'Demolition Means Progress' author to speak at Flint Public Library

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FLINT, Michigan — The author of “Demolition Means Progress: Flint, Michigan and the Fate of the American Metropolis” — the book chosen for this year’s Community Read — will talk about the book 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, at the Flint Public Library.

The discussion by Andrew R. Highsmith is the first of six scheduled talks throughout the community in 2019 as part the Community Read. After Highsmith’s presentation, there will be a question-and-answer session and small group discussions.

“Demolition Means Progress” explores the spatial and structural barriers to racial equality and economic opportunity in metropolitan Flint from the early 20th century to the present. The book is an in-depth case study of the political economy of racial and economic inequality in modern America. The book analyzes how the perennial quest for urban renewal contributed to mass suburbanization, racial and economic division, deindustrialization, and political fragmentation.

“This read is intended to engage the community in dialogue and seeks to strengthen the Flint community by promoting inclusion and understanding about differing points of view. To promote literacy and foster community through shared experience,” said Todd Womack, one the program coordinators.

This is the third year of the Community Read. The first two selections were Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2016-2017) followed by The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (2017-2018).

The Community Read is sponsored in part by The University of Michigan-Flint, The Flint and Genesee Literacy Network and Flint ReCAST.

Community Read discussions will be held the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.