BLAC Detroit Magazine November 2020 by BLAC Magazine

Be You’re invited to sip and savor at our intimate holiday party

Water Rights

Quotes from BLAC’s water access roundtable

Let’s Make a Deal

Black Friday and Small Business Saturday bargains from local spots

INSIDE

NOVEMBER 2020

6 8

Online at BLACdetroit.com Letter from the editor

FEATURES 26

JUSTICE FOR ALL Highlights from our roundtable discussion on water access

VAX RACE Checking in on the COVID-19 vaccine process

HAPPY HOLIDAYS Entertaining at home with festive recipes and safety tips

DEPARTMENTS 12

DISCOVER Black Friday and Small Business Saturday deals, an Indigenous-focused exhibit, a human atlas by a U.K. photographer and more

POP ART A Christmas musical, Barack Obama’s ﬁrst memoir, and other new and upcoming books, TV and ﬁlm

APPRAISED Conrad Egyir explores his wanderlust in his work

IN STYLE Boho chic looks

DETROIT PROPER Poet Tommye Blount’s ﬁrst collection selected as a National Book Award ﬁnalist

ACCESS The latest rules by venue type

SEEN Playing hard at the Garden Bowl in Detroit

SPONSORED 10

ALONZO RAMON STALLWORTH, FOUNDER AND OWNER, TH3 BLOCK DEVELOPMENT

WHY IS BEING VACCINATED AGAINST THE FLU IMPORTANT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID?

ON THE COVER: Photo by Davide Anderson @davidefoto davidephotography.com

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BLACdetroit.com

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

Opinion Piece BLAC’s former editor Aaron Foley on homophobia in hip-hop

Spoken Word

A Q&A with poet and musician Mic Phelps

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

SEEN Galleries

Life Source

Watch local leaders discuss water justice during BLAC’s ﬁlmed roundtable

Fb.com/BLACdetroitMagazine

@BLACMagazine

Check out the full digital gallery. Did we spot you?

@BLACdetroitMag

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Season’s Greetings

CEO/Publisher: Billy Strawter Jr.

’m writing this on the Monday before Election Day. It feels sort of like when you were a kid and put a bunch of stuff in a time capsule not to be opened again until some point in the distant future. Granted, this capsule has a 10-day lockout period, but still, it feels like by the time you open this issue, for better or worse, we will have entered a new phase. Last month was the election issue, and so I won’t rest here long, but we are settling into a new season, and this one is purportedly the most wonderful time of the year – albeit the bar is low. The holidays are upon us. Yes, it’s the time of twinkle lights and pies finished in 100-yearold cast irons. The magic is baked in, and it may be just what we need right now. Find a photo-heavy holiday entertaining spread, complete with dolled-up local couples and bottles of bubbly, on Page 36. Full disclosure: We settled on the idea of a holiday party weeks ago, before the rates of COVID had spiked again across the country. Here at home, the governor just shortened her leash on bars and eateries, most notably, restricting parties to six and requiring that staff get phone numbers for contact tracing. Where a private get-together is concerned, though, we know most of you are still looking forward to breaking bread with your favorite people. Listen, we’re all adults here. You know your own comfort level and those of the folks around you. If you feel up to it, a small holiday gathering done responsibly is not out of the question, we don’t think. Still, we’ve all got a duty to move responsibly. And so, along with champagne toasts and fancy favors, we’re talking COVID safety. Speaking of, it looks like a vaccine could be available for the most vulnerable among us by year’s end. We’re delving into where we are in that process, from a breakdown of Operation Warp Speed, to which companies are closest to approval, to Trump’s distribution plan (Page 31). Keeping in the public health vein, we also rounded up a handful of the most Photo by Lauren Jeziorski poignant quotes from BLAC’s first filmed roundtable discussion around water access, moderated by Lynda Jeffries of The Leadership Group and featuring Sandra Turner-Handy, Monica Lewis-Patrick and Abdul El-Sayed (Page 26). U.K. artist and photographer Marcus Lyon delivers his human atlas, using 100 Detroiters, technology and ancestral DNA to map Detroit (Page 20). Lyon tells us why he was determined to get the story right this time. And Desiree Cooper bends the spine on local poet Tommye Blount’s first collection of works, up for the prestigious National Book Award (Page 24). Plus, we checked in on a handful of local Black-owned businesses to get a feel for the deals they’re offering on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, because the holidays mean quality time with friends and family, but also: presents.

EDITORIAL Senior Editor: Paris Giles Copy Editor: Kim Kovelle Contributors: Davide Anderson, Kaye Byrd, Desiree Cooper, Sydney Kispert-Bostick, 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 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

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.

Enjoy the issue.

Paris Giles Senior Editor 8 BLAC • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

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

Driving Community Sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund

Alonzo Ramon Stallworth, Founder and Owner, Th3 Block Development This rapper turned real estate developer has made it his mission to teach generational wealth and build back the community, ‘one block at a time.’

A lonzo Ramon Stallworth will tell you flat out – real estate isn’t his true love, necessarily. Rather, his District 2 Detroit neighborhood is where his passions lie, and he uses property development as a tool to engage with and give back to his community. Stallworth, or “King Yadee” as he’s known around town, is a licensed contractor who takes on lofty projects like multi-unit apartment complexes and restaurants, but he also buys and 10 BLAC • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

renovates abandoned homes in his community while preaching the power of generational wealth. Since founding Th3 Block Development in 2018, Stallworth has renovated over 30 homes, with five homes acquired so far under the ownership of the company, but he’s been involved in this sort of work since he was young. His uncle, who raised him since he was 12 years old, was an entrepreneur, a mechanic and a con-

tractor. “I saw him hustle up enough money to buy us a house” on Archdale Street near Seven Mile. “He was that guy for that block. He was the guy who made sure everybody ate. He was the guy that made sure every woman was taken care of,” Stallworth says. His uncle would also take him on jobs and introduce him to the contracting business. “Real estate has always just been there – that was like my hustle, my go-to,” he says.

