Sagliano Micca, Italy. Paradise Valley, Nevada Folklife Collection

Hometown of the Peraldo Family in the Italian Alps; from the Collection of Louis Peraldo
People in photograph: Peraldo, Louis

The Paradise Valley Folklife Project was a cultural documentation project undertaken by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in the 1970s. The project focused on the African American community of Paradise Valley, a neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, that was a center of black culture and business in the mid-20th century.

The project sought to document the oral histories, music, and cultural practices of the community, with the goal of preserving and sharing this cultural heritage with future generations. The project was led by folklorist Marsha J. Bonner, who conducted interviews with residents of Paradise Valley and recorded their stories and songs.

The resulting collection includes over 100 hours of audio recordings, as well as photographs and other materials. The collection is housed at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and is available for research and study.