April 29 edition_final

Is Detroit’s $400 Million Investment in Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Accessible for Black Detroiters?

Money. A5

New Return Generation Floetry’s Detroit Took Me Back to the 35 Years of Supporting C O M E R I C A Comerica Celebrates

of Black Tennis Stars

HOMEFRONT eginning of

B

Love

the Nation’s Largest City.Life.Style. B1 UNCF Walk for Education Scholarship Roots. A3 City.Life.Style. B1 Fundraiser

M ichigan C hronicle Michigan Chronicle

Vol. 87 – No. 2 | September 13-19, 2023

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All Black Everything:

Vol. 89 – No. 35 | April 29 - May 5, 2026 Vol. 87 – No. 3 | September 20-26, 2023

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New Season, UAW Same Mission: ATriple NightStrike of Elegance and Excellence at the 10th Annual Michigan Chronicle 40 Under 40 Against Detroit Fix the Damn Roads

By Governor Gretchen Whitmer Automakers springtime in Michigan. That means ByIt’s Ebony JJ Curry more SENIORsunshine, REPORTER warmer temperatures, and the anticipation of a Pure Michigan summer.

It also road night, construction Late means Thursday Sept. season is back. a bigmoment deal thisunfolded year. Thanks to the 14, aThat’s historic largest bipartisan roads deal in Michigan hisin American labor relations as tory, we’re fixing more state and local roads the United Auto Workers (UAW) than before,alowering costs for drivers unionever initiated strike against and creating tens of thousands of jobs.

Ford, General Motors (GM), and When I ran office in 2018, Stellantis.

For forthe first time, Michigan roads shape.

Drivers white-knuckthe were unionin bad took simultaneous led it over too all many roads action against threepothole-plagued major Deand bridges.automakers.

Businesses dealt with unreliable troit-based The action infrastructure that made it13,000 harder to move involves approximately goods and grow.

Too many Michiganders UAW members in assembly plants on carOhio, repairs spent across more Michigan, and and Mis-dealt with daily frustrations just to get where souri, who walked off trying their jobs troiters. The symbolism of Black beekeepers revitalizing

By Ebony JJ Curry they to labor go. I heard that complaint evafterneeded existing contracts extheir city is a powerful testament to the resilience and SENIOR REPORTER erywhere I went in 2018, and it’s one of the pired at 11:59 p.m. ingenuity of our community. reasons I made the promise to fix the damn Shortly before midnight on As the night unfolded, we had the privilege of honn a breathtaking celebration of talent, determinaroads.

Sept. 14, GM released a statement oring other outstanding individuals, each carving their tion, and the unyielding spirit of Black excellence, expressing disappointment with the Michigan Chronicle marked its 10th Annual own path to success. Clement “Fame” Brown, the crethe strike action,40despite 40 Under event offering Thursday evening. This year’s ative mind behind Three Thirteen Detroit’s Brand Name, what termed anin“unprecedented soirée,it drenched the theme “All Black Everything with received the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award. economic package” that included Gold Accents,” transcended expectations and essential- Brown’s commitment to empowering the city through

By Sam Robinson historic wage increases.

Stellantis ly illuminated the golden gems within the true essence fashion and entrepreneurship has left an indelible mark.

I

niably commendable.

Amidst the glitz and glamour, the event also showcased the diversity of talent within our community. From Paris T. Prichard, a forensic scientist pushing the boundaries of her field, to math wizards like Donna Laster, who

Democratic, Civil Rights Leaders Call to Protect See 40NAACP UNDER 40 page A2 Voting Rights at 71st Annual Detroit Dinner Greektown Had 1.4 Million Visits This Summer and No Shootings

of Black excellence. Hosted by the charismatic SENIOR duo ofREPORTER “Entrepreneur of the year – that’s a big deal,” said Andre Ash and Lynzee Mychael from Michigan Chroni- Brown. “It’s always an honor to be honored and it’s Opposing Republican-backed efforts cle’s Finally Friday, the night was a triumph for the city always a blessing to be in a room full of so many talentto add more restrictions to voting was of Detroit and its vibrant community of young Black pro- ed, accomplished, and popular people that look like me. the theme of the Detroit Branch NAACP's fessionals.