In 2018, Stallworth figured out how he could turn his part-time hustle into a full-time business, one that centers the community. “I really got in tune with myself and with my God, and we got a mission – and that’s what I’m on right now.” Stallworth uses Th3 Block Development as an opportunity to teach the youth and the community fundamentals like home ownership, credit awareness and repair, and the ins and outs of construction like

HVAC systems and electrical work. His knowledge of the business basics came from an unlikely source. Before he was a developer, Stallworth was a rapper – hence the King Yadee moniker – and he says music taught him a lot of what he knows about growth and ownership. “When I went to Atlanta, I saw those young, Black boys owning studios. Before I moved out of the state in 2009, everybody was rapping in their basements. I went to Atlanta, and these boys had buildings. They had studios and businesses,” he says. “That taught me how to structure a

business. That taught me checks and balances, how to invest and how to cross my t’s and dot my i’s.” Music also taught him how to advocate for himself, structure his own narrative and make his own way. Stallworth survived a tough childhood that saw both parents die when he was just 5 years old. “I’m an orphan. My brothers and the streets raised me. If I didn’t have them, I would’ve been dead or in jail. So, how do (I) repay them? By being in the streets, by being a mentor, by making sure kids don’t go to jail, by making sure they ain’t selling drugs,”

he says. He’s been to Flint three different times with U-Haul trailers chockfull of supplies for the residents still feeling the effects of the water crisis. Stallworth says the work he does to engage the community in and outside of Detroit – and around hands-on education – is meant to emphasize the importance of ownership, influence and wealth. He wants to see us start to look ahead and invest in the future. He says, “We need land. We don’t own nothing if we don’t own land. If we control the land, we control the vote.”

“ Ford Fund believes that investing in the needs of our youth is an essential step toward empowering our communities for a promising future.” – Pamela Alexander, director of community development for Ford Motor Company

REBUILDING For more information on Th3 Block Development, visit linktr.ee/Th3Block.

BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 11

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DISCOVER By Kaye Byrd

DEAL T

he pandemic will have Black Friday and Small Business Saturday shopping looking a lot different this year. Whether you feel comfortable shopping in person or online, we’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up a few unique Black-owned businesses and checked in on their can’t-miss deals.

Did we miss a spot? Email your business’ Black Friday or Small Business Saturday deals to editor@BLACdetroit.com.

Not Sorry Apparel If you are like us and not into apologizing for who you are, tell the world and pick up one of many bold statement pieces from Not Sorry Apparel, offering upcycled garments transformed into stylish clothing you’ll feel good wearing. Black Friday and Small Business Saturday deals include a $50 crew neck and beanie set, a $60 hoodie and beanie set, and a $20 tote and sticker combo. Get free shipping on online orders. Rust Belt Market 22801 Woodward Ave., Ferndale notsorryapparel.com

Love Travels Imports For our wanderlusts who have been grounded by the pandemic, there’s an oasis on the Avenue of Fashion that imports high-quality artisan goods from all over the world to Detroit. Buy ﬁve pairs of mohair and wool socks imported from South Africa for $19.50 and get one pair free – available in 21 beautiful hand-dyed colors. 19452 Livernois Ave., Detroit lovetravelsimports.com

Bronzed N Glow Beauty Boutique After maintaining our own coiffures, we’ve probably learned a thing about caring for our hair – or at least tried to. Bronzed N Glow is a modern twist to beauty supply retail with an emphasis on education. On Black Friday, get 15% to 20% off in-store and online. And on Small Business Saturday, buy two items of the same brand and get a third free.

Glo Cleaning Glo Cleaning – known for their attention to detail and customer service – details vehicles and performs carpet and room cleaning services. For Black Friday and Small Business Saturday they’re offering 15% off their $500 car detail subscription package (includes 10 services) and 15% off carpet cleaning for two rooms ($115). glocleaningdetroit.com

19327 Livernois Ave., Detroit bronzednglow.com

Skinphorea Facial Bar & Acne Clinic Who needs to feel rejuvenated after this year’s events? Whether for yourself or as a gift, Skinphorea Facial Bar has the feel-good services needed to stimulate your healing. On Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, get 25% off all gift card purchases and a free “Glowtini” facial with gift card purchases over $200. 621 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak skinphorea.com

Eumelanin The hues of melanated skin have inspired a Detroit-based clothing and jewelry brand called Eumelanin. Consider it fashion with a purpose: to bring awareness around colorism. Enjoy a sitewide sale including $50 off purchases of $200 or more, $30 off $120 and $15 off $60. Shop in-person on Dec. 4 at the Detroit Shipping Company. eumelanin.com

BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 13

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DISCOVER By Nick Pizana and Paris Giles

NATIVE LENS

new exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit presents video art through an Indigenous perspective in Crimes Against Reality, the debut solo exhibition by New Red Order, a collective of artists who refer to themselves as a "public secret society dedicated to examining desires for indigeneity.” This group of Indigenous artists – led by core contributors Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil and Jackson Polys – worked collaboratively with other artists and “accomplices” across film, installation and performance art for the exhibition. Taking place across two of the museum’s galleries, Crimes Against Reality centers on video art, specifically exploring experimental media and emerging technologies to make powerful critiques of colonialism and harmful “nostalgic” stereotypes of Indigenous people. It's the latest piece to be featured in MOCAD’s new Unboxing series, an ongoing display of video and performance work. Along with videos are several captivating sculptures and installations that act as companions to the films. Together they engage the viewer, drawing them deeper into the experience. The exhibition ends a tumultuous summer for the museum, which saw the ousting of its former executive director. Originally scheduled to open in July, it was postponed by the artists until MOCAD pledged to address the lasting effects of settler colonialism in their own institution. The museum’s board agreed to enact several measures including changes to the board and staff, and an Indigenous community council and land acknowledgement. – N.P.

