BLAC Detroit Magazine September 2020

FRIEND OR TREND? Part II of our ‘Evolution’ series explores white allyship

FOXY FUNKY COOL Conjuring the sexy

sophistication of the ’70s

with 12 pages of fall fashion

IMMUNE HEALTH Strengthening our bodies’ defenses from the inside

INSIDE

SEPTEMBER 2020

24

6 7

Online at BLACdetroit.com Letters from the editor and publisher

FEATURES 24

FRIEND OR TREND? Part II of our ‘Evolution’ series explores white allyship

28

MUSIC MATTERS Local musicians and venues weather the COVID-19 shutdown storm

32

FALL FASHION 12 pages of ’70s-inspired looks

DEPARTMENTS 12

DISCOVER Immune-boosting tips, an online database for child care providers, art and science meet in a new exhibit, and more

16

APPRAISED Désirée Kelly’s work blends genres for a one-of-a-kind style

19

NATIVE Sherri Ann Charleston settles in as Harvard's new diversity and inclusion officer

20

POP ART New department dedicated to recently released books, film and TV

23

DETROIT PROPER Racism is on the syllabus in Grosse Pointe schools

46

ACCESS Your need-to-know rules of engagement by venue type

48

SEEN Catching air at Riverside Skatepark

SPONSORED 10

ISAIAH OLIVER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER FLINT

27

WHY IS MAINTAINING A HEALTHY WEIGHT AN IMPORTANT DEFENSE AGAINST COVID?

ON THE COVER: Lauren Woodson, @accesslauren, RGA Model Management. Photo taken by Lauren Jeziorski, @laurenjeziorski, at Detroit Shipping Company, 474 Peterboro St., Detroit.

D LIFE

BLACdetroit.com

Online in September Visit BLACdetroit.com for web exclusives and to stay up on what’s happening in Black Detroit

Opinion Piece Aaron Foley chats with Oakland County Executive David Coulter about diversity

Trial Run From concept to creation, demystifying the vaccine production process

Get BLAC Mail Sign up for our weekly newsletter at BLACdetroit.com/BLACmail.

Housing Crisis Stimulus payments have ceased and eviction processes have

resumed, so now what?

SEEN Galleries Check out the full digital gallery.

Did we spot you?

Fb.com/BLACdetroitMagazine

6 BLAC • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

@BLACMagazine

@BLACdetroitMag

D LIFE

PUBLISHER‘S LETTER

“We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.’’

– Max De Pree

T

he winds of change are inevitable, and change comes in many forms. For some, it may be a change in relationship status to “it’s complicated,” and for others the loss of a friend or loved one. Seasons change, people change, financial circumstances change. Change is ever constant – but so is our ability to react to change.

Often, we choose to react with fear. We worry about what may happen. There are so many what ifs. What if I fail? What if the worst happens? Fear can be surmised as an acronym: False. Expectations. Appearing. Real. We cannot predict the future; however, we can learn from the past. We can’t worry our way into change, we can only embrace it. Knowing that it will always come like a whirlwind to disrupt, change and alter our current scenario. Personally, I choose to embrace change – to take it head on, to understand it.

Four months ago, I never would have predicted that there would be a global pandemic followed by the global recognition that Black Lives matter.

I couldn’t have predicted where the discussions that I would have with friends, family and colleagues related to my experiences as a Black Man in America would lead. Many of these conversations were genuine, while some led to the end of long-term friendships.

It seems that we live in a world where friendships are difficult to maintain if we don’t have one commonality: empathy. The understanding that my life is not yours, as yours is not mine. Specifi-

Photo by Lauren Jeziorski

cally, my experience has shaped how I interact and react to the world around me. As does yours.

So why can’t we accept and be empathetic of one another?

We are living in a time of seismic change. We now realize who is willing to have a meaningful dialogue about the current state of affairs versus who is solidly stuck in their own mindset.

It doesn’t mean people can’t change; it simply means that they can’t change right now. Our worldview is based on what we know, and until we know better, we can’t do better.

This month, you’ll see more of the incremental changes in BLAC that we promised back in April.

We are excited about the future of BLAC and remain committed to bringing the stories that matter to Black life, arts and culture to the masses.

We want to be inclusive and have those difficult conversations that are the catalyst for change.

Like family, we may not always be on the same page, but we are willing to come to the table for a healthy dialogue. My hope is that you are willing to do the same. So, let’s start talking.

Billy Strawter Jr. CEO and Publisher

BLACdetroit.com • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLAC 7

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CEO/Publisher: Billy Strawter Jr. EDITORIAL Senior Editor: Paris Giles Contributing Editor: Jackie Jones Copy Editor: Kim Kovelle Contributors: Kaye Byrd, Desiree Cooper, Sydney Kispert-Bostick, Sherri Kolade, Nick Pizana, Arianna Smith DESIGN Creative Director: Kelly Buren Senior Graphic Designer: Lindsey Lawson Photographer: Lauren Jeziorski

CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION SUPPORT MILO DETROIT, INC. Chief Creative Officer: Mark Simon Creative Director: Doug Blanchard Director Of Content: Jeremy Smith Digital Creator: Tanjae Chairse Production/Advertising Operations: Christine Lasalle SALES Director Of Sales: Samantha Alessandri PARTNERSHIPS Partnership/Events Coordinator: Ebony Jones CIRCULATION Distribution Coordinator: Meaghan Smith ADMINISTRATION Director Of Business Operations: Victoria Webb Accounting Associate: Judy Stewart PRINTER LSC Communications

CONTACT US

6200 SECOND AVE., DETROIT, MI 48202 313-312-1611 PUBLISHER: publisher@BLACdetroit.com SALES: advertise@BLACdetroit.com DESIGN: design@BLACdetroit.com EDITORIAL: editor@BLACdetroit.com CALENDAR: calendar@BLACdetroit.com DISTRIBUTION: distribution@BLACdetroit.com BLAC Detroit magazine is published 12 times a year. ©2020

by BLAC INC. All rights reserved. Any reproduction in whole or part without the express written consent of BLAC magazine is prohibited.

EDITOR'S LETTER

Armed with Style “Fashion changes, but style endures.” – Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

I

“ miss real clothes!” This is what I inevitably screech whenever I find myself involved in a quarantine-related conversation. I’m two Monday-night grocery store trips away from stomping down the dairy aisle in five-inch heels and a red lip. Never mind that leggings and billowing T-shirts make it far too easy to ignore that you’ve developed a cheesecake and pinot habit. The first pair of jeans I tried on after months of vegetation took more than a hop, skip and a jump to pull up. And so, Beyoncé, I feel your pain.

Maybe fashion feels frivolous in the wake of all that’s happened over the last six months.

But we’re inspired by the way pulling a favorite dress over your head can massage your mood, pull you back from the malaise and remind you of who you are. Or perhaps, you’d like to be someone else altogether today. Fashion says, as you wish. We couldn’t think of a more fitting time to recall the power of fashion and the power of feeling good.

