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.

As COVID-19  swept across the city of Detroit, it brought with it a wave of food insecurity, particularly among low-income residents and seniors who rely on public transportation and can only afford to buy small amounts of food at a time. Now, a U-M research team has stepped in to help identify solutions. 

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.