Open through Jan. 10, 2021 @mocadetroit mocadetroit.org

Photo By New Red Order

HUMAN INTEREST

n his latest work, U.K. artist and photographer Marcus Lyon chose 100 Detroiters through whom to tell the story of Detroit. Using a mix of photographic portraiture, proﬁle, technology and ancestral DNA, i.Detroit – A Human Atlas of An American City is a research-based, peopleled exploration of the city. The Kresge Foundation caught wind of a similar project Lyon had done in Brazil and wanted to commission and fund a repeat here. “I mean, it was a pretty easy 'yes,'” Lyon says. “I always had a deep fascination with the city, really from a very young age. I think a lot (of it was) driven by the musicality of your city, but also just a sort of sense that it was somewhere I needed to understand.” Lyon found that many of the Detroiters he approached for the project had their guards up, ready to defend our humble city. Why should they trust him to tell our stories 14 BLAC • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

accurately? What made him different from all the other misguided outsiders who’ve made up their minds about Detroit before ever touching down? “When we listened to that, we had such strong intentions to tell the right story in the right way,” Lyon says. “That seemed to be the only way this was going to be something we’d be proud of as a piece of work.” Lyon and his team linked with Detroit native and musician L’Renee Hollins who acted as a local guide, accompanying them during most of the field production. “She helped us navigate so many different areas of the city – geographically but also emotionally.” The atlas opens with a handful of essays from prominent Detroiters including former city councilwoman JoAnn Watson. The main section is where you’ll find profiles of each of the 100 i.Detroiters – Rashida Tlaib, Satori Shakoor,

George N’Namdi – which include their portraits. Scan a photo with the i.Detroit app and it’ll activate a soundtrack of that person telling their story. Also within each person’s section is a DNA map of their journey, with a breakdown of their ancestral origins, and a map of their birth and life in Detroit. – P.G.

marcuslyon.com/artworks/idetroit

Connect with AARP Michigan Live Virtual Events in November and December

BRENDA PRICE, AARP Michigan Associate State Director for Community Outreach

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

appy Holidays, everyone! AARP Michigan will offer a variety of free, live virtual events and workshops in November and December that provide learning opportunities ranging from nutritious meal planning and fitness activity to dementia detection and cancer screening. Go to the AARP Michigan Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/ aarp.michigan/live/ for details on how to register for these and other virtual events that will soon be scheduled, including programs such as fraud prevention, retro-fitting your home to age in place, and family caregiving. After closely monitoring COVID-19 developments and taking precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local public health agencies, AARP has canceled all in-person events through December 31. The viral outbreak will not keep AARP Michigan from reaching out with relevant programming for the 50-plus. We are now offering virtual online events and opportunities for members and the general public that will take the place of the usual in-person events. Stay tuned for information about 2021, but it is likely virtual events will continue to be on tap into the new year. These programs will be available in the coming weeks: Cancer Screening and Prevention will be offered Tuesday, November 10 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. Learn about the lifesaving benefits of cancer screening from Natasha Robinette, M.D., chief of imaging at Karmanos Cancer Institute. Nutrition: Building a Plate for Optimal Health will be offered on Thursday, November 12 at 6 p.m. Learn how to build a healthy plate for long-term health. Portion size, meal frequency and color will be discussed in great detail to make you feel more confident at the dinner table.

CHECK OUT

My Car Keys are in the Fridge... When to Worry When You Start to Forget is part of our Learn a Latte series, offered on Wednesday, November 18 at 10 a.m. Forgetting where you put your keys isn’t a concern, but finding them misplaced in the fridge might be. Learn the difference between normal forgetfulness and early signs of dementia. Easy Tech: Using Smartphones and Devices to Stay Connected will be Thursday, November 19 at 10 a.m. The Smartphone can be your gateway to the world. An AARP instructor will guide you through photo sharing, video calling, apps for groceries and goods, virtual checkups and exploring apps. Physical Activity and Fueling Your Body will be available on December 10 at 6 p.m. Physical activity can help you be healthier and happier in all areas of your life. Learn how to properly fuel exercise, support muscle growth and overall recovery from training! Housing Solutions - When You Can’t Live Alone is on the calendar for Wednesday, December 16 at 10 a.m. This is also part of our Learn A Latte series. We all want to remain in our homes as we get older but what happens if that’s not possible? Join us to learn about some alternative housing options to ensure your independence and well-being is cared for. Remember, check back for the links to these live events on the AARP Michigan Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/aarp.michigan/live/ If you would like to know more about becoming an AARP Volunteer please email bprice@aarp.org. Enjoy the holiday season. Stay safe. Safe Visits to the Dentist During COVID-19 with Dr. Sheila Armstrong, DDS, on Monday, November 30 at 11 a.m. on Facebook Live.

THE FRAUD WATCH NETWORK AT

aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 15

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DISCOVER By Nick Pizana and Arianna Smith

DINE-IN

DOMES

For Chef Nigel Fyvie, Dr. Lloyd Talley and Kwaku Osei-Bonsu – the organizers of Detroit Black Restaurant Week – their new restaurant is more than just an innovative approach to COVID-safe dining. EastEats is an example of what it looks like when an entire community embraces a project. “This started on a whiteboard in Kwaku’s ofﬁce – and, from there, it just exploded into all of this,” Fyvie says. EastEats is in the JeffersonChalmers neighborhood, one of the oldest in Detroit, occupying a formerly vacant lot behind Osei-Bonsu’s home. Inside the space, 10 geodesic igloo-style domes sit on pagodas surrounded by succulents and strung with fairy lights. Osei-Bonsu says the furniture inside each dome is crafted from recycled or repurposed material. Shipping crates and thread spools have found new life as loungers and tables. Osei-Bonsu says, “It’s crazy how quick this all came about. I think we put this together in three months. We wanted to upcycle as much as we could from local areas, and give people a nostalgic feel for when we could go and be comfortable around others without stress.” On Oct. 9, EastEats held a grand opening for a limited number of guests. Every aspect minimizes risk for patrons and staff. Reserva-

16 BLAC • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

tions and orders are placed beforehand on Tock, and server interactions are limited to brief check-ins. Cooking is done in an onsite food truck. Fyvie, a restaurant aficionado who most recently managed Cooking with Que, says the menu offerings were curated for flavor, accessibility and safety. They do “tiny dining” with a rotating seasonal street food menu. “It’s the east side to the Eastern hemisphere. The first stop was Asia, but this winter, we’re traveling to the Bangladesh, India, Yemen areas,” Fyvie says. “And it was important to have delicious vegan and vegetarian meals for people like me with diet restrictions at prices that let everyone experience something fresh and new.” EastEats was almost entirely put together by hand by the community, and the excitement is through the roof. When I was there for the opening, a stream of cars and pedestrians stopped by to show enthusiasm and congratulate the owners. – A.S.

1018 Navahoe St., Detroit @easteatsdet easteats.us

GROUP S

WORK

chool and work are two things that have drastically changed in 2020. As the global pandemic forces jobs and schools to shift online, many parents are stuck between juggling their careers and helping their children through remote learning. TechTown, the Detroit hub that provides workspace and resources for entrepreneurs and startups, is solving this problem for their members with a new educational program known as the TechTown Coworking Classroom. Students attend the program while their parents work onsite. In each session, kids are divided by age and placed in small groups. Each weekday, students attend up to two three-hour sessions where they work on their school’s remote learning curriculum. While they work, students will be assisted by two educational practitioners, certiﬁed teachers and advanceddegree professionals.

