The Black Legion: Colluding with Fascism (Live & Via Zoom)

The Black Legion was a domestic terrorist militia active in the late 1920s into the late 1930s. Founded in Bellaire, Ohio, in 1924, it spread across multiple states, including Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, throughout the Great Depression.

It was explicitly political, and despite overwhelming evidence that Black Legion members violated federal laws, Federal law enforcement failed to launch a proper examination of their activities. During the investigation of one particularly gruesome Black Legion execution, a member broke their code of silence and publicly revealed details of many of their heinous crimes. The backlash in the wake of these revelations helped eradicate the organization; however, their legacy stretches into the 21st century.

Despite the sensational news coverage at the time and the atrocities of their crimes, the Black Legion remains a relatively obscure historical flashpoint, which may be due to the fact that prominent industrialists and elected officials were implicated in their crimes.

As political violence escalates here at home and abroad, it is imperative that we understand what helped defeat the Black Legion as well as why the extent of their activities was downplayed by Federal investigators at the time they were active.

Join us at 7 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday, June 21, when Christy McGillivray will lead us in a discussion of some of this country's least-known and most sinister history.

Christy McGillivray is the Legislative and Political Director of the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club. She began her career as an environmental advocate after graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in 2004. Her areas of expertise include solid waste policy, Great Lakes water quality problems, including PFAS and other toxics, agricultural policy, and the intersection of public health and environmental policies at the state legislative level. She has an MSc in Environmental Education from the University of Edinburgh and has worked as an adjunct professor at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, and Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan. Her past roles include Campaign Director for Clean Water Action, STEM education coordinator for the Farmington Hills Nature Center, and organizer for the American Federation of Teachers in Michigan. In politics, she's worked continuously to get environmental champions elected and to keep them acting to benefit the environment once they are in office. Before taking her position with the Sierra Club, Christy was teaching chemistry and physics at Eastpointe High School.

Please note that this program will be presented live and on Zoom. If you're in the Detroit area, you can attend the live presentation, for a chance to also mingle with your fellow Mensans and guests, at our usual location:

Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. (EDT). The program begins at 7 p.m. (EDT).

Ticket prices for the in-person program are:
Adult members: $5 or buy a strip of 4 tickets for $15
Adult guests: $6
Children 12 & under: $2
Members receive free admission in the month of their birthday.

If you can't join us in person, the Zoom room opens at 6:30 p.m. (EDT) for mingling.

There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs, (Meetup charges alone are up 70% this year!) your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated. Please donate $5! To donate go to paypal.com , log in, and click on the "Send" button. Enter the e-mail address: treasurer@mensadetroit.com , click on "Next", fill-in your payment amount, and in the "What's this for" dialogue box enter: "SEMM Zoom Presentations." Click "next", select your payment method, and click "send". Those attending the live presentation are welcome to join us for dinner at Buddy's Pizza, located at 31646 Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills, just northeast of Middlebelt Road. Those attending pay for their own food and drink.

To register, All Zoom attendees need to pre-register by clicking on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SEMM-2025-Gathering.

The Zoom room opens at 6:30 p.m. (EDT) for mingling. The program starts at 7 p.m. (EDT). For more information, contact Harley Bergr (MensaDetroit@gmail.com) and check out MensaDetroit.com.