Black BOttom Athletic Club:
Origin Story
Founded by Ramsey Beard in 2019. Born and raised in Detroit, a lifelong athlete, competing in wrestling, football, basketball, baseball, track & field, boxing and jiu-jitsu. Martial arts training and competition experience in boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and kickboxing gave a safe outlet for aggression while helping to build self-confidence, increase discipline, develop character and emotional intelligence as well as making fitness a lifestyle. Now a professional pugalist, Ramsey has trained with some of the best coaches/trainers, fighters, and competitors out there. After working at a local boxing facility teaching boxing and fitness and building a following, he began working with friends and family to create a space and brand of his own and name it after the area of Detroit his family is from and is deeply and historically tied to the city; Black Bottom.
Black Bottom Athletic Club is a community of past and present athletes both professional and amateur, coaches, fans, friends and training partners. Here, we’re family and want the best for each other. We know what it takes to develop physical and mental strength. Whether you are starting from the bottom or looking to continue taking your training to the next level, we use functional training and combat sports to do just that. BBAC promotes physical activity, conflict resolution, self-defense, self-discipline, social skills, stress relief, anxiety management and much more.
The “New” Old Detroit
City History
The Black Bottom neighborhood once located on Detroit’s lower East Side — named by French settlers for its rich dark soil and later a metaphor for the opportunities for growth the city would provide. Prior to World War I, Black Bottom had become the center of Eastern European settlement in Michigan. Initially home to many immigrants of Jewish, German, Irish, and Italian descent, in the early 20th century the area would become a predominantly Black neighborhood due to the Great Migration of Blacks from the South.
Due to segregation and discriminatory laws, Black Bottom and the neighboring area, Paradise Valley, would become epicenters of Black culture, history, business and entertainment. Black Bottom was home to over 350 Black-owned businesses including hospitals and other medical facilities, social institutions, law offices, hotels, restaurants and night clubs by the 1930’s. It was also home to 2 Boxing greats, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson. Gaining national fame for becoming an entertainment center, the area would be praised as an example of integration between races & nationalities. Unfortunately that would be followed by periods of civil unrest and heightened racial tensions across the country.
Photo courtesy of “Environmental History in Detroit”, University of Michigan.
A housing crisis caused by a population boom peaking at nearly 1.8 million led to City officials’ plan to develop the area as well as address the substandard, cramped living conditions of a majority of the homes, which were often below adequate kitchen and bathroom facility standards. The areas would soon be targeted for demolition and renovation in the 1950’s as programs were passed such as Urban Renewal, the National Housing Act and the National Highway Act.
With only memories of the once bustling neighborhood of Detroit remaining, and now covered by the Chrysler Freeway and Lafayette Park, Black Bottom’s historical significance is known to only few young Detroiters but surely left a legacy that can still be traced to many areas and families in Detroit today.