I’m geeked. I started making and selling clothes as a kid gala Sunday, which included appearances and I always knew that I would have a business, but I The evening sparkled with a golden promise from as we civil rights icons and Democratic ponever knew it would be Detroit’s brand name business, celebrated remarkable individuals from various litical walksleaders.

DPD Chief James White Says Increased of life. Among the honorees were the brilliant and vi- so I take a lot of pride in the fact that our business repThousands of people converged inside Police Presence Culled Violence sionary co-founders of Detroit Hives, Nicole and resents our city’s pride.”

As governor, I’ve kept my promise.

Over Lindsey downtown Detroit's Huntington Place for Timothy Paul Jackson.

Theirthe work has not only changed Taking home the Corporate Excellence Award was the past several years under Rebuilding the 71st annual NAACP Freedom Fund

By Andre Ash the landscape beekeeping farming in De- Dannis Mitchell, Director of Community Engagement at Michigan plan, ofwe’ve rebuilt and and urban repaired Dinner, which raises money for the orgaDIGITAL ness district that had been the lifeblood ofANCHOR towards mending the wounds inflicted on troit expressed butthealso exemplified theinthe transformative impact By– Ebony JJ CurryBarton Malow. some of busiest roads across state also disappointment nization.

Black Detroiters and restoring a sense of bethe community.

Black professionals can have on their communities.

“It is so important to recognize that there are young SENIOR REPORTER modernizing bridges, and filling potholes, a statement, saying the company Ruby Bridges, the first African AmerA stringlonging of shootings that wasinso callously torn away in It’s a history marred by pain, injus“Together we have created a social, environmental, leaders across the country, many that are born here in making commutes safercontingenand smoother.

This immediately went into ican child to attend formerly whites-only Greektown in mid-April left the past.

For manyLindDetroiters, Interstate 375, our or city tice,nationally and economic and financial impact through and bees,” said Jackson.

Detroit.

I represent and I devastation. tell people, More than work didn’t happen it wasn’t cy mode to protect itsovernight, operations. elementary school in Louisiana in 1960 both visitors and residents of I-375, has long been just another stretch of The I-375 Boulevard Project is about more sey followed that sentiment with, “It is through our local ‘Yea I’m a D-girl I’m from 130,000 residents,ofprimarily the west-side Detroit,’”Black, were always was consistent.

The easy, UAWbut hasit branded the in-Every conhonored with NAACP award Sunday. this bustling downtown des- historical injustices; it’s urban highway, a concrete artery connectthan just correcting partnerships and collaborative efforts that we exist in Mitchell expressed.

“But more importantly, I’ve been able forcibly displaced.

Families were uprooted, struction project as youthe pass“Stand-Up is part of the larger dustrial action U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeftination inabout awe. One of these ing different parts oftothe city.

To some, it’s redefining the future. It will connect over 28 plus locations managing the health of 4.5 milhave experiences withingenerational an industrywealth that not many of was obliterated, and a effort tofocusing make sure Strike,” onMichiganders specific plantscan rely on fries, D-New York, was also a featured shootings downtown tragically Detroit claimedto surrounding neighbora mere convenience; to others, it’s an unrelion honeybees – humbly speaking our movement has us, specifically women of color, have the opportunity to thriving community was torn asunder.

The the roads beneath them. within each automaker. UAW guest and speaker. the life of a popular and bemarkable part of their daily in commute. inspired others locally, was nationally, and even internationengage and I’veHowbeen thewounds youngest personby in the room, inflicted I-375 run deep, tran- hoods, bridging the gap that was placed upon a step forward, Rebuilding Michigan President Shawn Fain stated, “This loved security guard follow"We are not, have never been a hopeever, there’s a deeper, far more troubling allyittowas takea on similar missions.” the only Black person in the room, the andphysical the onlybarrier Sistah of ina freeway to the city decades ago. scending but fix. Fixing the damn strategy willshort-term keep the companies ing a dispute with a patron. less people, and we cannot start today,” story founded beneath the of this seemingly the room, and I really had to articulate thesoul importance penetrate the very of Black Detroiters.

