From working with my community organization to talking with other DCERP fellows about their projects, I feel like I’ve learned (and am still learning) so much about Detroit, its rich history, its vibrant communities, and the countless organizations working within the city. As someone who is not from Michigan, I’ve already begun realizing how skewed the portrayal of Detroit is (or often seems to be) in the prominent sections of media and from how other people, who are not from Detroit, often only focus on the negative aspects when discussing this city. From Jillian’s guest lecture on Tuesday, I thought the asset-focused approach to engaging with communities was something that was very insightful and important. It’s often easy to slip into focusing on “problems” and trying to “solve” those problems, but working with the community and thinking about the positive assets to draw upon when approaching any community-centered work is key.
Even though my work right now mostly is in the initial stages of mapping out the locations where the farmstead sites would be located, I’ve had the chance to meet members of the community through the weekly Friday farmer markets in front of my site. Getting to speak with them or simply just listen to everyone catch up with each other is always a fun experience (in terms of just getting to meet new people!). As my project progresses, I’ll also be directly interacting with people from other nonprofits and organizations, along with speaking with a large number of neighborhood residents, so I’m very excited about those latter stages.
I feel like while I have a stronger grasp of the issues I’m working towards alleviating in my project in Brightmoor, I’ve increasingly realized how valuable, and wonderful, it is to learn from other community members. And, through these conversations, take the next step and be willing to adapt personal goals and research based on those experiences.
Hi Jessica, I agree with your commentary about Detroit. Even as a local Michigander, the portrayal of this city has always been negative throughout the media. I’m glad that you seem to be getting a better grasp on things and am excited to learn about what your next experiences with Detroit will be!
Definitely agree that the portrayal of Detroit has been skewed! Visiting other fellows’ projects really shows that the city is more than “poor crime” and “rich downtown.” There’s a lot of community which has taken over the services the city has neglected, to the point where the areas seen as “bad” by the popular narrative seem to be better and more fulfilling neighborhoods than downtown.
Hi Jessica! I’m glad you’ve had some chances to speak with members of the Brightmoor community through your project. I completely agree with you that learning from the people in the community is very valuable and engaging – they know so much more about the history and culture of their neighborhood than someone from outside it ever could.
Hey Jessica! I liked this post a lot- it sums up many of the same feelings I’ve experienced the past few weeks too (kind of crazy to think that my take on Detroit was also skewed by the media even though I was so close geographically…). I also agreed with you & the commenters on your post in considering the community perspectives. I think it’s really special to hear people talk about the places of their childhood or work because it can help us paint a different picture of Detroit and our neighborhoods in our minds. Last week, my mentor talked to me about how she used to use the streetcars to get from Northeast Detroit to downtown and back. She emphasized the point of how professional and reliable they were, and through this small point I could detect some pride she felt in her city (and it was a little contagious!).