Just like other in-person learning programs, the classes follow strict safety protocols including health screenings, frequent sanitization and requiring masks while indoors. The TechTown Coworking Classroom also offers extracurricular activities provided by The Lab Drawer, a Detroit-based educational subscription service. The activities focus on STEAMrelated disciplines to build the students’ creative and problem-solving skills. Parents can work on their projects while knowing that their children are getting their education as well. Although the program is currently only open to TechTown members, the public can join by signing a membership agreement prior to enrolling. – N.P.

@techtowndetroit techtowndetroit.com

HEALTH ADVICE FROM ASCENSION MICHIGAN

Why is Being Vaccinated Against the Flu Important in the Fight Against COVID?

s a family medicine physician with Ascension Medical Group who focuses on preventative care in an effort to screen for serious diseases and conditions, Dr. Kwame Francis says, “No amount of precaution is too much precaution.” While he acknowledges that many of us are sick of hearing about COVID-19, talks of preventative measures are incredibly important as the temperature drops and the number of new infections spike. One way we can be proactive is to be vaccinated against influenza. “It’s always important to get the flu vaccine every year because the strains can vary, and it’s doubly important now because the symptoms of influenza can overlap with symptoms of COVID,” Dr. Francis says. “It’s better to guard as best you can against both risks rather than try to distinguish one from the other later.” According to Dr. Francis and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu include feeling feverish,

experiencing fatigue, chills, muscle pain and headaches – and could be attributed to either infection. And because COVID-19 is a virus that primarily affects the respiratory system, its effects can easily be confused with symptoms of other cold-weather respiratory illnesses, including influenza. “The only way to distinguish CO-

Kwame Francis, M.D.

certain groups about the safety of vaccines may leave patients questioning the injection, but Dr. Francis says getting one every year is really the best way to protect yourself in the current flu season as well as upcoming ones. “A flu shot is basically a mixture of a few strains that we predict might be most virulent and widespread during

“It’s always important to get the ﬂu vaccine every year because the strains can vary, and it’s doubly important now because the symptoms of inﬂuenza can overlap with symptoms of COVID.” VID and influenza from the symptoms is a test. Luckily, Detroit made free- and low-cost testing pretty available since the start of the pandemic, but I think we’re definitely about to see an increase in test rates and probably diagnoses,” Dr. Francis says. Doubts raised by

flu season. We can’t get all of them in one go, though, so repeated prevention is best,” Dr. Francis says. Just like the symptoms of COVID and influenza overlap, so do the demographics most at risk. The CDC reminds us that “older adults, people with certain

underlying medical conditions and pregnant people” are at higher risk for complications from COVID. Dr. Francis says, “Each family should discuss their unique household risks with their physicians and make an informed decision, since risks vary among households.” Facing flu season while the threat of COVID-19 remains prevalent will be a challenge in Detroit where COVID-19 impacted the majority-Black community disproportionately. “Metro Detroit is a resilient community and, despite challenges of health disparities, I am hopeful that our residents will be responsible,” Dr. Francis says. “I do a lot of community work and outreach, and I would say that African Americans understand why vaccines are important. There have been historical conflicts between minority communities and health care professionals, but seeing a physician that looks like you helps to bridge these divides. Family physicians are particularly adept at building long-lasting, trusting relationships with their patients,” he says.

GET MORE HEALTH INFORMATION AND FIND A DOCTOR NEAR YOU BY VISITING ASCENSION.ORG/MICHIGAN OR CALLING 866-501-DOCS (3627) BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 17

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POP ART

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

By Paris Giles

BOOKS The Purpose of Power by Alicia Garza Co-creator of Black Lives Matter Alicia Garza pens this recounting of the two decades she spent as an organizer long before #BlackLivesMatter (One World). Guided by the philosophy that people start movements not hashtags, Garza gives us a glimpse at the lessons she’s learned along the way while exploring our new generation’s less patriarchal, more inclusive brand of activism.

A Promised Land by Barack Obama In this highly anticipated first volume of presidential memoirs, Barack Obama offers a firstperson account of his improbable journey from a young man searching for his identity to the 44th president of the United States of America (Crown). Taking us through the Oval Office, the White House Situation Room and beyond, the former president recounts his earliest political aspirations and the pivotal moments of his first term. Release date: Nov. 17 African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song edited by Kevin Young Gathering 250 poets spanning the colonial period to present-day, this collection is the biggest, most ambitious anthology of Black poetry ever published (Library of America). Across a turbulent history and from cultural meccas like Chicago, Harlem and the Bay Area, African American poets reflected and reacted to American realities, and this volume packages the best of it accompanied by biographies of the featured poets.

Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo As her father lay dying, 12-year-old Azere promises him that she’ll marry a Nigerian man, even after immigrating to Canada, in this novel (Berkley). As an adult, Azere’s mother is vigilant about making sure she keeps that promise, forcing her to wade unsuccessfully in the Nigerian dating pool. But, after a one-night stand with the tall, handsome – and white – Rafael Castellano unexpectedly turns serious, Azere is forced to choose between her feelings and pleasing her mother while honoring her father. Can she be with Rafael without compromising her identity? 18 BLAC • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

TV & FILM Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey This musical holiday ﬁlm directed by David E. Talbert is chock-full of yuletide spirit, starring Forest Whitaker, Phylicia Rashad and Keegan-Michael Key – with original music by John Legend (Netflix). Decades after his apprentice betrays him, a once-joyful toymaker ﬁnds new hope when his young granddaughter shows up on his doorstep. Release date: Nov. 13

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Starring the late Chadwick Boseman alongside Viola Davis, this ﬁlm, based on the award-winning play by August Wilson, is produced by Denzel Washington and directed by George C. Wolfe (Netﬂix). Set in Chicago in the 1920s, we follow tensions between trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey – “Mother of the Blues” – her band and her management. Release date: Dec. 18

Industry This series follows 20-something recent graduates as they traverse the cutthroat world of international ﬁnance and compete for a limited number of permanent positions at a leading bank in London (HBO). With an outsider from upstate New York at the helm – Harper played by Myha’la Herrold – the grads run on youth, raw ambition, drugs and romance while we explore issues of gender, race, class and privilege in the workplace.

