlook the positive aspects of the numbers game, like how money flowed into low-income Black communities.

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The typical perspective of playing the numbers? It's negative. I am not trying to romanticize this, what I am saying is we overlook the positive that came from it.

Positive says George like how numbers dollars flowed into low-income black communities.

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