As we look ahead to a new season (actually and metaphorically), let’s also peer back in time. Flip through our noticeably more robust issue and discover 12 pages of fall looks that evoke the funk and foxiness of the 1970s (Page 32). Was there a decade that better combined sophistication and cool? We’ll wait. Of course, we’ve used the era merely as fuel to light your present-day fire.

We can’t wholly escape to the beautiful clothes, though. We’re presenting Part II of our three-part “Evolution” series. The death of George Floyd on Memorial Day and the subsequent demand for justice and reform in all matters relevant to Black lives has made it clear that the status quo is no longer safe. In the first installment, we looked at policing and calls to defund the police.

In this issue, we unpack the idea of white allyship (Page 24).

Photo by Lauren Jeziorski At first glance, white people joining the fight for equity feels much like a move in the right direction. But in a zeitgeist where clout and Instagram likes reign supreme, one wonders if, like a Kardashian in cornrows, the Black Lives Matter movement is being absentmindedly tossed on by some without any real connection to its roots. Is Black the new black?

Since COVID forced the world to halt on its axis some months back, musicians have been among the hardest hit, but creatives will create. Local hip-hop artist Miz Korona and bassist La’Nar “Kern” Brantley share how they’ve pivoted amid venue closures (Page 28). Speaking of, we consider ways in which we can boost our immune systems naturally (Page 12). We also check in on an upcoming exhibit from Science Gallery Detroit (Page 13), explore how artist Désirée Kelly melds genres to create a unique style (Page 16), plus much more.

Oh, and look out for a brand-new department, “Pop Art,” dedicated to recently released Black books, TV and film (Page 20). We’ve got your inspiration for the next time you’re feeling inclined to curl up with a good book or a fully charged tablet – after you’ve finished reading this magazine, of course!

Enjoy the issue.

Paris Giles Senior Editor BLACdetroit.com • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLAC 9

A year-long series featuring Detroiters who are driving positive change in their communities.

Driving Community Sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund

Isaiah M. Oliver, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Greater Flint This Flint community leader heads a public charity determined to bridge the gap between philanthropists and community.

M uch of the struggle happening within the community-based world is around how to get the lemons to the organizations that can turn them into lemonade. The Community Foundation of Greater Flint is here to help with the picking. “We’re a bridge between individuals who have means or access to resources and folks who are on the ground doing the work to support the community,” says Isaiah Oliver, president and CEO.

Oliver says the foundation is in the business of engaging people in the philanthropic sector. Philanthropy, he says, is “giving your time, your talent and your treasure – the trifecta – to make the community you love a better place, whether that be a better place to live in or contribute to or love in.”

In its 32-year history, with the help of charitable donors, the organization has awarded over $140 million in grants to area nonprofits and scholar-

10 BLAC • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

ships to students.

Along the way, Oliver says, they’ve also acquired a wealth of “social capital” – which they’ve started to spend. Lately, beyond the money, the foundation has been “bringing people to the table to have conversations that are, in some cases, uncomfortable or even pushing at systemic problems.

Quite frankly, right now, we’re pushing at a lot of systemic racism and being thoughtful about how we center

race in conversation. But that comes from having built that social capital over the years.”

In 2017, Flint was one of 14 communities chosen by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and awarded an $825-million multiyear grant to be used to actively promote racial healing in Flint, one of the country’s most segregated cities.

The resulting Truth, Racial Health & Transformation framework aims to plan for and bring about transforma-

tional and sustainable change, and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism.

“It starts with an understanding of both our individual truths as human beings and then our collective truth – about the truth of our country, the racial history of our communities – and then moving from truth to healing,” Oliver says.

First comes acknowledgement, then comes healing and then comes transformation. The Community Foundation of Flint has been hosting healing circles with no more than 30 community members, meant to take the group through a “debiasing process,” where participants gain a better appreciation and empathy for the experiences of those across the aisle.

Most recently, in July, they hosted the Flint Police Department, “having them really understand their lived experience within the force, and then that highlights how they show up

in communities,” Oliver says. “Since the George Floyd incident and the centering of racial equity in many of the conversations across the country, there’s been a request for more of these healing circles to start more of these conversations – uncomfortable conversations.”

Before race relations took center stage at the end of May, it was COVID-19. In response to the pandemic, still heavy on our hearts and minds, the Greater Flint Urgent Relief Fund was formed by a coalition of philanthropic, government and business partners to quickly deploy resources to nonprofits. They raised over $2 million for COVID-19 testing, and to address food insecurity, homelessness and more. The foundation also formed the Greater Flint Coronavirus Taskforce on Racial Inequities to study why this virus disproportionately affects Black communities and to explore “what we do to be intentional about supporting Black people and

Black bodies,” Oliver says.

He says he “tripped and fell into this work.” A pillar in the Flint community, Oliver came on board with the foundation as vice president of community impact – not knowing much about philanthropy, he admits, but knowing everything about the community. Oliver learned the rules of philanthropy along the way and became president in 2017, and he says that community-first model has served him and the organization well.

To Detroiters, especially, Oliver wants to remind us that we’re more alike than not. From the struggle to make sure the neighborhoods don’t get lost amid the downtown revival to taking care to uplift the oft-forgotten, he says Detroit and Flint are bros from different area codes. “The people that are the fabric of our communities are typically marginalized or their voices are not amplified in ways that are appropriate, and we’re trying to solve those problems as partners.”

“Ford Fund believes that investing in the needs of our youth is an essential step toward empowering our communities for a promising future.”

We salute Isaiah M. Oliver and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint for their leadership in engaging the Flint community and Genesee County in philanthropic efforts by coordinating time, talent and treasures. For over 30 years, the Community Foundation of Greater Flint has given hope to many within the community by awarding over $140 million in grants to the nonprofit community and scholarships to students.

Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, shares the same goal. Our mission is to strengthen communities and help make people’s lives better. Working with our Ford dealers and nonprofit partners, we provide access to opportunities and resources that help people reach their full potential.

Ford proudly recognizes Isaiah M. Oliver and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint for being a champion service provider ensuring sustainable, enduring and profound change in Genesee County.

– Pamela Alexander, director of community development for Ford Motor Company

C O M M U N I T Y PA R T N E R S For more information on the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, visit cfgf.org.

BLACdetroit.com • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLAC 11

D LIFE

DISCOVER

By Paris Giles

Immune Boosters 12 BLAC • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

A

s the air starts to cool and we prepare to move into flu season with COVID still on our backs and a vaccine likely months away, uncertainty looms. Rather than harp on that which is out of our control, let’s focus on what we can do. Masks. A good lather.

Breathing room. We’ve got all that, but what about boosting our bodies’ natural defenses?

A strong immune system could prove the difference between victory and defeat.

Take your vitamins Vitamins C, B6 and E are key to maintaining a healthy immune system. Vitamin C can be found in foods like broccoli, citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers, kale, tomatoes and more, and should be taken in daily as our bodies don’t produce it naturally. B6 is vital to supporting biochemical reactions in the immune system, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and found in chicken, cold-water fish like tuna and salmon, and chickpeas. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight off infection, found in spinach, nuts and seeds.

