Criminal

Black and white illustration of many white pieces of paper with three-digit numbers on them floating through the air.

The Numbers

Episode #362

2026-04-24 05:00:12

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When Fannie Davis and her family moved to Detroit in the mid-1950s, they hadn’t prepared themselves for how hard it would be. They had trouble finding steady work. So, Fannie found a way to take care of her family. She started small, but built a robust and lucrative operation… a business that a lot of people knew about but no one talked about.

Bridgett Davis’ book is The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers.

This episode was originally released in 2019.