Today, allegedly the resurgence of Paradise Valley Detroit a pioneering organization by surface roads meant finding a long-term, sustainguessing.

ItHives, will give our nationThe male suspect Bridges said on stage. ordinary freeway—a story of pain, showing up,displacegiving chances others won’t, standsbefore as a fleeing testament to the indomitable Lindsey Jackson, harnesses the power of urban bee- of Thiswhen painful legacy can and be traced back able planand – one that didn’t just address state al negotiators maximum leverage shot the guard Bridges was the of James Jeffries ment, and theCity. lastingbeing impact onrecipient Black Detroipersistent.”

Asthe a trailblazing Black woman last month needed to and make ballot. If spirit of Black Detroiters thetheenduring said.

"Here thrivin America, we should keeping tobut revitalize neighborhoods the Motor highways, local roads and bridgesintoo. to the nation’s interstate highway program and flexibility in bargaining.

And the scene, while his female Weldon Achievement ters. issues ing in aLifetime predominantly male-dominated her to without theofsignatures are certified the state, legacy Black excellence.

Thiswith historic disbe able to industry, agree to aimed disagree Their initiative onlyweRepublicans addresses critical like Johnson Last we gotnot it out, done. and of 1956—a program that connect ever if weyear, need to go all will. companion is accused of conAward.

She spokeisabout how her parents unwavering commitment to fortifying the connections The tale begins in what now Lafayette the Republican-backed initiative will being disagreeable with each other.

At trict, once a vibrant hub for Black businessenvironmental conservation but also provides valuable Democrats, labor and business, counties and DPD Chief James White the country but often did so at the expense Everything is on the table.” Union cealing the weapon in her bra. were driven by the desire forneighherand children businesses Detroit’s communities undePark,toonce known as between Black Bottom—a make the November ballot.a renaissance the samecommunities. time, Iiscan assure you that we es and culture, is experiencing education andalso employment opportunities Black Demunicipalities all came together to deliver of marginalized In the case of leaders have indicated that incidents unfolded during an days. unseasonably to have an education they lacked. Her will continue to speak truth to These borhood rooted in African-American culture power at that harkens back its glory The de"They have to collected over 700,000 sigthe largest plants roads funding in Michigan’s additional could bedeal targetI-375, it meant carving a path through the warm spring, leading to increased pedestrian traffictorn and father, a World War II veteran, was disand history. Named after its dark, fertile heart ofallBlack timesDetroit, as we navigate our way through struction of — Black Bottom may have natures that means people have been history.

We’rewaves investing in our infrastructure ed in future if negotiations reinforcing segregatensions in the densely populated downtown by racialduring disparities in the mil- trials, the turbulence and theheightened soil, Black illusioned Bottom flourished the midtribulation apart a thriving community, but the resolute keyed up for that, and they paid a lot of for the long haul. remain stalled. tion, and perpetuating inequality. area. itary, she said.

1900s, nurturing the dreams and aspirations of this moment." determination of a new generation of entreto get these signatures.

And somemoney Now, because the of that work, more MichFain clarified union’s stratFor one to aptly recognize the harm The surge intimes crime and the influx ofreclaiming visitors to Dewerelike both sharecroppers of prominent "They Detroiters Coleman Young, in a preneurs and visionaries isknow that people may not what they've Jeffries, among other speakers on stage iganders will have safer, smoother drives egy: “I want to give a major shoutcaused by such projects, it is vital to note that troit’s downtown core garnered the attention of theoffice Detiny town in Mississippi where educaJoe Louis, and numerous other Detroit leglost legacy. signed.

