From the 1920s to the 1970s, the majority of African American residents of Elkhart, Indiana, made their home in a socially and institutionally segregated part of the city known to many there as "the village." Residents built and rented homes, started their own cottage industries and businesses, gathered at churches and clubs, engaged in political organizing, and fostered community in the face of racism and other hardships. In the 1970s, the city demolished the Benham West neighborhood in the name of "urban renewal." Yet, development never came, and the area remained largely untouched.

What Happened at Benham West: African American Stories of Community, Displacement, and Hope tells this story of closeness, loss, and desires for the future through the voices of seventeen local elders. Historical essays by Jamie Pitts add national and regional context to their reflections, while an afterword by Nekeisha Alayna Alexis makes a powerful case for repairing the harm.