Community development in a city like Detroit is hard work. From week to week, we still deal with the fallout of the city being ravaged by de-industrialization and job loss, the twin foreclosure crises caused by both the banks and the government, and Michigan’s well-documented “brain drain,” in which waves of college-educated residents have left the state, hollowing out important parts of our communities.
Still, Detroit is a city full of joy, pride, and hope, and we see it everyday in our work.
We see neighbors who have owned their houses for 50 years meticulously keeping up their lawns and bushes, just down the street from the vacant lots where we plan to build new homes. We see aspiring entrepreneurs faithfully attending the classes they need to solidify their business plans and get the capital to start the companies of their dreams. And we see everyday residents coming together in powerful collectives to demand fair and equitable policies from our city and state governments.
In short, any single thing that might possibly make us despair is counteracted by a slew things that inspire us to keep on building.
Ultimately, we rely on something far greater, but knowing that we’ve always been supported by our community is one of the main things that gives us hope on a daily basis.