Somebody in the store, post including Anthony, mentioned the federal –out whether they’re heading to work, school, to the thousands of members some of the planners and politicianstroit behind Police Department (DPD), catching them somewhat was a luxury that they did not ends. But tion in the name of urban renewal in hold," you toof sign and you signed because effort tobuilt require IDsdirectly to vote through in elections.

Inasked the heart Paradise Valley, Blackor thearestore.

Drivers who on the picketwill linesdeal rightwith fewer those projects them off guard.

Bridges said. "We are all standing on the the 1950s, this vibrant neighborhood was a person looks so pitiful."

Underpinning the proposal are conspiraowned businesses are not just flourishing Housing Resource Helpline in tires and costly repairs.

Thousands of popped now fighting for all of us.

The

By Andre Ash the heart of vibrant, populated communiand dreamserased of someone thatresponse came hopesdismantled, systematically from the White, Chief ofoffering Police for the Detroit Police Decy pushed by PresidentJames Donald but thriving, diverse services, prodto theories the challenges Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist told Michiworkers will have jobs helping Stand-Up Strike is agood-paying new approach ties—oftentimes to reinforcethat segregation and said: DIGITAL ANCHOR before us." map, and replaced by a lifeless stretch of aspartment, “We were caught somewhat flat-footed Trump and his allies suggesting large ucts, and experiences that pay homage to the residents face in navigating the gan Chronicle that lying to get people to to our infrastructure.

And to rebuild striking.

Instead of striking allbusinesses sometimes as part of a direct effort toright replace phalt. out the By designthe we way went theGilchrist spring Detroit Branch NAACP President cities areofsomehow rigging their elections pastgate. while paving forinto a prosperous sign petitions should be illegal. complex system housing serwill have the reliable roads they need to keep plants at once, select locals will be orthe eliminate Black neighborhoods. deployment, which is less than the mid-summer deployHomelessness continues to Rev. Wendell areas Anthony ahead of While the residential boresaid the brunt in favor of Democrats. future. jazz clubs soul food restaulastFrom weekend earnedtothe Democratic ParMichigan’s vices.

The helpline provides a called toeconomy stand upmoving. and walkwith out plagueonurban communities, But now, after decades of enduring ment,the and saw ty's we say an uptick in violence that first dinner during a press conference Sunday of this demolition, the heart of Black Bottom, rants, the Black Press, and art galleries to nomination for Secretary of State.

Despite there being no evidence to sugsingle point of contact for people on strike.

This is our generation’s Through the end ofgrappling this construction families and individuals scars of I-375, there is a glimmer of hope warm weekend.” security was beefed after its thrivingafternoon business center, remained largelyupseeking fashion boutiques, this revivalleaders is breathing Gilchrist joined NAACP Sunday gest large scale improprieties, Republican housing assistance and answer to the movement that built season, we will have fixed more than 26,500 with the challenges of making on the horizon.have Plans have been unveiled White Houseclubs, Correspondence untouched.Saturday's Restaurants, theaters, and connects Chief White attributes the violence in Greektown to life into thefor very essence of what once against made calling an opposition campaign capitulated totomany leaders them with themostly resources our sit-down strikes of lane miles road, nearly 2,000clibridges, and endsunion meet –of inthe today’s economic transform this once-divisive freeway into a acDinner shooting where a suspect was arbars—the very places that brought Detroit’s a combination weather conditions andcultural a surgeepicenin popthis of neighborhood a vibrant the GOP-back voting initiative. within their base who believe Trump 1937.

We told the Big 3 that Sept. they need. supported tens of thousands of jobs each mate. Whether it’s struggling to vision seeks tothe right theelection. wrongsulation. of the ter. It’s a resurgence that extends beyond rested and charged with concenattempting to that Black community together—were tually wonhelpline 2020 14 was the deadline andthose we meant "Our message is it's already illegal if year.

So, when you see orange barrels Support for the comes meet monthly mortgage payments past while heralding a new era of inclusivity assassinate the president among other trated around Hastings Street, the epicenter brickyou’re and it represents thethat resurHe explained, “ Wemortar; saw downtown we it. gave the soaring companies our econot anumbers citizen,” Gilchrist said.

