Detroit 48202

Conversations Along a Postal Route

America ReFramed Season 7
  • Feature Film
  • 2019
  • 90 Mins

Detroit 48202: Conversations Along a Postal Route explores the rise, demise and contested resurgence of America's "motor city" through a multi-generational choir of voices who reside in mail carrier Wendell Watkins’ work route. Oral histories convey the impetus behind the African American migration up north while personal accounts shed light on the impacts of the fight for housing justice, the legacy of industrial and political disinvestment, and a confluence of events and failed policies that resulted in Detroit’s bankruptcy. Blamed for the devastation but determined to survive, the community offers creative solutions to re-imagine a more inclusive and equitable city.

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Film Credits

  • Pam Sporn Director/ Producer

Critical Acclaim

... the inspirational figure at the film's center... Wendell Watkins offers an intimate... glimpse of a world too often reduced to fatalistic headlines and lurid sound bites.

Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post