This weekend I went to an event at the Wayne State Law School hosted by a Detroit high school group. One of the purposes of the event was to discuss different social issues impacting the Detroit community. Various teenagers gave personal testimonials about how topics such as housing, transportation, and police response time impact their personal […]

According to Google, intersectionality is described as “a concept often used in critical theories to describe the ways in which oppressive institutions (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, classism, etc.) are interconnected and cannot be examined separately from one another.” Although I’ve done the social identity activity many times before, participating it again today really

True transparency in government is something commonly strived toward, yet rarely accomplished. It is a desirable characteristic as it keeps government officials honest and open about their intentions. For these reasons, politicians at all levels tend to work pieces about administrative transparency into the focus areas of their campaigns. Although I have only been at my

Last weekend, I attended a community organizing training at my worksite (DHDC), and I learned a lot more about the issues in Southwest Detroit and within the Hispanic population of Michigan. These issues include: Safety: lack of police participation, crime Gentrification Education, problems in both the charter and public schools Wages for immigrant workers, exploited

Although the Summer In The City Program has not officially started, I have been going to Clark Park recently to observe the community and the activities that occur in that area. I have also been receiving feedback from fellow members on my team about reactions from the children, parents, and advisors from the schools they

Being back in Detroit feels great. Every assignment I am doing, from handing out flyers to conducting research,  I feel as if I am playing my part to help my organization help Detroit. My organization strives to restore northeast Detroit through affordable housing, business retention, beautification and block club formation. Day to day we put

I’m learning a lot on the job and by visiting Detroit for seminars and group meetings. My organization, the Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office (SEMREO), also works very closely with Metro Matters. I’ve noticed that everyone here is collaborative and supportive. Each week the team affords the opportunity to have an “All-Hands,” so that a

If there is anything I’ve learned about working at Nortown CDC so far, it’s that no two days are alike in the world of community development. One day you’re having a meeting with your councilman from District 3 about the Norris House restoration project, the next you’re working with Greening of Detroit to figure out

As the days continue to trickle on by, and simple tasks start to become daily routines, interesting events have started to grab my attention. Overall, SDEV is an awesome place the puts forth the community and its own resident at the forefront of their mission statement. As a direct result of this, all of workers

In the two and a half weeks I’ve been with Detroit Future City, I learned that the office is pretty understaffed. Everyone there is incredibly smart, dedicated, and more than capable, but I have begun to notice the long hours everyone puts in. The ten people who make up the Detroit Future City implementation office