“If on your drive...remember to slow down.

Anthony told Michigan Chronicle from the Gilbert Family Foundaor We coping with rental costs and community revitalization. charges. culture in the city. of African-American gencesomeone of a spirit that refuses to be subdued. have not seen, ever.

People are emerging from COVID nomic demands eight weeks ago gets discovered attempting to There are Michiganders at work.

And if you during the afternoon press conference he tion, which has pledged $10 milin a housing market marked by Fueled by more $100 milliona concerted from thanked law enforcement and cruel twist of fate, Hastings lion there’s a Detroit feeling that we’re in a post-COVID era… and ityourself took more than a month to just howThen, in aJeffries City Councilman Fred do that, they get prosecuted andDurhal held acfind complaining about to bethan overexpects three years toa participant fund the inand shockingly high prices, a variety Investment and Jobs Act who were tasked with later, keepingthe theInfrastructure Street, too,all was obliterated a few years and with the downtown andneed the reasons to come get to the table.”

III,venues representing 7, to where countable.

WeDistrict will make Eastern sure that much construction see…growI’m sorry, but to Metro oppose the Americans for Citprogram.effort Wayne Commuof factors contributeyou to the and other partners, this ambitious project dinner safe on Sunday. making way for the construction of I-375. down within all the resides, activities that going on, we saw Market told theare Michigan Chronicle, you’re welcome.

Because construction season Dunn izens Votingmanages proposal, union is pushing for a comJulie Schneider nity Action Agency thewhich turned ingThe issue of people becoming un- Meagan create jobs, remove tosignatures eco- of This marked the final blow, sealing the acceptable," fate aims towell hundreds people and,inDINNER in young “It’smore still very early theparticularly, process, MDOT "Political violence is never is open, we’re building a stronger, over requiredbarriers 450,000 prehensive list of demands.

Thissafer MichSee NAACP Page A-2is helpline, making ittheaccessible to housed. of Black Bottom and signaling the beginning nomic growth, and reconnect the neighborfolks, teenagers that we hadn’t seen.” igan for tomorrow. all Detroit residents. This initiative simplifies access to the See INVESTMENT Page A-2 Historically, shelterspage have provided a temporary respite of the end for Paradise Valley, the Black busi- hood with the rest of Detroit. It is a Responding step See UAW STRIKE A2 swiftly to the surge in violence, DPD for those in need, often serving as the first or second option City’s various housing services, ensuring that residents in adjusted its deployment plans. Rather than waiting for after exhausting alternatives like staying with friends or need can easily find assistance. mid-summer, they deployed officers in the spring itself family. Shelters offer a place to rest one’s head and a warm “The city and its partners offer a lot of great services to address the situation. meal, albeit sometimes for extended periods. For others, to help Detroiters with their housing needs, but they don’t The rise in visitorsretaries; to the Greektown area is evident he’s a veracious mailer being unhoused means living in cars or makeshift outdoor mean much if people don’t know how to access them,” said

By Sam Robinson in data from Placer.ai, a location analytics company telling voters what he’s doing.

I get settings.

Mayor Mike Duggan. “Thanks to the efforts of our partners SENIOR REPORTER because of discrimination, but they specializing in visit trends and demographic insights calls asking to join his town halls By Lynzee Mychael The causes of homelessness are as diverse and complex and the generous support of the Gilbert Family Foundation, were also coming because Black through geolocation-enabled mobile devices.

From on a regular basis too.

He’s at every JOURNALIST we now have a simple process to guide residents to the right At-Large Detroit City as the individuals experiencingMULTIMEDIA it. In response, the City of Council was some stuff.

May 1-Aug. 27, 2022,people thereDistrict weredoing 1.3meeting; million visits and 13th he’s When doing housing resource and a growing number of programs to member Mary Waters is running Detroit has adopted a holistic approach to combat this issue. did starttodoing things 655,000 visitors to Greektown, according Placer.ai. the Black job.” people From the days ofMichigan’s the Greathelp Mithem.” for Congress in 13th “Providing services and high-quality housing to personsof Black inyear, the these city?numbers They started doing In the same period this increased to a gration when thousands Financial records revealed District, which isiscurrently repreThe Gilbert Family Foundation’s broader commitment at risk of or who are experiencing homelessness a key invisitors. this area in the 1800’s.

