I will be spending the duration of my time as a DCERP fellow working with Dream of Detroit. This organization aims to empower its local neighborhood by rehabilitating houses, hosting training sessions for entrepreneurs, organizing community events, and more. One of the ways that Dream of Detroit uplifts its community is through the creation of the DREAM Storytelling Project, which is what I will be working on this summer. The DREAM Storytelling Project is an initiative focused on sharing and preserving the stories of the Detroit-based Black Muslim community leadership through an interactive multi‐media website, short documentary film, publications, and a publicly accessible searchable archive. I serve as the director, videographer, and editor of these interviews filmed at the Muslim Center.
The DCERP program has introduced me to a community of students who enjoy uplifting their communities. I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know these students, especially those who are in my learning group. Ray, Ataia, Abby, and I all have different goals that we are responsible for pursuing at our respective organizations. Hearing about the various ways in which they work to empower their communities is particularly inspiring, because it reminds me that there is a variety of ways in which I can help others.