“People say Detroit is on a rebound. I vehemently disagree with that. One-third to one-half of all homes in the city have foreclosed. One in six homes don’t have water. I’ve tried to use my platform to talk about what I see happening in the neighborhoods and in the shadow of all of this money coming in.”
~ Drew Philp, author and journalist

“’Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.’ Those are the words of Frantz Fanon,” says Keesa V. Johnson (MDes ’21). “And I’m not going to betray anything.”

The scholars challenge the academy to recognize Black scholars of excellence and change the culture in ecology and evolution, in general, and for Black women, specifically.

The first phase of the project is a feasibility assessment to test technology and explore the viability of a 40+-mile driverless vehicle corridor featuring lanes that support transit and shared mobility options in addition to private vehicles between Downtown Detroit and Ann Arbor.

Tune in Thursday from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. to hear Riana Elyse Anderson, assistant professor of health behavior and health education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, talk about the National Urban League’s State of Black America report.

Survey responses indicate Detroit’s unemployment rate dropped from 48% in May and June to 38% in late July. One-quarter of Detroiters in the labor force say they remain unemployed due to layoffs and business closures resulting from the pandemic.

“The university — even though it’s nationally and internationally recognized — does have a commitment to the state and helping it improve. The university in my mind has always had a very strong commitment to public health and society.”
~ Dr. Betty Chu, MBA `13/MD `95, senior vice president, Henry Ford Health System

“We’re talking about equitable opportunities, not just equal. What we’re seeing is that after years and years of disenfranchisement… it’s not possible to give everyone the same funding and say that that’s equality because in fact many districts are so disadvantaged by the way funding has played out and by our systems that are oppressive and unjust that they need more money than other settings, and that’s what inspired me.”
~ Elizabeth Birr Moje, dean of the University of Michigan School of Education

The students worked full-time for nine weeks with a Detroit community organization on projects virtually this year. The program also includes sessions to learn about the history and impact of social justice in Detroit.