1.4 million visits and things 670,000 families flocked to Detroit in search fund connected to the American sented

by Democrat U.S. Rep. Shri pledging $500 million to support projects across priority of the City of Detroit, said Julieand Schneider, In the 1800’s the major thingboth that ofThanedar. jobs a betterDirector life, to theinvolves pivAs Detroit’s downtown area continues to attract Israel Public Affairs Committee Detroit over the next ten years, with housing initiatives of Detroit’s Housing and Revitalization Department. werespent doing in Detroit is they otal role they played in the city’s residents and visitors,they the police department has $2 imple(AIPAC) more than milWaters’pipeline name of appears on thea significant part of their contribution. being were the leadersWaters in fight against “This means focusing on building culturaltheand musicalsup-heritage, mented various enforcement measures to the manage the inlion to attack in the final Wayne County Clerk’s unofficial Mayor’s Special Advisor slavery.

The Underground Railroad Notably, Detroit has witnessed a consistent decrease in portive housing and coordinating with the Continuum of an inBlack Detroiters have left creased population. Notably, metal detectors have been weeks of the race. list of candidates for the 13th DisTerri Weems Outlines is the rootGreektown in the city to of deter Detroit recent years, with the number of unhoused residents steadiCare on the of critical resources suchon as the emergency delible mark city. However, strategically placed throughout theto What adelivery Federal The 13th Congressional District trict. The list was obtained by the all of this Black innovation that you ly declining.

In 2019, approximately 7,847 people were unshelter, rapid rehousing, and diversion prevention in recentand years, Detroitprohas expeHow State Grants Will Help illegal carrying of firearms.

– which encompasses parts of DeGovernment Shutdown Michigan Chronicle on April 21, and entered the City’s community response system. see coming later.” housed grams. It also means preserving and expanding affordable rienced significant gentrification, “We have strategically key points, “ troit placed and 19them otheratWayne County the filing deadline for candidates.

In 2021, about 5,687 people experienced homelessness. housing options for Detroiters of all incomes and improving Could Mean which has raised concerns about like Aretha Chief White explains.municipalities It Musical has been alegends deterrent for some, – is among the poorBlack service Democrats have been housing stability though comprehensive offerings the displacement of long-standing Marvin Gaye, and the According to the City of Detroit, since the start of the and some have testedFranklin, it.inIfthe younation. are legally carrying a est for Detroiters? trying to takeSimilar the seatto back fromyear 2019 to 2021, Detroit saw a 28% decrease in the available through the Detroit Housing Resource HelpLine Black residents. a setting sound emerged from Defiscal weapon and carrying Motown a CPL, have a great day.

If you’re Another challenger, state Rep. Thanedar, an Indian American and Detroit Housing Services Division within HRD.” sun, there’s a rising spirit, and Black troit, providing a soundtrack for the Donavan McKinney, launched See COMBAT HOMELESSNESS page A2 businessman, since his their self-funded See POLICEcivil PRESENCE Page who A-2 Detroiters are reclaiming rights movement and inspirIn May 2023, the City of Detroit launched the Detroit place his campaign last April, pointed to a crowded Demo- August 2024 Democratic primary, for sure,” political strategist Greg ing generations. Motown Records, incampaign the city, won despite the challenges the lack of investment in the area, cratic primary election in 2022.

Bowens told Michigan Chronicle. taking 54% of the vote, defeating posed by gentrification. founded by Berry Gordy Jr., was not arguing Thanedar has “more in “Mary’s tough campaigner Waters, took 34%time, of the these vote. long west who sides.

Over afteraour current phase of with gen- just Thanedar more than $10 and a record label but a symbol of During thespent Great Migration, common with Donald Trump and high name recognition.