Exercise regularly Experts don’t know exactly why regular exercise boosts our immunity to certain illnesses, but, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, theories include: physical activity may flush bacteria from lungs and airways; exercise causes changes to antibodies and white blood cells; the brief rise in body temperature during workouts may prevent bacteria from growing; and it slows the release of stress hormones, which make us susceptible to illness. And, of course, maintaining a healthy weight is protection itself.

Get enough sleep The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends seven hours or so of sleep for adults 18-60. During sleep, our immune systems release cytokines, or proteins that help promote sleep, the Mayo Clinic notes.

What’s more: We need more cytokines when we have an infection or inflammation, and sleep deprivation may stall production of these cytokines, according to Mayo.

Limit your booze Alcohol sales have spiked since the pandemic began, but according to the Mayo Clinic, “Excessive alcohol can make it harder for your body to resist disease, increasing your risk of various illnesses, especially pneumonia” – a common COVID-19 complication. Alcohol damages the immune cells and fine hairs in the lungs that are responsible for clearing the airway of pathogens.

BLACdetroit.com • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLAC 13

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DISCOVER

By Jackie Jones and Paris Giles

SECOND ACT

ART AND SCIENCES D

uring Detroit Month of Design and beyond, Science Gallery Detroit, a collaborative art hub backed by Michigan State University and Science Gallery International, will present its new free exhibition FUTURE PRESENT: Design in a Time of Urgency.

“A core component of design is finding creative solutions to complex challenges,” says Science Gallery Detroit director Devon Akmon. “Our team has taken an innovative approach to designing timely and relevant exhibits in Detroit while presenting exciting and informative programs to a global audience through a range of collaborative partnerships.”

FUTURE PRESENT is the third installment in SGD’s annual exhibition series, and it touches on the impact of design in general, design during systemic change, and initiatives for a sustainable future.

With the help of their smartphones, guests will walk through a tour that includes videos, audio clips and images to augment exhibition content. To ensure safety, SGD mediators – a team of young adults charged with fielding questions – will work remotely through telepresence robots.

The exhibition will feature 16 national and international artists, scientists and researchers, along with four commissioned pieces from Detroit-based emerging artists, including Laura Gibson, a recent graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art. On her website, she says she’ll focus on investigating vacant homes, schools and public buildings displaced by “blight, environmental conditions and ways of gentrification.”

Guests will enjoy a 40-minute experience, 30 at a time, and you must reserve a ticket to ensure a spot. And plan to wear a mask throughout.

– J.J.

E

ven in a pandemic, the stage manages to pirouette its way into our imagination – to shock, mesmerize and enfold us in something quite exceptional. At least, that can be said of Michigan Opera Theatre’s upcoming fall season. In a daring act, MOT will deliver a nontraditional 2020-21 season, which will include innovative performances, alternate locations for outdoor and indoor performances, and socially distanced seating. Perhaps the most alluring part of this season is MOT’s 9,100-square-foot deck that covers the Detroit Opera House’s main level.

“For several years, MOT has rented a deck from Levitation Staging for use in the Opera House, and it has become a highly preferred feature for events and weddings, including our own annual gala,” says MOT president and CEO Wayne S. Brown.

“During this time of social distancing, we are pleased to acquire our own deck that offers a permanent solution for providing enhanced staging options for our guests and events.” A nontraditional production season may seem weird, but other venues are also adapting. In July, Disney+ released the hit Broadway musical Hamilton for viewers at home – without the shame that comes from singing along off key.

Because MOT has partnered with the National Sanitation Foundation International, an organization that works to improve global human health, patrons also can be assured that MOT is committed to meeting governmental safety standards. Brown says, “Art flourishes during challenging times, and these current social distancing guidelines provide creative opportunities for us to present opera and dance in exciting new ways.”

– J.J.

Sept. 11-Dec. 11 @scigallerydet detroit.sciencegallery.com 14 BLAC • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

@michiganopera michiganopera.org

DAY CARE DATA

F

or parents and caregivers looking for early child care and education, United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the city of Detroit have teamed up to offer Connect4Care Kids, an online provider tool. Connect4Care Kids is a one-stop shop for child care services for children ages 5 and younger. Through the database, people are able to search for locations, determine eligibility for programs and connect to special resources for low-income families.

“Access to early childhood learning and care are vital to helping children and families thrive,” says Darienne Hudson, United Way for Southeastern Michigan president and CEO. “We know the benefits for early childhood learning on the child’s development and, particularly, as we’ve seen recently, it’s vital to parents returning to work.”

The creators have made the tool convenient for all. The process is simple: Parents or caregivers go to Connect4Care Kids’ website or text "kids" to 4Care, answer a few questions, match with providers and then get information on availability. This versatile and accessible take on virtual matching is all but necessary in the time of COVID-19. And Spanish and Arabic language options will soon be available.

“With all that’s happening in our world at this moment, we are committed to supporting our families in their search for child care,” says Monica Rodriguez, director of Children and Youth Services for the city of Detroit. “We are excited to partner with United Way on this first version of Connect4Care Kids.”

– J.J.

@connect4carekids connect4carekids.org

SOWING SEEDS

W

hether it’s that teeth should be brushed before bed or the building blocks of financial stability, Tasha Danielle is ushered by the philosophy that you teach them young. The CPA’s education brand, Financial Garden, teaches financial literacy to students K-12, and to the educators and parents who shepherd them. Her age-tailored curriculum focuses on six areas – or plots, if you will: emotions and money, banking, entrepreneurship, debt fundamentals, budgeting and investing.

“Kids know about money,” Danielle says. “As soon as they can say, ‘Can you buy me this?’ they understand the concept of money. Usually around 3 years old, their financial schemas are developing. It’s important to teach them as early as possible how to earn (money) and what it really means to use it.” Since it was founded in 2014, Financial Garden has educated over 700 students in the classroom and through afterschool and youth programs.

In the first couple years, Danielle noticed that teachers were taking notes during her lessons. She recognized that there was an opportunity to focus on the educators, too, and equip them with the tools to be able to pick up where she left off. Danielle brought the idea of a teacher-focused professional development program to school administrators, and another layer was added.

In July, Financial Garden was chosen as a semifinalist in the Build Your Legacy Contest, an ESSENCE and Pine-Sol partnership meant to celebrate and invest in Black female entrepreneurs. The company was awarded $15,000. “It was rewarding – I think local organizations know what I’m doing at a local level – to be recognized on a national level,” Danielle

says, adding that DTE was instrumental in spearheading the campaign to garner enough public votes.

Right now, they’re in the middle of their 10k with Amina Initiative to teach the fundamentals of “kidpreneurship” to 10,000 students, named for the book Danielle wrote, Amina’s Bracelets. It’s “a kidpreneur story that I wrote to really drive home how to start a business, and just so kids know they can reach a financial goal other than just by saving money,” Danielle says. “They understand this early on, so let’s teach it to them early on. If they’re learning math and addition in the first grade, they should understand money, as well.”

– P.G.

