How the Detroit-Windsor border shapes Black families

For generations, the Detroit River has been less a dividing line than a family connection for Black people on both sides.

That relationship has deep historical roots. During the Underground Railroad era, Black freedom seekers crossed from Detroit into Windsor seeking safety from slavery and persecution. Many stayed, establishing churches, businesses, schools and neighbourhoods that helped form Windsor’s historic Black community. Research on Windsor’s 1864 census shows that many Black residents were born in the United States, while some families maintained economic and personal connections across the river.

Today, that cross-border relationship continues — but it is more complicated.

The opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge in July, followed by the opening of its pedestrian and cycling path in August, has created a new physical connection between Windsor and Detroit. Yet the bridge arrives during a period of heightened border scrutiny and worsening Canada-U.S. political and trade relations.

University of Windsor professor Lee Rodney says those changes cannot be understood through trade statistics alone.

“We’re quite familiar with the numbers around trade volumes … but that doesn’t meaningfully describe the experience of living here,” Rodney said. She describes the bridge as “a vital symbol of the historic connection within the region.”

For Black families, that lived experience can include relatives on both sides, cross-border employment, cultural events, churches, entertainment and longstanding friendships. Detroit and Windsor have also developed interconnected Black cultural histories, including music, poetry, activism and community organizing.

But the border does not affect everyone equally. Immigration status, citizenship, visas and other documentation can determine whether crossing the river is routine or difficult. University of Windsor researcher Dr. Carlo Handy Charles is now studying the experiences of queer and trans migrants in both Windsor and Detroit, highlighting how race and migration status can intersect with questions of belonging.

The broader political climate is adding another layer. Detroit and Windsor are deeply tied to the automotive economy, and the current U.S.-Canada trade conflict threatens businesses and workers throughout the region. Recent reporting describes growing economic anxiety in both cities as tariffs disrupt the integrated auto industry.

Yet the cultural connection remains resilient.

Poet and scholar Vida Cross, reflecting on people who have lived on both sides, described the Windsor-Detroit relationship as “historic” and “ongoing.” She has also urged communities to “create community instead of putting our arms out to distance ourselves from each other.”

For Black families, that may be the border’s enduring paradox.

It can separate countries, laws and governments while connecting generations, cultures and memories.

The challenge now is ensuring that a border designed to move people and goods does not make it harder for families and communities to remain connected.

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