Time Filmed over two decades, director Garrett Bradley’s Sundance award-winning documentary follows Fox Rich’s 21-year struggle to free her husband Rob from the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola (Amazon Prime). The couple both commit a robbery in the ’90s in a moment of desperation for which Rob was convicted to 60 years in prison. As Fox raises their six sons alone, she ﬁghts for love and family – and against injustice. BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 19

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APPRAISED By Nick Pizana

INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE

onrad Egyir is a Ghanaian-born and Detroit-based artist whose bold and striking portraits have been making waves in the art world. Egyir’s interest in art began at an early age. In 2008, he moved to the United States to study at Judson University, a liberal arts college in Illinois, later getting his MFA in painting at Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2018. He stayed in metro Detroit since his graduation, showing work locally and nationally. Last year, Egyir had solo exhibitions at Library Street Collective in Detroit and at Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco. His experiences in his travels lend a large influence to the themes in his work. “I wondered, how do I make my work unique? Coming out of school I started to find that voice,” Egyir says, “focusing on themes of empathy and migration, and people of the diaspora.” His portraits reflect his travels and the variety of Black people he has met across North America and Africa. He incorporates images like stamps and notepad papers to reference these themes of travel. His large-scale paintings have a sense a majesty. One of the most surreal moments for Egyir was when two pieces from his San Francisco exhibition were purchased by Beyoncé and used in her Black is King film earlier this year. His current solo exhibition Terra Nullius is currently on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit through Jan. 10, 2021.

@conrad_egyir conradegyir.com mocadetroit.org 20 BLAC • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 21

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IN STYLE Curated by Paris Giles

Statement Peace

Boho looks perfect for the chic but chill chicks that keep organic veggie straws in designer bags.

Autumn Adeigbo Sade Blouse White $465 • autumnadeigbo.com

Autumn Adeigbo Mila Dress $725 • autumnadeigbo.com

Brother Vellies Springbok Billfold Bag $1,600 • brothervellies.com

Andrea Iyamah Kayman Pants $135 • andreaiyamah.com

Brother Vellies Wilson Loafer $615 • brothervellies.com

22 BLAC • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

Fe Noel

Caribbean Pride Pant $348 • fenoel.com

Autumn Adeigbo Victoria Dress $565 • autumnadeigbo.com

Edas

Fenty

Prime Earrings $75 • edas.store

Cropped Psychedelic Shirt $420 • fenty.com

Edas

Edas x Cameron Tea Handbag $298 • edas.store

Fenty

Parachute Boots $670 • fenty.com

Fe Noel

Sass Pleated Skirt $568 • fenoel.com

BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 23

D LIFE

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

Detroit Poet Tommye Blount’s Full-Length Collection Selected as Finalist for the National Book Award BY DESIREE COOPER

ccording to Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage.” Never has that been truer than when going to the movies with a Black audience. That’s because as soon as the lights dim, it’s not quite clear who is actually on stage – the actors on the big screen, or the wise-cracking audience in the seats. Sadly, Black moviegoing has gone the way of house parties because of the pandemic. “The theaters being closed has saddened me,” says poet Tommye Blount, my friend who knows everything about movies. “I miss the people chattering around me and annoying me. I miss the largeness of it. I miss being in the dark with strangers.” Blount is a Detroiter who is like an on-screen superhero himself. By day, he’s a 41-year-old affable account manager for a graphics company, locked down in his Novi apartment because of the coronavirus. But by night, he’s an intrepid poet, wielding searing observations about race, sex, queerness, violence – and the conflation of all four. This fall, his first full-length book of poetry, Fantasia for the Man in Blue, was chosen as a finalist for the prestigious National Book Award. A feat that poets struggle a lifetime to achieve; Blount has done it in a single bound. Detroit life features prominently in Fantasia, like the theater in the poem “Late Show at the Americana.” Remember that citadel in Southfield where Detroiters flocked to see first-run features because there were no theaters in the city?

We fondly called it “the Africana.” The going was good at the Americana until one winter when I took out-of-town guests there to see a holiday blockbuster. We were greeted by metal detectors, as if we were leaving the country, not just escaping reality for a few hours. “Is this how you watch movies in Detroit?” one guest asked, much to my humiliation. I never returned to the Americana after that, and eventually, it closed. But Blount took me back there in his powerful poem. In reciting the process of being searched in order to see a movie, he slides easily into the bigger picture of Blacks being the subject of all manner of intrusive searches, from strip searches, to cavity searches, to searches of cars and homes. In his hands, the Americana is a metaphor for America itself, as Blacks have been forced to follow the most humiliating protocols to do the most ordinary things. He concludes: “The movie house/ was a country of star-gazers – all in the dark/ looking up into all of that light./ And everyone knowing their places.” The cover of Blount’s book is a painting by Peter Williams entitled Portrait of Christopher D. Fisher, Fourth Reich Skinhead. The original work, which hangs in the Detroit Institute of Arts, is a depiction of the 20-year-old who tried to assassinate Rodney King. Blount said that he’s always been drawn to the soulshuddering canvas, which looks like a mottled, skinned head. Dark and foreboding, it also conjures black-

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face, as if when you skin a racist, you might ﬁnd a Blackness underneath. The painting inspired Blount’s poem “My God, Lick Him Clean,” where the horrors of the slave trade haunt a present-day sexual encounter between the Black narrator and a “white boy.” Time and time again, his work forces us to wonder if interracial love can easily separate desire from historical revenge. Blount describes parts of his book as “ghost mapping” the

ing his nephew braid his daughter’s hair. “I wish I were his daughter,/ held in his lap’s hull as he/ braids a world for me/ right in the crown of my little head,” he laments. Blount, who is used to working in isolation and quiet anonymity, is struggling to cope with the public attention to his work. “I’m so grateful for it,” he says. “But it’s hard to process. How do you process the

“The movie house/ was a country of stargazers – all in the dark/ looking up into all of that light./ And everyone knowing their places.” – Late Show at the Americana

city. That is, revisiting places and memories that shaped him growing up queer in the conservative Black community, then layering them with a new grid. “I’m building my own Black, queer world with its own rules,” he says. One of those “places” is his father’s death, where Blount uses the language of the autopsy to eulogize him. In “Of His Daughter’s Hair,” he recalls watch-

unimaginable?” You do what your writing has required of you. You take off your costume, go to centerstage and take a bow. Fantasia for the Man in Blue is available from Four Way Books. DESIREE COOPER IS THE AUTHOR OF KNOW THE MOTHER.