@financialgarden financialgarden.com BLACdetroit.com • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLAC 15

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APPRAISED

By Nick Pizana

GENRE BENDING

D

ésirée Kelly is a rising star in the Detroit art scene, gaining recognition for her captivating portraits of celebrities and political figures. A Detroit native, Kelly’s practice began while studying graphic design at Wayne State University, where she took an oil painting class. She quickly found herself drawn to the excitement of experimenting with materials. After college, working as a senior graphic designer for Metro Times, she found success after painting a portrait for an issue cover – and her career began to take shape.

The popularity of Kelly’s work is due to the skill with which she recreates her subjects, and the nontraditional techniques and additions she uses to make the images her own. Whether it’s adding text or collaging actual objects into the portrait, her touches give the work a literal and figurative depth that locks the viewer in. Kelly credits her background as a graphic designer for her composition methods.

“In terms of how I approach the canvas, I’m thinking about it as being halfway advertisement and halfway a work of art – and what the overall message should be,” she says. At the start of this year, Kelly opened her latest solo exhibition, Then & Now: A Retrospective of Portraits, at the Detroit Public Library’s main branch. The exhibition looks at the last 10 years of Kelly’s practice and its evolution.

These days, Kelly continues painting and working on portraits for private commissions and exhibitions. Most recently, her work has appeared in the group show Multifaceted Narratives: An Exploration of Black Figurative Art at the Detroit Artists Market, curated by Juana Williams and on view by appointment through Sept. 12. @desireekellyart desireekellyart.com 16 BLAC • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

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NATIVE

By Arianna Smith

Evolved in Equity Editor’s note: Attempts to reach Dr. Sherri Ann Charleston for direct comment were unsuccessful. All quotes included were given to The Harvard Gazette.

T

he push for equality and inclusion seems to be taking off around the country in the places where we need it the most. On Aug. 1, native Detroiter Dr. Sherri Ann Charleston began her appointment at Harvard University as its new chief diversity and inclusion officer, continuing a long and wellrenowned career of championing diversity in high-level academic and professional spaces.

“I am thrilled to see the groundswell of work that already exists at Harvard, and I look forward to synthesizing and integrating the university’s many effective diversity and inclusion efforts into a visible, innovative strategy for enhancing diversity, equity, access, inclusion and belonging across campus,” Charleston told The Harvard Gazette.

Named one of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s top 35 women in higher education in 2019, Charleston’s list of accomplishments is just as impressive and wholesome as you’d think. She earned her B.A. from Columbia University in history and African American studies, her M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan, and Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School. With working experience and expertise in matters of affirmative action, Title IX and disability advocacy, Charleston stands out as a fierce fighter for underrepresented and disenfranchised students and faculty.

“My approach to the work is very much grounded in my academic

interests in history and the law, and in thinking about how we’ve evolved – and how we haven’t evolved – around questions of race and gender, and it comes from a deep passion toward effecting sustainable organizational change and creating structures that outlast all of us, so that we can actually make progress,” Charleston says.

Before accepting the new position at Harvard, she served as the assistant vice provost for diversity, equity and inclusion and chief affirmative action officer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

There, she worked to correct historical inequities and speak for those whose voices are muffled. She helped to oversee and initiate many of the university’s more diverse programs, including the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Learning Community, the Posse program, the Employee Disability Resources Office and the Office of Strategic Diversity Research and Planning. She also focused on creating scholarship aid and increasing retention rates for students at risk of slipping through the cracks.

“Sherri is an administrative leader and interdisciplinary scholar whose work at the intersection of history and law informs her efforts to translate theory into practice that improves higher education,” Harvard President Larry Barcow tells the Gazette. “I look forward to working closely with Sherri and other members of my senior leadership team to drive and support our strategic plans for diversity, inclusion and belonging across the university.”

As the CDIO, Charleston will be one of the faces and implementers of the Harvard University Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Be-

Photo by Saw Crowfoot

“My approach to the work ... comes from a deep passion toward effecting sustainable organizational change and creating structures that outlast all of us, so that we can actually make progress.” longing, an initiative started by the school in 2016 with the aim of developing diversity, community and accountability amongst Harvard’s social and academic communities.

In 2017, Data USA reported that Harvard’s enrolled student body was 41.8% white, 13.5% Asian, 8.19% Hispanic or Latino, and just 5.4% Black. College Factual places the ratio of white teachers and faculty to other races at 69%, dwarfing other demographics.

According to the final report released by the task force in 2018, those numbers have improved, and Harvard recognizes that “achieving diversity and inclusion requires deliberate attention and effort, not

merely the absence of intentional discrimination or ill will.” Essentially, schools and institutions need to not just talk about being more inclusive – they need to walk the walk, and make active, visible effort to diversify their surroundings. It isn’t just about hiring and recruiting students and teachers of other races.

As Charleston puts it, “I fundamentally believe that many of the challenges that we face in higher education relative to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging have answers rooted in applied research.

We must work together in the field to find them.” harvard.edu

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POP ART

New department dedicated to recently released and upcoming books, film and TV

By Paris Giles

BOOKS Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall This New York Times bestselling author recalls and pays tribute to Detroit’s legendary neighborhood, a mecca for jazz, sports and politics, in this work that blends fact and imagination (Amistad). From the Great Depression through post-World War II, Joseph “Ziggy” Johnson has been the pulse of Black Bottom. As he lies dying in a hospital bed, Ziggy reflects on his life, the community that was the center of his world and the remarkable people who helped shape it.

This Is My America by Kim Johnson Every week, 17-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to the Innocent X, urging them to help free her father, wrongly convicted and on death row with just 267 days left before he’s scheduled to be executed (Random House). As the date approaches, Tracy’s brother, a promising track star, is accused of killing a white girl and goes on the run. The teenager must figure out what’s going on, save her brother and father, and unearth the skeletons haunting her Texas town’s racist history.

You Are My Joy and Pain by Naomi Long Madgett This collection of poems from the 97-year-old poet laureate hints at a firsthand experience with a lifetime of loving, deriving its name from Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain” (Wayne State University Press). Divided into three parts, the first imagines the hopeful and joyful beginning of a new relationship. The second part, rife with religious imagery, encompasses the beginning and end of a relationship. And the third section is 32 poems relating to the heartbreaking experience of a love gone wrong. Release date: Oct. 6 Make Change by Shaun King In this account, the Black Lives Matter movement leader offers an inspiring look at the moments that have shaped his life, and considers the ways social movements can grow and evolve in this hyperconnected era (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

He shares stories from leading the Raise the Age campaign – to address the juvenile court age – his work against police brutality and more, while giving us to the tools to stay safe, sane and active during these vexing times.

20 BLAC • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

TV & FILM Antebellum Janelle Monáe stars in this time-warping horror film about successful writer Veronica who finds herself trapped during the era of American slavery and must find a way to escape her terrifying reality (Lionsgate). Also starring Gabourey Sidibe, and from the producers of Us and Get Out, the project was originally slated for a theatrical debut but will be released on demand. Release date: Sept. 18

Woke Lamorne Morris plays Keef Knight, a cartoonist who doesn’t like to lead with race. Instead, he tries to “keep it light” (Hulu). But, after a scary, humiliating and racially motivated run-in with the police shifts his equilibrium, he can no longer shelf his Black side. In this animation-peppered comedy series, Keef must navigate his newfound wokeness without squashing what he’s already built. Release date: Sept. 9

Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices In this 12-episode series, prominent Black figures – athletes, actors, musicians and comedians – read children’s books that highlight the Black experience (Netflix). Marley Dias, the teenage activist, author and founder of the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign, serves as host and executive producer.

