The Names Before Us

Before the Bishops, before the debts, before power became control-there were families building something together.When an old box of photographs, deeds, letters, and forgotten names is discovered in Detroit, Maya Bashier begins uncovering a history far bigger than anyone expected. The trail connects the Lamar, Collins, Reed, and Bashier families to a forgotten era of Black ownership, entrepreneurship, sacrifice, and community wealth.But history isn't only about what was lost. It's about understanding what was built-and why remembering it matters now.As generations come together to uncover the people behind the names, they discover a powerful truth: The Bishops didn't build the network. They inherited the roads.The Names Before Us is a story of family, Black history, generational wealth, discovery, and the extraordinary lives hidden inside ordinary family photographs.Before you decide where you're going, you may need to discover who came before you.