LIFE

LIQUID

n Oct. 14, we invited community leaders to BLAC’s first filmed roundtable discussion around water access and justice, moderated

by Lynda Jeffries, Ph.D., senior consultant with The Leadership Group. Some of the most impassioned quotes gleaned from that exchange are in the pages that follow. Find the full video online at BLACdetroit.com and on our social media platforms.

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Photos by Sydney Kispert-Bostick

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LIFE

LIQUID

ON EQUITABLE WATER ACCESS …

“

EVERY CELL IN OUR BODY IS 70% WATER. WE CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT IT. PUBLIC HEALTH DOES NOT EXIST WITHOUT WATER – PERIOD. THE FIRST EVER DOCUMENTED SET OF STUDIES IN EPIDEMIOLOGY, INTERVENTIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, WERE ABOUT POLLUTED WATER AND HOW IT WAS MAKING PEOPLE SICK.”

“

Any time the people that are without water are predominantly of color, we really have to start looking at it not just as environmental justice but racial injustice.”

ON THE PANDEMIC AND WATER ACCESS …

– SANDRA TURNER-HANDY, ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR OF THE MICHIGAN ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL

ON WATER JUSTICE PIONEERS …

“

It is a lot of strong Black women that have led this fight, be it because they’re mothers, be it just because they’re Black women and they’re uplifting and securing families, but they have led this fight in every ring.”

–TURNER-HANDY

– ABDUL EL-SAYED, M.D., EPIDEMIOLOGIST, ACTIVIST AND FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DETROIT HEALTH DEPARTMENT

“Without cleanliness of water or access to water, you don’t have what you need to be able to live a healthy, dignified life.” – EL-SAYED 28 BLAC •NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

“

In February and March, the first piece of advice that anybody was given, even before we knew that masks were effective, was that you’ve got to wash your hands with warm, soapy water for 20 (seconds). And if you’re in a community where that water doesn’t run or it doesn’t run clean, then your ability to follow that basic advice – which, by the way, is still important, basic advice – becomes impossible.” – EL-SAYED

ON THE PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACTS OF WATER INSECURITY …

“

(Detroit is) a city where 60% of the households are headed up by women of color, with anywhere from two to four children. So, just that threat that you may not be able to bathe them, fix their bottle, prepare them for the next day to go to school, keep their dignity and you go to work … it was impacting them on a deep level that was not only impacting them in terms of psychosocial distresses, but also their health. – MONICA LEWIS-PATRICK, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WE THE PEOPLE OF DETROIT

ON WATER RATES AND AFFORDABILITY …

“

IF NESTLE CAN BOTTLE UNLIMITED AMOUNTS OF OUR WATER FOR $400 A YEAR, THE COST ISN’T THE WATER – THE COST IS THE INFRASTRUCTURE. AND HOW WE ASK COMMUNITIES TO PAY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND WHOSE INFRASTRUCTURE TO PAY FOR IS THE HEART OF THE EQUITY QUESTION.”

“

Assistance plans are designed to fail – always. Somewhere down the line, you’re going to get a balloon payment that you can’t make. The idea is how do we make water affordable based on income?”

ON REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE AND COLLECTIVE POWER … “AS A COLLECTIVE VOICE, WE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS.” – TURNER-HANDY

–TURNER-HANDY

– EL-SAYED

“

ON MAKING CHANGE ...

“The U.S. government up until the late ’70s was contributing about 68% to 69% of the dollars that went into water infrastructure. They’re now only contributing between 7% and 9%. So, that gaping hole in terms of budgetary obligation has left legacy debt on communities like Detroit.” – LEWIS-PATRICK

“WE DIDN’T STOP WITH DETROIT, BECAUSE WHAT WE RECOGNIZED IS THAT POLICIES THAT ARE JUST GEARED TOWARD THE NEEDS OF DETROIT BECOME DEEPLY RACIALIZED IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. … WE THE PEOPLE OF DETROIT SENT ME ALL ACROSS THE STATE TO BE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT IT WASN’T JUST ABOUT DETROIT, BUT IT WAS ABOUT FIGURING OUT A PATHWAY FOR ALL MICHIGANDERS.” – LEWIS-PATRICK

What we need to do and what we need to recognize is that there’s power and there’s finesse – and we’ve got to come with both. You hit with the hammer a couple times, but always be ready for the change.” – EL-SAYED

“

Today’s opponent can be tomorrow’s friend. Sometimes we get so caught up in the narrative of enemy versus supporter that we sometimes don’t use the opportunity to persuade and to engage, to call on people’s best instincts.” – EL-SAYED

ON DETROIT’S STARRING ROLE IN THE FIGHT … “We sit on 23% of the world’s fresh water. We are the same city that put the world on wheels. We are still today the arsenal of democracy. So, we are at a critical point, because so goes Michigan, so goes the nation. But what we know is so goes Detroit, so goes Michigan.” – LEWIS-PATRICK

BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 29

SHOT 0

CLOCK

A COVID-19 vaccine could be just weeks away for the most vulnerable. Here’s what we know so far. BY PARIS GILES

lack folks don’t need much help distrusting the health care system. No need to recount our history and current dealings with the racially biased structure – we’re all familiar. So, when talk of a COVID-19 vaccine inevitably comes up in conversation, our reaction is typically a half-shoulder shrug and a skeptical, “Y’all go ﬁrst.” It doesn’t help that the development process has been hastened. Still, wariness respected, it’s important that we center science and facts over fears and speculation. Black Americans are almost ﬁve times more likely than white Americans to be hospitalized due to complications from COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – and more than twice as likely to die. The possible availability of a vaccine in the coming weeks is something to which we need to lend particular attention. So, what’s the real deal?

