Week Two: Soulardarity

My community placement is with a non-profit in Highland Park called Soulardarity. To give some context, Highland Park is a small city bordering Detroit to the northwest with a population of roughly 10,000. Highland Park is often lumped together under the name of Detroit, but it does have its own historical significance and unique characteristics (first moving assembly line plant was built here!).

Moving on, Soulardarity is an organization that was founded in 2011 after DTE repossessed 1400 streetlights in Highland Park, replacing about 300, but leaving most of the city in complete darkness at night. This repossession initially led the residents to push for the installment of a few solar streetlights, but the organization as a whole has expanded to pursue the goal of achieving energy democracy for Highland Park. This can be done in a variety of ways, but it overall aims to grant better representation of HP residents when negotiating and determining the energy that powers their city. This includes fighting for more options for renewable energy sources, lower energy rates, increased options for community-based energy systems (community solar, microgrids), etc.

As their research intern this summer, I will be helping Soulardarity research and build a Blueprint for Energy Democracy that can then be used as a basic guideline for policymakers for what Soulardarity and the residents of Highland Park hope to see change in the realm of energy and representation.

Reflecting on my first two weeks at Soulardarity and in Detroit in general, I can confidently say that this experience is going to be very informative and eye-opening. I am very excited to continue learning about how these kinds of policy changes occur at a local level, but I want to continue to be very mindful that the city of Highland Park has existed well before my arrival and that whatever good I can do for this city is only meaningful if the residents of Highland Park determine it is.