Deindustrialization Devastates Black Employment in Northern Manufacturing Cities

The mid-1970s recession, combined with accelerating deindustrialization, produced Black unemployment rates of 25-40% in cities like Detroit, Gary, and Cleveland. As steel mills, auto plants, and factories closed or moved, Black workers who had made hard-fought gains in industrial employment through union contracts were disproportionately impacted by 'last hired, first fired' layoff sequences.