Week Four: Culture – Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program

Week Four: Culture

Moving from a suburban, middle-class town, to an urban setting like Detroit has been quite the cultural shift. In terms of culture at my workplace, the residents at the Villages at Parkside are predominantly African American and are a range of ages, from infants to the elderly. This is quite different from the neighborhood I grew up in, where the majority of residents were middle-aged families with children. It’s been really refreshing seeing Parkside residents of all ages mingling with one another. I touched on this in my last post, but the Parkside community feels incredibly close-knit despite the variations in age.

In terms of Detroit, the culture is not only different from that of what I’m used to back home, but it also feels like there’s more of it. My hometown feels pretty homogenous, and for the most part, lacks all that comes along with a culturally diverse area. In Detroit, you can travel a few miles in any which way and experience the Irish ties of Corktown, Polish bakeries in Hamtramck, and authentic food in Mexicantown or Greektown.

2 thoughts on “Week Four: Culture”

  1. Hi Sierra,

    I identify with your post. I also came from an older predominantly white neighborhood and have noticed how homogenous it is. I feel there is so much more diversity and culture here in the city. I feel that this is really lacking where I’m from. I appreciate the variety and difference in the city and how much more close knit everyone is here. I’m glad I’m getting to experience this through the program.

    Best,
    Kyle

  2. Hey Sierra,

    I’ve been feeling this way a bit too, that there are just so many different cultures in Detroit! It has been very cool to see how all of these different cultures coexist together and there is definitely a level of respect and admiration for each other that I didn’t anticipate. Not in the sense that I thought there would be animosity just in the sense that I underestimated how normal it is here for there to be so many cultures. I also come from a pretty homogenous community and even at a place like UM where there is an emphasis on diversity it can at times feel pretty homogenous, so it is eye-opening to work within Detroit.

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