As a new pastor Charles Williams III made sure to connect Historic King Solomon Baptist Church to its social service roots. He established a food pantry at the church, clothing giveaways, Thanksgiving meals and youth mentoring services. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Michigan in March 2020, Williams was ready to do more.

“There are at least opportunities to meet one another, collaborate with one another, advise larger groups of people who are doing engagement, and who are working in Detroit, and who are thinking about working in Detroit. It doesn’t have to be everybody starting from scratch completely every time. It’s not perfect yet but it’s better than it was, and I think people are communicating.”
~ Trina Shanks, social work professor

Hosted by Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, ENGAGE Program Manager and adjunct lecturer, the discussions focus on equity issues in Detroit and movements for social change in the city. They are free and open to the public and have featured speakers including thought leader and scholar Tawana Petty; Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib; lawyer and activist Deepa Iyer, among other prominent activists, scholars, and community leaders. 

The classes are offered by the Silver Center, a virtual senior center that offers enrichment and educational programs via phone to help adults 60 years old or older stay connected. While the program started before the pandemic, organizers hope it will mitigate some of the negative health and social impacts caused by social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Amy Good’s work with Alternatives For Girls was inspired by a challenge she received from professor emerita Rosemary Sarri as she neared graduation from U-M’s School of Social Work. “She said, ‘Do something hard, and build something that wasn’t there before,” Good said. 

As Amy Good neared graduation from the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work, Professor Rosemary Saari gave her a challenge. “She said, ‘Do something hard, and build something that wasn’t there before,” Good says.

The Technical Assistance Center (TAC) is dedicated to establishing and promoting socially just communities, and deploys its interventions to support Detroit residents and stakeholders as they work to strengthen and improve their neighborhoods.