Suddenly his idyllic safe haven was a soul-crushing prison. Visceral memories of crime, poverty, injustice, and interactions with Detroit police resurfaced with a vengeance. Ward stopped sleeping. He cried in therapy. He refused to watch the Floyd video.

The Sojourner Truth Fellowship engages scholars and practitioners who can bring rigorous attention to issues of race and ethnicity as they relate to the theory and practice of urban and regional planning.

Survey results suggest that many families are struggling with rising costs and food shortages. Sixty-five percent of Detroit households report spending more at the grocery store in the last month, while 71% of those who report not having enough to eat in the past week point to the prohibitively high cost of food as a cause of their insecurity.

The change takes effect in September, but applications are due June 30. With the transition to the hot desk assignment there will be no pre-assigned spaces for residents. This alternative seating plan offers residents and users the ability to secure a workstation via the room scheduling system.

Modeled after a design studio, small teams of students will work with a portfolio of business owners within certain industry sectors to identify immediate needs and develop solutions. This approach should allow students to perform substantive work without overly burdening business owners who may be in crisis.

Students in the two-week program will get instruction and also wrap-around services, such as college application workshops, and writing workshops, mentored by U-M students, professional engineers, and U-M alumni.

Now as a mentor in the optiMize program himself, Shafiul Alam appreciates the effort and personal investment mentors had with students during his fellowship.

Going forward, the leadership team hopes to introduce an online summer program. They plan to debut their program July 6. Their goal will be to help students retain and strengthen math and reading skills to foster a strong start to the upcoming school year. 

Keirra Scott believes that becoming politically involved leads to the policy changes that build pathways to dismantle cycles of poverty and promote generational wealth within the city. “That’s what I’m fighting for.”