It doesn’t became incenters of trification. million inofhis 2018families campaign for neighborhoods Black excellence and empowerment.

Waters’ campaign 2024 was thousands Black from Elon Musk than people like us.” her anything to coming run. It would culture entrepreneurship. governor.

PriortotoDetroit that, he endorsed byand former Detroit Mayor cost “Black people were to Dethe South came in served search a Black However, as Detroit faced eco“It will be nearly impossible (to be hard to beat Shrichurches on a goodwere day. nomic term the Michigan Legis- Mike Duggan,towho is running for troit According Historian Jamon because Black ofsingle jobs in the in booming automobile decline and population loss with more than unseat He presents himself as a true-blue lature before being elected to Con- Jordon governor as an independent.

Black resilience in the city here, black schools were here, and in the Thanedar) industry.

Despite facing discriminalate 20th century, many Democrat.

He did the articles of gress. has roots that extend far before the its was BlackDigital businesses here,” said Scan to Sign for the Daily Newsletter tion and segregation, they built vi“It’s the not QR the Code best news for Up $2.00 impeachment against cabinet sec- See MARY WATERS Page A-2 and will persist “They were coming of course wonon reelection the Great brantThanedar communities the city’sin east $1.00 youngMigration Donavan (McKinney) that’s Jordon.

See LEGACY page A2

Can Reparative Investment Finally Heal the Wounds Left by I-375?

All Hands On Deck to Combat Homelessness A Holistic Approach to Providing Shelter and Support for Detroit’s Unhoused People

WHAT’S INSIDE WHAT’S INSIDE

Mary Waters Announces Bid to Unseat Shri Thanedar as 13th District State Rep.

Black Resilience Amidst Gentrification: Reclaiming Detroit’s Legacy

Detroit’s Young Money. A5 Workforce Money. A5

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cine and healthcare, may what the Supreme Court be adversely impacted by will rule in the upcoming the decision to overturn days. Despite the deciElected officials are Roe v. Wade.

From page A-1 sion, advocates on both “What we are really sides of the argument are the rights of all women also working to keep Roe v. Wade intact thus concerned about is the willing to continue their are continued. holding off Michigan’s impact on our patients. pursuits.

“PPMI has been pre- 1931 trigger ban. Gover- Access to abortion is al“Overturning Roe v. paring for this moment nor Gretchen Whitmer ready out of reach for far since the results of the released a statement too many Michiganders, Wade would be a terrible break with nearly 50 years 2016 election were final. saying, in part: especially Black people of judicial precedent and 1452 Randolph • Detroit, MI 48226 • Phone: (313) 963-8100 We recently filed a lawand people of color who “The words ‘Roe over– more importantly – a Publication No.: USPS 344-820 suit to stop the 1931 law face additional barriers OFFICE HOURS: from going into effect, turned’ are no longer to care as a result of sys- blow against individual ADVERTISING DEADLINE Mon.-Fri. 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and we’ve also asked the theoretical. I want every temic inequalities and in- freedom. It is my hope Classified: 3 p.m Friday Copy, corrections and cancellations, Closed Sat. and Sun. state courts to affirm that Michigander to know— stitutional racism. Losing that the majority of juspreceding the Wednesday publication. the Michigan constitu- no matter what happens access to legal abortion tices will reject the findThe Michigan Chronicle is in D.C., I’m going to fight Display: 12 p.m. Friday ings of this draft.

If that is tion does already contain published every Wednesday. will impact those compreceding the Wednesday publication.

