First Week in Detroit: What is Community?

Howdy y’all, I’m Keegan. I’m a first-gen college student from Grand Rapids.  I’m studying sociology with a law, justice, and social change sub-major and minors in history and American culture. I’ve also enjoyed working with policy research groups like Poverty Solutions and CHEAR on research related to police reform, poverty, distanced learning, and racial equity. 

To me, community is about recognizing commonalities, celebrating differences, and building trust with those you do life with. Furthermore, community doesn’t just happen, it takes effort to build, curate, and participate in. I’ve found that approaching social interactions with respect and a willingness to engage leads to a wealth of valuable relationships. Public spaces are alos important as a foundation on which communities are built. Places like that park that you all meet up at or thatTo me, community is about recognizing commonalities, celebrating differences, and building trust with those you do life with. Furthermore, community doesn’t just happen, it takes effort to build, curate, and participate in. I’ve found that approaching social interactions with respect and a willingness to engage leads to a wealth of valuable relationships. Public spaces are alos important as a foundation on which communities are built. Places like that park that you all meet up at or that one hole-in-the-wall restaurant that only your neighborhood knows about make building those relationships that much easier. The community I’ve come to know in Grand Rapids is very much a part of what I found interesting about Detroit. I love living in an, admittedly not huge, city. I’m proud to know my hometown like I do. I am eager to learn as much as I can about Detroit and the east side of the state in the hopes that I can get a glimpse of what makes this community so special.