“It’s not always about the physical. It’s entirely possible to be present and still feel, in a place that you could once claim as your own, completely disregarded and unwelcomed.”
That quote is from an opinion piece on Model D by Lauren Hood ’03, ’12, acting director of the Detroit Mercy-sponsored Live6 Alliance. In it, she calls for a commitment from the people participating in Detroit’s renaissance to preserving and maintaining the integrity of the city’s African-American neighborhoods.
“We have yet to hear the story of a revitalized Detroit neighborhood where those shaping the vision, leading the work, and benefiting from the changes are black. Many of the programs created to stimulate development are designed to benefit these newcomers. It may not be intentional, but when your program requires a certain credit score, a certain level of educational attainment, a certain level of income, or the knowledge that such programs even exist, the program becomes inaccessible to the majority population in the city. Namely, black folks.
In this, the blackest big city in America.”
Click here to read the whole column.
