When we think of legacy, we tend to lean into the idea it’s something material—money, an heirloom or property—passed down by blood or guardian, but it’s more. It can also be the history and importance of a place, what that place produced and how that place is represented in the world through what it helped create. And it can be, and often is, an educational institution. There is such a place in Detroit, Michigan, and it’s called Cass Technical High School.

First, let’s talk about Detroit for a minute, or ‘day-twa’ as some fancy people like to call it. Most of us know this city for two things, automobiles and Motown Records. Over the past several decades we’ve also learned of its economic, demographic and social decline, systemic racist practices, and relegation to what some call a ghost town.  But despite the residential segregation and social isolation of redlining, the loss of the automotive industry, riots, violent crime, population decline, and Motown’s move to Los Angeles, one thing remained constant and consistent in the work of producing the best and the brightest. That is Cass Technical High School.

So, here’s the story…

I’ll start with a confession. I believe every Black, talented person who’s toe ever touched Detroit soil went to Cass Technical High School. Of course, that’s not true, but I’m owning up to the bias I hold because some of my highly creative friends and acquaintances walked those halls, and later, those of iconic institutions within their fields.

The high school founded early in the twentieth century, and affectionately known as Cass Tech, remains one of the most distinguished high schools in Detroit and  counts Hollywood Walk of Famers, journalists, politicians, television personalities, Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Famers, hip hop and renowned jazz artists, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellows, Grammy, Soul Train, Tony, Emmy, National Association of Black Journalists and NAACP Image award winners, and two Miss USA title holders among its alumni.

According to the Cass Tech website the school is a city-wide, college-preparatory, examination-entry school of choice, with a 97 percent graduation rate, located in the heart of Detroit within walking distance of the city’s sports and entertainment venues, which currently serves over 2400 students in grades 9–12. The demographic is 85% African American with a diverse population of students of Bengali, Hispanic/Latino, Arabic, Asian, and Caucasian descent. 

One of the interesting historical details about Cass Tech, and what has significantly contributed to the success of its students, is how it has moved with the rhythm of society. When airplanes became a big deal, aeronautics was added to the curriculum; and when moon landing was on the horizon Cass Tech offered astronautics. In 1962 the school was offering twenty-three technical curricula. While enrollment in other schools was dictated by geography, achievement based on test scores, was the driving force for acceptance into Cass Tech; and students from all over the city walked through its doors daily.

Cass Tech sounds fantastic on paper, with Dianna Ross, Tracy Reese, Ron Carter, Big Sean and David Allen Greer among its alumni, but I wanted to hear about the school from those I know, so I spoke with artist Glenn Tunstull,  fashion designer Shawna McGee and creative director Max Wilson.  Here’s what they had to say.

Glenn Tunstull Fine Artist, Fashion Illustrator, Educator and Publisher

“For an ambitious 15-year-old entry into the highly regarded Cass Technical High School was like being tossed a life raft, wrapped in creativity. Cass Tech demanded foundational trainings that broached every visual discipline imaginable, firmly rooting me as a competitive artist in its eight-story factory of imagination. Whatever skills we possessed going into the school were vastly revamped and expanded as a matter of course. Once I walked into my fashion illustration teacher Edith Obel’s classroom my skill set changed dramatically. By her teaching I began to see the figure differently and learned all the basics.

The Arts curriculum was extolled as being one of the best in the country, but we also took demanding science, math, English and history courses, providing a well-rounded education. Cass Tech students often went directly into the professional world, bypassing the need for advanced education. Personal proof of the effectiveness of Cass’ training was my elevation to “high skill” status in my first year at Parsons School of Design.” 

Instagram | Facebook | Website

Shawna McGee Fashion Designer, Illustrator, Educator

“Cass Tech and my fashion design teacher, Cledie Taylor, changed my life! Before going to Cass Tech I didn’t know there was such a thing as a fashion designer, and especially a black one.  But through Ms. Taylor I learned about Stephen Burrows and Willi Smith. Without the education I received there I would not have the career I have today.

The teachers prepared me and my classmates so well that several of us earned scholarships to Parsons School of Design, which then led me to working on Seventh Avenue for many leading brands, including Anne Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Adrienne Vittadini. I am forever grateful for what I call the incubator years, from a

public school no less. And this is why I teach!”

Instagram | Facebook | Website

Max Wilson Creative Director, Fashion Consultant, Educator

“Going to Cass Tech literally changed my life. I started studying fashion design in the tenth grade with the amazing Cledie Taylor as my teacher. Under her instruction I was transported into the world of fashion every day. I loved going to school just for her class! Where else could I look at Vogue as part of my class assignment?  We also looked at WWD every day. I was so inspired by everything I saw, and I soaked it up like a sponge. We had an inside track into the fashion world with Cledie.  With everything she taught us we were really groomed for college and life in New York. We also went on class trips to Parsons in New York, which was incredibly exciting for a 15-year-old from Detroit.

At Cass, fashion design and all the other art classes more than prepared us for Parsons, which recruited us. Their admissions counselors came to Cass and reviewed our portfolios. When I got accepted, I was so happy! Cass Tech was a very special school. It nurtured talent in so many ways with so many great teachers and classes, it was really like a college prep program.

Instagram | Facebook | Website

What these alumni had to say about their alma mater is further proven by the school’s stunning acknowledgements from the education community, media and corporate industry. Cass Tech has received an A rating from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, has had the distinction of being an MDE Reward School for three consecutive years, was awarded Best High Schools Bronze Medalist by US News & World Report, and was a five-time recipient of the Best High School award by the Ford Neighborhood Awards.  Cass Tech is one of only 37 high schools in Michigan offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme which prepares students for academic success at the college level.

Alumni Activity

In the fall of 2017, the Carr Center presented the Detroit Diaspora Exhibition, co-curated by Cass Technical High School graduate and Carr Center Resident Artist, Michael Kelly Williams, and Dr. Cledie Taylor, mentioned here earlier by alumni Shawna McGee and Max Wilson.  The exhibit featured Detroit natives who are now making art all over the world: Lisa Bradley, Amir Bey, Glenn Tunstull, Omo Misha, Garry Grant and Melvin Clark.  In 2020, alumna Loni Love, the Emmy and two-time NAACP Image Award winning talk show host, served as the school’s virtual commencement speaker. Given the breadth of Cass Tech graduates there’s no question one will show up everywhere we look, as the alumni continue to extend the school’s legacy.

With all its provenance and pride there is a blemish. The school is originally named for Lewis Cass the second territorial governor of Michigan, a U.S. senator, the U.S. Secretary of State, President Andrew Jackson’s Secretary of War and a slave owner.  He also enforced the horrific Indian Removal Act. While he is long gone, Cass Tech is still producing the cream of the crop across numerous industries and creative fields, and they are, and always will be, the true carriers of Cass Technical High School’s legacy.

Opening Image: Original Cass Technical High School 1922/Detroit Historical Society

© Jelani Bandele 2022