The office I work in has a large amount of diversity in it. We collaborate with a lot of other organizations in the city and most of our meetings are here so people come in from Southwest, Midtown and District Three. Working with everyone all over the city, it has become clear that there is not a broad description of culture for Detroit, and can only be described as microcosms of influence. It is not hard to appreciate any of them though and it makes biking and walking through the city interesting because there are so many unique areas to see. District Three has a heavily underrepresented community and a lot of low income housing which unfortunately brings in a lot of homogenous business. We went to Hamtramck last week and saw the heavily Middle Eastern Community and it was nice to see that there was a lot of activity downtown and a comparatively vibrant neighborhood. Downtown brings in a lot of people from the suburbs and has a lot more interesting neighborhoods with unique restaurants and small businesses. Then Southwest has a heavily hispanic community that mixes with a lot of large industry. Going to all of these areas, it is pretty easy what sort of financial and cultural situation you are going to encounter and understanding that allows you to more fully appreciate it. I have tried to make a point of experiencing the different types of food and cultures available but also recognizing that they are not my cultures and I should not be trying to change them, just serve the needs of my non profit which more accurately reflects and understands what the community needs. It is ironic that Detroit is such a diverse city but at the same time such a divided community. It makes sense though people group together based on similar upbringings and experiences and it has been very enjoyable getting to explore the city and seeing what those experiences manifest as in the city.