WHAT IS

OPERATION WARP SPEED? In May, an initiative was adopted with the goal to fast-track the production and distribution of 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, with initial doses to be available by January 2021. Operation Warp Speed is a collaboration between several government agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC, the National Institutes of Health and others to accelerate the development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. The name of the program, it seems, was meant to instill confidence, to make us feel like these entities are moving with urgency. It may have had the opposite effect, helping to spur fears that corners were being cut and safety sacrificed to rush a vaccine to market. It can take years to develop a vaccine, and so the process is being hurried – but that’s because operations that are typically carried out sequentially are being completed simultaneously. Under normal circumstances, clinical trials are concluded and, once a concoction is approved by the FDA, manufacturing is figured out – and then

distribution, supplies and other particulars. But everything’s being handled all at once. Clinical trials are happening while a plan for distribution has already been crafted. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told NPR in late October, “Before anybody starts to worry, I also want to reassure everybody (that) we are not doing this by cutting corners. These will be vaccines that are tested with the most rigorous standards for safety and efficacy.” Collins also said that he was “guardedly optimistic” that a vaccine could be approved by the end of the year, late November at the earliest. Under Operation Warp Speed, the companies looking to be the first to develop a COVID vaccine also have a significant amount of government support, to the tune of $12 billion dollars. The federal government started with 14 candidates, and then whittled that down to the most promising to back during earlystage clinical trials, before moving on to large-scale randomized trials. BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 31

WHAT’S THE

CLINICAL TRIAL PROCESS?

Sponsors – the federal government, in this instance – select methodology and developing candidates through lab research and animal trials. With FDA approval, human trials begin, which happen in three phases.

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

assesses safety in a small number of volunteers.

assesses safety and efﬁcacy in slightly larger study groups.

assesses efﬁcacy in a large population against control groups. Larger than usual groups are being used in COVID-19 trials.

HOW DO

VACCINES WORK? Coronaviruses have a spike-like structure on their surfaces called an S protein. This protein attaches to human cells allowing the virus to penetrate the cell and then reproduce. A vaccine that targets this S protein may prevent the virus from binding to human cells and reproducing, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, different approaches are in the works.

32 BLAC •NOVEMBER • NOVEMBER2020 2020••BLACdetroit.com BLACdetroit.com

LIVE VACCINES use a weakened – or attenuated – form of the germ that causes a disease, prompting an immune response without causing disease. These vaccines are used to protect against measles, mumps, smallpox and chickenpox. The problem with live vaccines is that extensive safety testing is required, and they could pose a concern for people with weak or compromised immune systems.

INACTIVATED VACCINES use a killed version of the germ that causes disease, triggering an immune response without causing infection. They’re used to prevent rabies, Hepatitis A and the ﬂu. The downside with inactivated vaccines is that they may not provide protection as strong as when a live virus is used. Multiple doses followed by booster doses are often required to provide long-term protection.

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED VACCINES use genetically engineered RNA or DNA that has instructions for making copies of the S protein. With this vaccine, an immune response is triggered with no need to actually handle any infectious virus. While genetically engineered vaccines are in the works, none have been approved for human use.

WHO ARE THE FRONT-RUNNERS –

WHAT ARE THE

KEY DATES?

JOHNSON & JOHNSON (JANSSEN) March 30: The Department of Health and Human Services announces $456 million to fund the company’s candidate vaccine. July 27: Phase 1 clinical trials begin in the United States.

MODERNA

Aug. 5: HHS announces about $1 billion to support the largescale manufacturing and delivery of their investigational vaccine candidate.

Sept. 22: Large-scale, Phase 3 clinical trials begin in the U.S., with 60,000 participants to be recruited.

Oct. 12: The company temporarily pauses its trial after a study participant’s “unexplained illness.”

Oct. 23: Johnson & Johnson announces that it will resume Phase 3 of its randomized, double-blind trial after the mystery illness – a stroke – was deemed unrelated to the vaccine. Oct. 30: The company announces that it will begin testing its experimental vaccine on youth ages 12 to 18 “as soon as possible.”

March 16: Phase 1 clinical trials

ASTRAZENECA AND OXFORD UNIVERSITY May 21: HHS announces up to $1.2 billion to support AstraZeneca’s candidate vaccine, being developed with Oxford University.

Early September: Phase 3 trials are put on hold after a participant in the U.K. developed a spinal cord injury. Oct. 9: HHS announces a partnership with the company for latestage development and largescale manufacturing of its cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies that may prevent or treat COVID-19.

Oct. 23: The FDA gives the OK for trials to continue in the U.S.

begin, with a fast-track designation from the FDA.

April 16: HHS makes up to $483 million available to support Moderna’s candidate vaccine. July 26: An additional $472 million is given to fund late-stage clinical development.

PFIZER

July 27: Phase 3 clinical trials begin, the ﬁrst government-funded trial to enter this phase.

$1.95 billion to support the largescale manufacturing and nationwide distribution of 100 million doses of their vaccine candidate.

Aug. 11: HHS announces $1.5 billion to support the large-scale manufacturing and delivery of Moderna’s investigational vaccine candidate.

Oct. 29: The company announces that it’s “actively preparing” for the launch of 20 million doses by the end of the year.

July 22: HHS announces up to

July 27: Phase 3 clinical trials begin.

Oct. 27: Pﬁzer and its partner BioNTech announce its Phase 3 44,000-person clinical trial is just 2,000 enrollees away from being full.

BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 33

WHAT’S THE

DISTRIBUTION PLAN? If all continues according to plan, initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine could be available in a matter of weeks, but don’t count on automatically being able to walk into your local drugstore and get a shot just quite yet. Because available doses will be limited to start, American most at risk will likely be ﬁrst in line. If supplies are limited, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices – a federal advisory committee made up of medical and public health experts – will recommend priority for:

• HEALTH CARE PERSONNEL • ESSENTIAL WORKERS • PEOPLE AT RISK FOR SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS DUE TO UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS

The World Health Organization recommends that if you can get vaccinated, do. You’d be protecting not just yourself, but members of your community who aren’t able to be vaccinated. In mid-September, the Trump administration released its COVID-19 distribution plan, developed by HHS, the Department of Defense and the CDC. Once the FDA approves a vaccine, the strategy outlines four key tasks to get it out, which are to:

Engage with state, local and tribal partners, and the public, to communicate public health information before and after distribution starts to promote vaccine confidence and reception.

Ensure safe administration of the vaccine and availability of necessary supplies.

• PEOPLE 65 AND OVER Also, those with weakened immune systems or allergies to components of the vaccine may not be able to be vaccinated. And, of course, some people will choose not to get the injection. Vaccinating enough of the population may help with herd immunity, offering some protection to those who aren’t vaccinated.

