Between the Covers

Unbound. Printed broadside. Measuring 17” x 11”. Printed in blue on white paper and reads in the top left corner: “Please Tape This Sign In Your Window” and in the top right corner: “Remember: The Court Stay Means Bussing After the Election!!” At the bottom reads: “Compliments of Benjamin H. DeHart (Phone 261-8698) Candidate For State Representative—36th District.” Printed by Allied Printing, Detroit, Trades Council Union Label 62. Vertical and horizontal creases, tiny pinhole at center, sunning at creases and edges, wear at edges. A very good copy of this sign that certainly shows usage.

The 36th District is in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, some three hours north of Detroit by car. In the 1970s—more than a decade after the Supreme Court desegregated schools—the Detroit metro area witnessed the intensity of white antibusing sentiment which in turn spread throughout the state (Darden. *Detroit: Race and Uneven Development*, p. 233). This sign is an artifact of that time, showing how politicians used this moment of racial controversy to persuade their constituents.

Item #450315