Working in city government and reflecting on the gentrification of Detroit, I was really struck by the way the book enumerated the many ways that private industry and individuals have had so much control over the way that the City of Detroit is run. I had been able to sense an almost imperceptible kind of disempowerment in dealing with private industry through our efforts in the government, but it was in reading this section of the book that I realized that much of the “local partnerships” that we were seeing throughout the city were really bi-products of the investment and subsequent control of the city held by powerful and wealthy groups. I am proud of the way that my arm of the city government: the office of civil rights, inclusion, and opportunity works to address those disparities by engaging small, black, and female-owned businesses in support services.
I am excited to engage with more work in that area in the coming weeks!
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I am also so excited to engage with more work in my area. I cannot believe we are almost at the half way mark. Time has gone by so quickly!