The people of Detroit are poised to make Detroit better than ever. As the country’s largest majority Black city, having put the country on wheels, created a strong Black middle class, built beautiful homes, and boasted impressive home ownership rates, this can be a place every Black family in America looks to as home, directing new investment, influence, work ethic, artistry, and love to our continued growth. This is particularly significant in a time when, while racism is confronted on a national level, more work is required to address corporate agendas and policy biases that result in poverty, violence, and mental health issues within local Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities across the country. With your support, we will make Detroit a global model for equitable cities. We will make Detroit home again.

The Not So Distant Past…

We’ve seen in our own lifetime Detroit’s capacity for greatness. Many of us grew up on streets with other families we knew well. The homes were occupied and largely well-kept. We walked to schools in our neighborhoods from k to 12, keeping connected with a cohort of friendships that could last a lifetime. There were clean parks, athletic leagues, and swim- and play mobiles sponsored by the DPD that showed up on our blocks on summer days to occupy youth and support hyper local community organizing efforts. The alleys were clean and kept. The trash was picked up on time. Parents could set curfew with the streetlights because they were sure to come on. And we knew officers who patrolled our neighborhoods by name. There was an array of Black-owned shops along our corridors. They ranged in services from selling candy, serving ice cream, making keys, repairing automobiles, to an assortment of other offerings. Back then, Belle Isle was a prized jewel. The city’s revenue was positive. We boasted a solvent school district and a robust water department that was the envy of the country. A one-sided corporate agenda and complicit leadership stripped all of that from us. But we can regain it all and more.

The Way Forward…

We need only elect people who are committed to our interests. It’s not enough to have representatives who hold community meetings, show up to our events, and return our calls. The incumbent councilperson is pretty good at that, when what we actually need is a representative to champion and vote for programs and policies that support our best interests. D1, over the past 12 years, we have lost our city’s assets; lost our homes; and seen crime, dumping, and dangerous driving increase in the neighborhoods as a result of policies that have crippled our local economy and completely marginalized our youth. It’s time for a change. Make Detroit Home Again.