Week 3: Detroit Mini-Lesson

Detroit is big. And it also can be small. It’s difficult to categorize. Somehow, the city is both expansive and reachable, unknown and familiar.

One takeaway from the first few weeks which I didn’t expect to have was how different the neighborhoods of Detroit are. Writing this feels a bit naive — I’ve been to other cities and gotten a feel for a variety of neighborhoods, and I didn’t think that Detroit was the same all over — but it still rings true for me. I have been thankful for opportunities to explore multiple parts of the city through our meetings or visiting other DCERP fellows’ sites. If, for some places, only via conversation, I’m glad to be learning each day about the diversity of ethnic backgrounds, goals, buildings, and more that make up Detroit. Of course, there’s plenty I haven’t seen or heard about yet, as well, and I would like to continue to get to know Detroit by exploring (and participating in events in different areas, and reading a lot, and…) through the rest of the program.

While I have learned about Detroit’s differences, including at my site, from the handful of people I’ve welcomed to Clark Park for the first time, I’ve also learned about how interconnected the city is. I remember being thrown off when, in a conversation about the many highways that run across Detroit and especially the Southwest side, two of my coworkers said they enjoyed living by the large, sweeping roads: everything is 10 or 15 minutes from home, they laughed. But it’s not only the highways which connect people. The vast majority of people I’ve spoken with about Clark Park at Clark Park grew up in the neighborhood, and they’ll fly into a story about their neighbors, friends, and community leaders when prompted. People from outside of the neighborhood have joined in, too, more frequently reminiscing on different decades of Detroit’s history that they’ve lived through or learned about from elders.

Detroiters may not all live near each other, they may not know the name of every high school or restaurant across the city, but from what I’ve observed and heard from my experience with DCERP so far, many people from Detroit share a deep pride in their city and are quick to bond over past, present, and future versions of Detroit.