Love, Guaranteed To save her small law firm, earnest lawyer Susan – played by Rachael Leigh Cook – takes on the case of Nick – Damon Wayans Jr. – a charming, highpaying client who wants to sue a dating website that guarantees love after nearly 1,000 dates and no relationship to show for it (Netflix). But as the proceedings progress, the line between business and pleasure gets blurry.

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D LIFE

DETROIT PROPER HIGHLIGHTING THE PEOPLE, PLACES, EVENTS AND ISSUES OF BLACK DETROIT

Remote Learning May Just Offer Black Grosse Pointe Students a Relief from Racially-Charged Microaggressions

BY DESIREE COOPER

T

here’s one thing that some students won’t miss this year by having to stay at home: learning while Black. That’s what I gleaned from an Instagram page that popped up late this summer called Black at Grosse Pointe Public Schools (@blackatgppss). The page now has more than 1,700 followers.

About 50 posts from current and former Grosse Pointe Public Schools students lay out a shocking snapshot of what it’s like to be a Black kid in one of Michigan’s most elite school districts.

A high school junior writes about their middle school experience where white boys would “make whip-cracking noises at Black students;” a junior remembers the day after Trump was elected, a group of eighth-grade boys accosted a Black student and offered to “buy you in the slave trade when Trump makes it legal again;” another junior claims that in their AP government class, they were forced to defend the Founding Fathers for owning slaves.

All of these offenses apparently went unaddressed.

I reached out to the site organizers and got no response. But the picture that the page paints was confirmed by current Grosse Pointe students and recent grads. Such was the racial trauma experienced by one graduate that, even though she is now 23 and a teacher herself, hesitated to return my call. “We got so much pushback when we spoke out about the racism at school that I’m still a little afraid,” says Madison Hale, a Black former student who

graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School in 2015.

Hale was active in many clubs, including the French club and the Key Club. But in the wake of the 2014 police murder of Eric Garner (whose last words were, “I can’t breathe”), Hale cofounded the African American Alliance Club, which later became the Diversity Club. She says that many teachers, and even the principal, were supportive, but the overall backlash was intense.

“Our posters were taken down or reposted on Snapchat with bad language,” Hale says. “People asked me why I was trying to make the school look bad.

Others asked me why there wasn’t a club for white people.”

The experience was so stressful that Hale rarely sets foot in Grosse Pointe anymore. She says that her decision to become a teacher was largely shaped by her negative experiences at school. “I want to be a strong, Black, female role model for the kids in my class to look up to,” she says.

I talked to a parent with a student at Grosse Pointe North High School, along with a recent North grad and current senior. Echoing Hale’s fears of backlash, none of them would let me use their names. The parent questions their decision to send their child to the Grosse Pointe schools. “The racial climate in the United States today is far worse

than in the ’80s and ’90s,” they say. “But whites need to know that (people of color) exist. We have a right to be here.”

The recent North graduate was a part of a new Black Student Alliance, formed so that the Black students could build cohesion and support each other. They ended up waging a successful battle for the right to wear African headwraps to school. The graduate worries that COVID and virtual education will make it harder for them to maintain

sion. But at the same time, the lack of in-person accountability emboldened other students to embrace racist ideas. “If we were to go back to school now,” the North senior said, “the tension may be higher because now we know everyone’s true colors.”

Hale is not optimistic about the future of race relations in the Grosse Pointe Public Schools. “The infrastructure is broken and a lot of people are protecting it,” she says. “There is no clear picture of

“If we were to go back to school now, the tension may be higher because now we know everyone’s true colors.” the momentum. “I don’t know if it will survive,” they say.

Ironically, as the Black Lives Matter protests gained steam over the summer, students who would have struggled to buck peer pressure and align themselves with the movement at school were getting “woke” on social media. The current senior noted that more conversations were happening about race, and people were dropping friends who didn’t support inclu-

what justice and equality look like in communities like that.” School officials have resolved to make changes and implemented implicit bias training for staff over the summer. But if there’s one lesson we’ve learned about pandemics – from deadly diseases to rampant racism – it’s that viral ignorance is the hardest to unlearn.

DESIREE COOPER IS THE AUTHOR OF KNOW THE MOTHER.

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PART II OF III

EVOLUTION:

WHITE ALLYSHIP

Amid the tumult of the last few months, we’re forced to consider an important question: Where to next? The status quo is no longer safe.

In Part II of our three-part series ‘Evolution,’ we consider white allyship and what it means to Black lives.

A

wise woman once said, “When we’re marching and protesting and posting about the Michael Browns Jrs. and the Atatiana Jeffersons of the world, tell your friends to pull up.”

That astute woman was Rihanna during her acceptance speech for the President’s Award at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards in February as she called on our colleagues, partners and friends of different races and backgrounds to join the fight.

I’m with her.

Black people and people of color have been on the front lines of social activism for decades because our lives depend on it. We are in the trenches, fighting against a power structure that inflicts the horrors of death and the systemic dismantling and disinvestment of entire communities on a race of people. When the cameras are gone and the headlines have been replaced, Black people will still be demanding equality for ourselves and others.

Now is not the time to allow desensitization to seep in and fill the racial gap that divides us.

Fueling the flames

The current uprisings happening in protest to police brutality against African Americans have cracked this nation open to the core. Racial injustice has been exposed again. These experiences are not new for most Black Americans, but now,

the world is tuned in.

This could be the result of a pandemic that has forced us all to be still. Within 24 hours of George Floyd’s death, protestors mobilized in 12 U.S. cities and then grew to hundreds of thousands of people protesting in more than 2,000 cities across the world. This time, the cry seems louder. But for Black people it remains the same – Black Lives matter.

The massive protest of multiracial crowds standing in solidarity against injustice is a powerful visual. In a political climate determined to further a dangerous racial divide, this is important. In a December 2017 Pew Research Center survey, 60% of participants opined that race relations had declined since the election of Donald Trump. And in a more recent April 2019 survey, the center found that 71% of Black and 60% of Hispanic Americans were more likely than whites (56%) to express negative views about the state of race relations.

As a Black woman who cringed through Jane Elliott’s famous blue eyes versus brown eyes exercise on the Oprah Winfrey show, I admit I’m disappointed but not shook. This misguided perception of superiority is, after all, how inequity is fueled, systemic racism survives and microaggressions grow.

The fight for justice is empowered by people who share the same value in humanity. Systems are changed by those in positions of power. Those power positions in our country are mostly held by whites. A New York Times review of 503 of the most powerful people in American culture, gov-

ernment, education and business found only 44 minorities. That was in 2016. Equity and inclusion haven’t moved this needle much in the past several years, but let’s continue to hope for progress.

