‘The Detroit Wall Project’ showcases racial divide that stood for decades

A united group of Henry Ford College students is putting the final touches on an original production tracing Detroit’s divisive — and evolving — modern history.

The hourlong collaboration — researched, written and performed by a diverse group of Henry Ford students and alumni from Detroit and its suburbs — makes its debut April 12 on the college’s Dearborn campus.

Called “The Detroit Wall Project,” the play is presented in docu-drama style to trace history-making events that helped shape race relations in Detroit, including anti-slavery activism, fair housing protests, the Civil Rights Movement and the impact of Motown music.

The play’s name is taken from the socalled Birwood Wall (or the Detroit Eight Mile Wall), an infamous, foot-thick structure erected in 1941, separating Black and white homeowners. The half-mile-long structure runs along an alleyway in the Eight Mile and Wyoming neighborhood, between Birwood Avenue and Mendota Street.

Once a symbol of racial segregation, the wall was transformed in 2006 by residents and activists to include a mural serving an educational role in remembering and endorsing civil rights ideals. In 2021, the wall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a reminder of Detroit’s struggle for fairness.

The production is the handiwork of roughly two dozen students of various backgrounds, according to John Michael Sefel, Henry Ford’s director of theatre.

The play also meets a priority set by Sefel for locally produced, locally relevant productions as part of the school’s lineup.

Now in his second year at Henry Ford, Sefel said “The Wall” is a result of countless hours of research, writing, production work, rehearsals and “many late nights” by more than two dozen students and Henry Ford alumni.

“Absolutely, it’s worth it,” said Sefel, noting that students often must fit their theater work into schedules that include classwork, jobs, “kids and home lives.

“They are creating a show that is about their community,” Sefel said of the play’s cast, crew and researchers. The result, he said, is “something unique and worth knowing.”

“This is an original theatrical production based on student research and existing archives about the Detroit Wall,” Sefel said. “We’ve pulled information from journals, news reports, the Detroit Historical Society’s Oral and Written History Archive, as well as our own surveys and interviews.”

In some instances, students interviewed family members and neighbors to gather anecdotes and perspectives about Detroit’s civil rights history.

The focus on local issues and history is also consistent with Sefel’s education and personal history.

The son of a career military officer, Sefel, now 46, attended New Hampshire’s Northern Essex Community College, where he graduated magna cum laude and was awarded an associate degree in liberal arts and theater.

“I am a product of community college myself,” said Sefel, “and its role as a great crossroads with unique challenges.”

After community college, Sefel graduated summa cum laude in dramatic literature and theater at Granite State College in New Hampshire, a master’s in fine arts and directing at Baylor University, and a doctorate degree in theater at Ohio State University.

“The Wall” is the seventh show Sefel has managed since joining Henry Ford College.

“I’m a big believer in the docu-drama style of theater,” he said. “This production is more like watching a documentary on TV than watching a play.”

The student-infused “The Wall” is fastpaced, Sefel said, including “a little bit of singing and recorded music” — all part of Sefel’s commitment to provide entertainment and thoughtful art.

“This is an important piece of Detroit