June 2015

The last three weeks have left me feeling very sponge-like…here to absorb anything and everything that I come in contact with. Today I got the opportunity to observe an informal conversation between Mayor Mike Duggan and members of the community. Every Friday, the Green Garage hosts a community lunch where members of the community are […]

I love my placement thus far! Everyone here is super helpful, and great to be around. Metro Matters has an very casual and open environment, which makes for a comfortable workplace. At my organization there are only 5 full time employees, and 3 interns, so there are really great relationships between the staff. We have

This photo is a moment from the hearing on issues of water affordability and water crisis in the capital of Michigan. Community members share stories of life with contaminated water, unaffordable water service, and life without water with State Representatives. Blackness and the systemic and multifaceted erasure and plunder of black bodies is so ever

Lately, I have been working in different buildings of Focus: HOPE and gotten more opportunities to walk in the community. I have been assigned to sit at a different office for three days of this week. As I am sitting in that office, I came to the realization that I have  continually underestimated the size of Focus HOPE.

One observation that stands out above all is a sense of community within Detroit. Since my start at Detroit Food Academy, I have attended several nonprofit organization meetings that discussed ways to better the education system and strengthen the community. Apparently, these meetings are held all over Detroit and are perfect for networking. As a

This weekend I went to an event at the Wayne State Law School hosted by a Detroit high school group. One of the purposes of the event was to discuss different social issues impacting the Detroit community. Various teenagers gave personal testimonials about how topics such as housing, transportation, and police response time impact their personal

According to Google, intersectionality is described as “a concept often used in critical theories to describe the ways in which oppressive institutions (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, classism, etc.) are interconnected and cannot be examined separately from one another.” Although I’ve done the social identity activity many times before, participating it again today really

True transparency in government is something commonly strived toward, yet rarely accomplished. It is a desirable characteristic as it keeps government officials honest and open about their intentions. For these reasons, politicians at all levels tend to work pieces about administrative transparency into the focus areas of their campaigns. Although I have only been at my

Last weekend, I attended a community organizing training at my worksite (DHDC), and I learned a lot more about the issues in Southwest Detroit and within the Hispanic population of Michigan. These issues include: Safety: lack of police participation, crime Gentrification Education, problems in both the charter and public schools Wages for immigrant workers, exploited

Although the Summer In The City Program has not officially started, I have been going to Clark Park recently to observe the community and the activities that occur in that area. I have also been receiving feedback from fellow members on my team about reactions from the children, parents, and advisors from the schools they