Clout chasers

There has been much conversation about what it means for non-Black Americans to support Black people’s fight against inequity and racism.

This comes on the heels of the health disparities highlighted in COVID-19 cases and deaths, and the most recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. As protests erupted there was a swift show of support across social media. On Instagram alone, millions of #BlackLivesMatter hashtags went up.

On one hand, this is good – awareness is a contributor to progress. A post sharing contact information for legislators, books to read and films to watch, or reminding people to exercise their right to vote show support while elevating the cause. Social media campaigns such as #ShareTheMicNow is another good example. The campaign magnified the voices of Black women on the social media pages of powerful and influential white women, providing them with a larger, mainstream platform and audience.

On the other hand, it could be disruptive. It’s a trendy response. This is not to suggest that people shouldn’t show support. On the contrary, your support is needed. But surface-level BLACdetroit.com • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLAC 25

PART II OF III

EVOLUTION: WHITE ALLYSHIP

activism, also known as performative allyship, is not about the cause – it’s about highlighting the person. We saw this with the #BlackOutTuesday campaign that racked up more than 22 million posts on Instagram. The allyship of posters who live in contradiction to their support of the Black Lives Matter movement was called into question.

They were publicly called out for their egregious behaviors, but the problem is that it becomes a distraction from the cause.

Real love

An ally, for this purpose, is someone from a nonmarginalized group who uses their privilege to advocate for those who are marginalized. A debate is brewing around what word should be used to describe this person: ally, co-conspirator, accomplice? Frankly, the word choice is not important. What is important is the action the person puts behind the term.

Allyship can be in support of a group of people like speaking out against racist rhetoric or stepping down from a board to allow a person of color to have a seat at the table. Allyship can mean becoming a physical shield to prevent harm or elevating the work of a minority-owned company. It’s about exploring what you have to offer to someone else to advance a cause. Sometimes it’s just about listening and educating oneself.

Allyship should never minimize the voices of the people who are already doing the work or diminish another’s lived experiences.

What about privilege? Those who benefit from it are largely unaware. For as long as I can remember, privilege has been a part of discussions about finances and access. But in race work, “white privilege” plays a prominent role in conversations about race and biases. Defined as inherent advantages possessed by a white person on the basis of their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice, it’s clear how white privilege impacts social constructs.

Aya Waller-Bey, a doctoral student of sociology at the University of Michigan, further breaks down how white privilege shows up: “White privilege allows people to exist unchecked, unmarked, unharmed in ways that Black people cannot exist in this space.” She says, “I think because it is so normative and it’s so blinding until it’s at your front door. That’s part of the privilege, where you are allowed to be disengaged from some of the realities of poor people – Black people – because it does not affect your daily life.”

26 BLAC • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

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Have difficult and, sometimes, uncomfortable conversations about racism and inequity. Not enough of those are taking place in constructive ways. The ability to confront these realities today brings us closer to solving the problems tomorrow. And take Rihanna’s advice. Start with the people you break bread with. These topics can be taboo and unintentionally offensive, and you want to be able to speak freely.

Waller-Bey suggests sharing the same resources or information, and then having a focused discussion about that – and making sure that your friend group includes people who bring different experiences to the conversation is critical. The more we understand and accept each other, the better we are as a people.

If you are in a position of privilege, become an active ally. There is historical precedence for allies being instrumental in change and progress. I Googled “how allies can support,” and countless resources turned up. You take it further. Use one of those suggestions, leverage your power and make it happen.

This moment is calling for us all to examine what’s going on around us, to learn and unlearn, to be open to introspection and to be unabashed in our approach to resisting racism as just part of our fabric. But more than that, we have to be antiracist in our daily lives. I am hopeful.

t unchecked, people canno

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KAYE BYRD IS A DETROIT-BASED FREELANCE WRITER.

HEALTH ADVICE FROM ASCENSION MICHIGAN

Why is maintaining a healthy weight an important defense against COVID? Angela Harden-Mack, M.D.

B

y now you’ve probably heard it said that people with preexisting conditions are among those most at risk of becoming seriously ill due to COVID-19. One preexisting condition from which almost half of U.S. adults suffer – and one we all are likely to underestimate – is obesity. A healthy body mass index is between 18.5 and 24.9. Registering a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While having a BMI of 30 or above is defined as obesity.

“The higher the BMI, the greater the chance of developing chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease,” says Angela Harden-Mack, M.D., a physician with Ascension Medical Group, specializing in obesity medicine. “Also, when there’s increased weight and increased BMI, those issues are commonly worsened.”

Black Americans had the highest age-adjusted rates of obesity in 2017 and 2018, according to the CDC, at 49.6%. “Those numbers are significant

for our community, and, also, we know that the weight gain may progress.

So, that’s why we may commonly see that the numbers are higher in older adults compared to younger adults,” Dr. Harden-Mack says. Varied and interconnected factors contribute to the obesity problem not only in Black America but across communities, from physical activity to genes to nutrition to socioeconomics.

Even if the extra pounds have not led to other chronic conditions, the reason obesity is concerning to health experts and physicians like Dr. HardenMack is due to chronic inflammation.

The theory is that the coronavirus may amplify inflammation already present in the body due to excess weight.

“Inflammation is the process the body has to defend itself and heal itself.

When the inflammatory response is operating like it should, it turns on to deal with the injury, and then it turns off,” she says.

With obesity, the body stores more fat in the fat cells, impairing their function and making them less healthy than normal sized cells. As a

result, they can produce an inappropriate low-grade inflammatory immune response that never shuts off, and then something like, say, a COVID-19 infection can intensify that response and further weaken the body. For example, “If there’s a heightened inflammatory response in the lungs, breathing is not as easy, and additional support like oxygen and other things are needed.”

Dr. Harden-Mack says, “Treating the disease of obesity is far more involved than simply adjusting calories.” Her work involves evaluating patients to determine possible causes, screening for associated conditions like sleep apnea or irregular periods, and more – all of which may include collaboration with other specialists like mental health providers. “Obesity is best treated by a multidisciplinary team. Not just a physician, not just a dietitian, but several professionals working together.”

For severe obesity she says, “Metabolic and bariatric surgery is one of several therapies available. It is very important and very effective in the treatment of severe obesity, that means individuals with a BMI of 35

and higher, especially when there is the presence of other diseases like diabetes, heart disease and sleep apnea.”

Dr. Harden-Mack recommends that we first arm ourselves with knowledge from reliable sources like the CDC, and then start a conversation with our primary care physicians or an obesity specialist. Unsure what your BMI is?

Find out by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared (BMI = kg/m2), and even if it’s within the healthy range, Dr. Harden-Mack recommends finding out what you can do to maintain that healthy weight.

And, of course, nutrition is key. Ask yourself, “Can I cut back on foods high in sugar? Can I cut back on some of the processed food? Can I eat more vegetables?” Or, if you’re sitting at a desk all day, consider where you may be able to squeeze in opportunities to get moving. Walk around your home or office for five minutes every hour, or take the family for a walk around the block in the evenings. Dr. Harden-Mack says, “These things add up. It’s just part of it, but, again, those are great places to start.”