Distribute vaccines immediately under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization, using a transparently developed, phased allocation methodology.

Monitor necessary tracking, distribution and administration data.

In October, under an Operation Warp Speed program, agreements were made with CVS and Walgreens to administer COVID-19 vaccines to residents and staff of long-term care facilities at no cost. The pharmacies will work directly with the facilities to coordinate on-site clinics when a vaccine is approved and available. It’s expected that three visits over about two months will be necessary to effectively administer the required doses. John Standley, Walgreens president said in a statement, “Ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly among our most vulnerable populations, will be critical to saving lives and helping our nation recover from the pandemic.” PARIS GILES IS BLAC DETROIT’S SENIOR EDITOR. 34 BLAC • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

o dress t t n a w u o y e e air to mak h t in ip n a le. We e p k li o e g p in e h t it r o o n v ’s here with your fa d a re b k a fever re b in b d a n C a . p fe u li y z o t o up, c etting back g t u o b a ll a e e’r ith recipes w g n lo a , o get it – and w S . woods yet e h t f o t u o e got a few t ’v o e n w e , ’r il e a t w k , c h o g c stive ﬁzzy aside, thou fe a d olidays. n h a e h re t v o u t e t s ’o a d o s t hor ind as you m in for a luscious p e e k o t ERSON t safety tips DAVIDE AND n a iz n PHOTOS BY g o c ID COV

Cheers! CRANBERRY MIMOSA Limes Colored sugar (green or red) Champagne Cranberry juice Toothpicks threaded with cranberries Rim champagne ﬂutes by rubbing with lime wedge then dipping in colored sugar. Pour a splash of cranberry juice, about two ounces. Fill ﬂute with champagne. Garnish with lime wedge and cranberried toothpicks.

Safety First

Help keep yourself and your party guests safe with these easy tips. • Limit your guest list to a small group with whom you feel safe. Consider inviting couples or families to reduce the amount of different households present. • Ask your guests to lie low in the several

days before your get together, and, of course, to stay home if they’re experiencing any questionable symptoms.

• Check temperatures at the door. Have cute to-go bags ready with hors d’oeuvres, an

38 BLAC •NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

individual wine bottle and a small gift. If someone reads higher than normal, graciously ask them to skip the party and enjoy their treats at home. • Make masks available to guests who are more comfortable

covered up. Set them out on fancy trays or in festive baskets. • Set up sanitation stations with hand sanitizer or antibacterial wipes near the food, in the bathrooms and in the main hang-out area.

NIKOJI’S FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITION?

“As a family, we pick out a Christmas tree and later have it ﬂocked a color. Our daughter picks the color each year.”

the

Our party guests are dining on delicious small bites catered by Annabel Cohen Cooks Detroit.

Sesame Egg Salad Pastry Cups with Caviar Lobster Roll Bites Almond and Za’atar Turkey Meatballs in a Cranberry Sauce Bacon and Goat Cheese Baked Mini Potatoes Open-Faced Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches

40 BLAC •NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

LANIE’S FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITION? “Cooking family faves and trying new things!”

INDIVIDUALLY PORTIONED, GRABAND-GO FAVORS ARE A TASTY AND SAFE BET.

n i o l r e f e e d B Ten Sandwiches 1 ¼ pound uncut beef tenderloin 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper 12 or more baguette slices Parsley for garnish FOR HORSERADISH SAUCE: ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 tbsp. white horseradish STEP 1 Preheat oven to 475 F. Place beef tenderloin in an ungreased small disposable or metal roasting pan. Drizzle beef with oil and season with salt and pepper.

STEP 2 Bake for 15-20 minutes for medium-rare. Allow the beef to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into very thin slices. STEP 3 Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and spoon a bit onto each beef slice. Fold the beef slices in half so that the sauce is in the middle. Place the folded slices on the bread rounds and top with the parsley leaves (use a toothpick to hold the beef folded on the bread, if desired). Serve at room temperature. Makes 6-8 servings.

BLACd

etroit.c

Visit om/Ho

for all t he recipes .

lidayMe

BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 43

Credits

the Location A special thanks to David and Jim for letting us use their stunning Northville home.

44 BLAC •NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com

Party guests (back row) Porter Smith, Samantha Alessandri, Nelson Sanders, Lanie Dixon, Michael Dixon; (front row) Nikoji Smith, David McKnight, Jim Dunn

Décor Emerald City Designs @emeraldcitydesigns emeraldcitydesigns.com

Caterer and food stylist Annabel Cohen Cooks Detroit @annabel_cohen_cooks_detroit annabelcooksdetroit.com

Photographer Davide Anderson @davidefoto davideanderson.com

access DETROIT | NOVEMBER 2020

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

s more establishments have been allowed to reopen, let’s go over the current need-to-know rules of engagement. We recommend calling ahead or checking the website of the spot you’re looking to visit for speciﬁcs before heading out.

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.

BARS & RESTAURANTS • Restaurants and bars have been allowed to reopen at 50% capacity, with six feet of separation required between groups. • In bars, restaurants and other indoor social gatherings, parties at a single table are limited to six people. • Bars and restaurants are required to collect the name and phone number of at least one person in your party for contact tracing. • 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.

RETAIL & ENTERTAINMENT

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

• Indoor theaters, cinemas, performance venues, arcades, bingo halls, bowling centers, indoor climbing facilities, trampoline parks, performance venues and more have reopened with guidelines.

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

• Indoor, nonresidential events and gatherings may not exceed a maximum of 50 people.

• Outdoor, nonresidential events and gatherings may not exceed 30% capacity, with a maximum of 1,000 people with ﬁxed seating. • Casinos are open but restricted to 15% capacity. • Retail stores have been allowed to reopen at 25% capacity for stores with less than 50,000 square feet of customer space.

Sources: detroitmi.gov/departments/parks-recreation, detroitpubliclibrary.org, michigan.gov BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 47

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D LIFE

SEEN

Photos by Sydney Kispert-Bostick

Playing Hard at the Garden Bowl Bowling alleys have ofﬁcially reopened, and on Oct. 23, we caught up with the folks at the Garden Bowl in Detroit enjoying some good old-fashioned Friday night fun.

BLACdetroit.com • NOVEMBER 2020 • BLAC 49

D LIFE

SEEN

50 BLAC •NOVEMBER 2020 • BLACdetroit.com