GET MORE HEALTH INFORMATION AND FIND A DOCTOR NEAR YOU BY VISITING ASCENSION.ORG/MICHIGAN OR CALLING 866-501-DOCS (3627)

SPONSORED CONTENT

BLACdetroit.com • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLAC 27

KEY

CHANGE SHUTDOWNS HAVE FORCED LOCAL MUSICIANS AND VENUES TO PIVOT AND ADAPT, BUT CREATIVES WILL CREATE.

BY SHERRI KOLADE

IN HIS ELEMENT

L

ocal musician La’Nar "Kern” Brantley was in China last year making music with legendary producer David Foster and Singaporean singer JJ Lin. “We toured all over and played two sold-out stadium shows – with up to 50,000 people – in Wuhan and other major provinces,” Brantley says.

Then it came. The insidious coronavirus descended on the country and halted it all. “In China, they were taking it very seriously, everything was locked down. I was dodging it. We were bracing for what was going to happen, although it was already happening.”

The bassist flew home to Detroit last December, beating the initial COVID-19 wave. Understandably, many of us thought the virus wouldn’t affect us, that it was somewhere "over there" still. However, panic was nearby, too close for comfort if you ask Brantley.

Then his gigs began to cancel. But the versatile musician adapted and now uses his talents at home. He facilitates Zoom workshops and edits artists’ tracks for recording sessions online. Brantley also edited virtual jam sessions for the recent seventh annual Detroit Bass Day. In years past, he and 250 bass players would meet up at Motown Museum and perform. This year, they streamed their virtual event online.

Brantley's pursuing other opportunities, too. “It would be a great time to write my book. I’ve always lived in Detroit, and I have been able to work with Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga," he says.

His key to success as an artist is to remain financially nimble and be ready to fly out at a moment's notice if a job opportunity arises. He also posts his performances online. “You never know who may be watching it and looking for someone,” he says. To his fellow musicians, Brantley says, “Stay professional and focus on your art and what you are doing to make money.”

BLACdetroit.com • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLAC 29

KEY

CHANGE AHEAD OF HER TIME Detroit hip-hop artist Paula Smiley, aka Miz Korona (you read that right), is a straight-no-chaser spirit who operates on her own timing. And when she grabs the mic, we listen. Her poignant lyrics take hold of your thoughts, keeping them captive until her time is done.

You might be inclined to think the pandemic inspired her name. It didn't. The native Detroiter named herself back in the late ‘90s when she was spitting bars at a liquor store (on Nottingham and Harper on Detroit’s east side), freestyling about merchandise when her eyes stopped on a bottle of Corona beer.

It clicked.

Though she’s attached a following to that name, she's questioned keeping it since COVID-19. Miz Korona came back from a four-year hiatus with an EP aptly titled The Virus. “I’ve received a lot of positive feedback. I was just tapping into what the universe was telling me to write,” she says. “It just seems like the pandemic is trying to take everybody. You can't let it take you out, too.”

Coming from a musical family – her father is part of the group The Floaters – she fell in love with hip-hop at age 10. Her story is similar to other artists’: When the world stopped, so did she.

Canceled fall concerts in France and India followed.

Never one to remain silent, though, she's performed virtually and hosted listening parties. Now, she’s gearing up for an inperson show Sept. 9 on the Dequindre Cut as the closing act of the D.Cipher Summer Concert Series – her first live performance in months. "It’s going to be a little weird. I'm nervous and wondering if people will show up or not." But she’s thriving, inspiring others to “figure out a lane to find their creative niche.”

Sometimes it takes that unexpected step and inspiration to spur creativity. “I released a project during a pandemic, and if I can do it in a two-week time span anybody could do it. I just allowed myself to be in a moment. We don’t know when this is going to end, but don’t let it suck away your creativity. Find a way to let it out,” she says.

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SHUFFLE PLAY Meg Lelli, The Fillmore Detroit’s general manager, encourages audiences to check out the venue’s virtual events for that “live music fix.” She says, “We know nothing can replace the feeling of being at a live concert, and all our local venues in the Live Nation family, from The Fillmore to Saint Andrews Hall and more, look forward to the days we reopen our doors and once again contribute to the culture of our community and the economy of the city."

The Music Hall’s president and artistic director Vince Paul says, “The online stuff is OK, but I’m not a huge fan of it because it takes away the mystery of show business – the allure. We're in the gathering business, not unlike churches or sporting events, and human nature is to gather.”

The Hall reopened in June with limited capacity. “I thought we would be back up and running by May – I was wrong.

It's kind of worth it to open and be in business, but it's kind of a struggle,” he says. “We showed a lot of people how to gather safely to do live music.”

As for what the future holds, Paul is holding out hope that we’ll get back to normal soon. “I think we’ll be back in business in the fall of 2021. Between now and then, I'm going to be one of the few houses that’s open.”

SHERRI KOLADE IS A DETROIT-BASED FREELANCE WRITER.

“WE DON’T KNOW W HEN THIS IS GOING TO BUT DON’T LET IT SUC

END,

K AWAY YOUR

CREATIVITY. FIND A W AY TO LET IT OUT.”

FOXY FUNKY COOL 32 BLAC • SEPTEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

Fall provides the perfect aura for channeling the soul of the ‘70s, what with splendid ambers, olives and clays on full display and at our fingertips. And can any other decade match its luxe sophistication?

Still, smooth as the era demands, we’ve draped our retro glamour in modern-day cool.

PHOTOS BY LAUREN JEZIORSKI

MODELS (FROM LEFT): Veon Selman, Lauren Woodson, Vonnita Jones

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FOXY

Creative Director Kelly Buren Photographer Lauren Jeziorski, @laurenjeziorski

FUNKY COOL CREDITS

Stylist Marv Neal, @marvneal marvneal.com Hair Bettie Lutcher, @bvainhaircollection Makeup Ashley Valentina, @valentina.mua valentinaartistry.com Models All models provided by the Renee Godin Agency Location Detroit Shipping Company 474 Peterboro St., Detroit

On Lauren Woodson, @accesslauren Pages 33-34 and the cover Blouse and skirt: PJazz Collections Boutique II, @officialpjazz_boutiqueii Earrings and belt: Cáesha London Fashion Boutique, @caeshalondon • caeshalondon.com Shoes and socks: stylist’s own Pages 36-37 Faux fur coat, jumper and belt: PJazz Collections Boutique II, @officialpjazz_boutiqueii Page 42 Dress: Thrift on the AVE, @thriftontheave shopthriftontheave.com Belt: Cáesha London Fashion Boutique, @caeshalondon • caeshalondon.com Shoes: stylist’s own On Veon Selman, @veon_selman Page 34 Shirt and pants: Mature, @maturelook maturelook.com Sweater: Ralph Lauren, @ralphlauren ralphlauren.com Shoes: Gucci, @gucci • gucci.com

Book Review for Layers January 4, 2020

I could hardly put this book down. Pat Clay pierces your soul with her brutally honest unveiling of her childhood poverty, neglect, abuse, loss, abandonment and violation while simultaneously lightening your heart with the joy, spontaneity, daring and freedom of her youth. She makes you hold on with her to her hopes, dreams and unshakable love for her family when she has absolutely nothing left but those hopes, dreams and her unwavering resolve to survive. Through fathomless sorrow and pain, she gleans all that is true value and comes thorough triumphantly. You will run the gamut of feeling with her. Without a doubt, this is a must read for everyone who has even a shred of interest in the human condition.

S.D. Stevenson

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Pages 38-39 Sweater, jacket and pants: Mature, @maturelook maturelook.com Shoes: Louis Vuitton, @louisvuitton us.louisvuitton.com Duffle bag: Irv Williams Page 42 Blazer and pants: Zara, @zara • zara.com Shoes: Gucci, @gucci • gucci.com On Vonnita Jones, @modeltheory Page 34 Blouse: PJazz Collections Boutique II, @officialpjazz_boutiqueii Jumpsuit: Elite Couture Boutique, @elite_couture_boutique • shopelitecoutureboutique.com Pages 40-41 Two-piece top and skirt: Milele Atelier, @milele_atelier • mileleatelier.com Belts: Cáesha London Fashion Boutique, @caeshalondon • caeshalondon.com Bag: Elite Couture Boutique, @elite_couture_boutique • shopelitecoutureboutique.com Socks and shoes: stylist’s own Pages 43 Dress: vintage GiGi Hunter, @gigihuntercollection Shoes: stylist’s own

Dear Sisters and Friends: Please Join in the Conversation

PAULA CUNNINGHAM, AARP Michigan State Director

By Paula Cunningham, AARP Michigan State Director and Brenda Price, AARP Michigan Associate State Director for Community Outreach

T

here is no better time than right now to lift the voices of African American women in Michigan to help create their own national and state agenda for this year’s vital elections.

Polling data has consistently shown that African American women 50 and older will play a huge role in deciding the 2020 elections. Also, Michigan is considered a key battleground state in the races for President and U.S. Senate.

A record number of Black women are running for the U.S. Congress this year.

So the timing for AARP Michigan’s “MI Sisters and Friends: Conversations that Count” could not be better. The virtual event scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. will create a 2020-2024 health and wealth agenda for older African American women in Michigan.

The agenda will be shared with state and federal elected officials, and progress will be reviewed annually.

Register for this free event, which is open to everyone, at https://bit.ly/MISisters Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, an anthropologist, educator, museum director and college president will deliver opening remarks, as will Paula D. Cunningham, State Director of AARP Michigan. Dr. Cole also will facilitate a conversation with the audience on creating the agenda.

Edna Kane Williams, AARP Senior Vice President of Multicultural Markets & Engagement, will lead a discussion of polling data and how to improve African American women’s issues related to health and wealth.

A VIRTUAL CELEBRATION OF GRANDPARENTS DAY SPONSORED CONTENT

Panelists include: Health/Personal Caregiving: Regina Belle (singer, songwriter, actress); Jacky Chisholm Clark (American gospel singer, Clark Sisters); and Martha Reeves (of Martha and the Vandellas). The panel will be facilitated by First Lady Crisette Ellis of Greater Grace Temple in Detroit.

Wealth/Economic Impact: Gail Perry Mason, a respected authority in the financial industry and best-selling author; Dr. Marilyn French Hubbard, author and founder of the National Association of Black Women Entrepreneurs; and Sandra Gaddy, CEO of the New Women’s Resource Center.

Regina Belle

Martha Reeves

BRENDA PRICE, AARP Michigan Associate State Director for Community Outreach

Jacky Chisholm Clark

Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, AARP Michigan and the Museum of African American History Women’s Committee will host a virtual celebration of Grandparents Day Sept 13 from 1-3 p.m.

Go to https://www.thewright.org/events/grandparents-day for the link to join the celebration.

access DETROIT | SEPTEMBER 2020

S

outheast Michigan remains in Phase 4 of the state’s reopening plan with the governor threatening to bump us back a step if we don’t wear the damn masks. Most of us are anxious to get out and about as much as we can, so let’s go over the current need-to know rules of engagement (again). We recommend calling ahead or checking the website of the spot you’re looking to visit for specifics before heading out.

BLACdetroit.com For a complete list of events, visit our online calendar.

CHARLES H. WRIGHT MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY Open with timed tickets available at thewright.org

PARKS & REC • Campgrounds, state parks and recreation areas, including overnight lodging, are open.

• Suspended during quarantine, the Recreation Passport is now required for entry into state parks, recreation areas, state forest campgrounds and most boating access sites and state trailheads.

• Most amenities like bathrooms, picnic areas and concessions are open.

• Detroit recreation centers remain closed.

• Groups of 100 or less are allowed to gather outdoors with social distancing.

• Indoor public pools remain closed.

BARS & RESTAURANTS

• Waiting areas are closed. You may be required to wait for your table in your car or outside the eatery.

• Restaurants and bars have been allowed to reopen at 50% capacity, with six feet of separation required between groups.

• Self-serve food and drink options like buffets, salad bars and drink stations remain closed.

• After being allowed to reopen, traditional bars, nightclubs and strip clubs have been ordered to end indoor service again. Brewpubs, distilleries, vineyards and bars with outdoor patios are able to remain open.

• Most restaurants will require that you wear a mask any time you’re not actively dining, so while being escorted to your table or heading to the restroom.

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• Many restaurants have adopted contactless ordering in lieu of traditional menus. You may be asked to scan a QR Code stamped on your table with your phone to be directed to an online menu.

RETAIL & ENTERTAINMENT • Indoor theaters, cinemas and performance venues remain closed. Drive-in theaters are allowed to open.

• Libraries and museums have been allowed to reopen. The Detroit Public Library is on Phase 2 of its own reopening plan, allowing for drop box returns and curbside pickups of preordered material at its main branch, with plans to move into Phase 3 in September.

• Retail stores have been allowed to reopen at 25% capacity for stores with less than 50,000 square feet of customer space.

• You may be asked to adhere to alternative order systems in lieu of traditional lines at certain retail shops.

Sources: detroitmi.gov/departments/parks-recreation, detroitpubliclibrary.org, michigan.gov

D LIFE

SEEN

Photos by Sydney Kispert-Bostick

Catching Some Air at Riverside Skatepark On a particularly crisp August afternoon, we caught up with folks hanging out at Riverside Skatepark in Detroit.

Te-Meriah Burks

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Hendricks Hendrix, Tivett Shaw, Stéphane Parker

Omari Hall

Tavayia Burks

Joey Yepez, Quentin Hernandez, Angel Ferreira

Delaino Ray, Brooklyn Ray

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D LIFE

SEEN

Torrance Wilson, Torrance Smith Wilson, Brian Newton

CJ Wilson, Estelle Wilson

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Guel Lynn, Kayeen Rios, Josh Rachoza

Devin Wilson, Cameron Wilson, David Wilson, Aaliyah Wilson