Periodical Postage, a right to abortion. Our like hell to protect access munities most, forcing not the case, we need to For all news and calendar items: paid at Detroit, MI. Deadline is two weeks prior to event. advocacy arm, Planned to safe, legal abortion in people to become parents stand with Senate MajorMichigan…”

Price $1.00 and other post office. ity Leader Schumer and Weeks that contain Parenthood Advocates of or expand their families Gov. Whitmer in support MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU holidays, deadline is Thursday prior More than legal impliMichigan, is a founding OF CIRCULATION against their will. Being of their efforts to preserve to publication date. member of the coalition cations, overturning Roe able to decide and conthat launched Reproduc- v. Wade would impact sev- trol if, when and how to the right to reproductive Freedom for All, a eral systems across the become a parent is cen- tive freedom,” said Chair ballot initiative to affirm spectrum. With the po- tral to building and living Alisha Bell, on behalf of POSTMASTER the right to abortion and tential to drive both foster a healthy, happy life,” the Wayne County ComSend address changes to: mission. and adoption numbers MICHIGAN CHRONICLE | 1452 Randolph • DETROIT, MI 48226 reproductive freedom in said Vasquez Giroux. the state constitution,” upward, a ban on aborBeyond the scope of candidates Portia Roberson said Vasquez Giroux. tions could leave many and state Sen. Adam Holli“The bottom line is that women to choose a less pro-choice versus prolife, the fight for reproer, among several other cansafe route restoring ‘back we will do everything in From page A-1 didates. our power to keep abor- alley’ and illegal abor- ductive choice is one of one candidate splitting the including freedom. As Michigan tion legal in Michigan, tion practices, McKinney’s campaign is throughout the dinner. night was New York Attorney Gener- Black vote and without a and if SCOTUS makes self-abortions. Moreover, officials work to ensure backed by U.S. Sen. Bernie al Letitia James, who gave an on stage each who finds real reason to boot him out,” Sanders, U.S. Rep. RashiBoth of Michigan's U.S.woman Senators women that impossible, we will African American shoutout herself in the position to to Michigan Attorney Gen- Bowens said. “It seems to spoke at the who dinner Sunday, U.S. Sen. of color, do everything we can and women eral Dana Nessel in her remarks for me that over the years, the da Tlaib, and the Michigan A-1 has access care Elissaa Slotkin U.S. Sen. Gary to already have long-sto-and choose to ensureFrom our page patients Working Families Party. standing withoutWhitmer, the threat of legal against Trump administra- importance for folks of Dewe are reminded have ried already history with Peters.

As access did Gov. Gretchen can access the that carewe they “Sen. Sanders has long tion amid efforts to obtain Michigan troit having Black represenaction,out,"many and inclusion in medisolved this problem, and that we don't need.” who offered a "Big Gretch, in the wonder been a progressive chamvoters' ballot data. tation has become less and need attempts to make it harder for final words of her speech, her last at pion for working class less so, sadly.

“AG Nessel is the holder of light Thegovernor. health committee it. as the sitting more people to vote or make itislature illegal adopts the dinner Americans and I am honand liberty in Michigan," James said recommends It’s been tough for those ored to receive his endorseto people who already can't vote." Increase Candidates school fundfor governor, Geneseereviewing as Nessel recorded part of her remarks state licensure policies to outside of Detroit, as well, ment,” McKinney said of ing: Statutory changes Gilchrist said he to County SherifftoChris Swanson, SecFrom page A-1expects there with her cell phone in her seat. address the barriers that Bowens said. increase the School Aid be a strong coalition opposing the retary of State Jocelyn Benson and Sanders’ endorsement last corporate boards to have Fund revenue by at least Black psychologists face James was the recipient of the “We haven’t been able to year. “His political courquestion shouldrepresentait be on the ballots of former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, more diverse in obtaining licensure in NAACP's Ida B. Wells Freedom and elect a Black person to Con- age and his commitment and Michigan votersthe thislegislaNovember.$3.6 billion leftestablish the Democratic Party to run who tion and pass Justice Award. She also condemned gress outstate, from Sagi- to doing the right thing — a permanent weighted Michigan. as an independent in 2024, were meetAnthony and other speakers on formula tion. funding based on thedisviolence at the White House Cor- naw to Muskegon.”

Ensure equitable even when it’s unpopular, ing with guests throughout the night. stage Sunday also honored life and student community Better collection and the Dinner Saturday night, tribution of state respondents health snapped DeThanedar even when it’s hard, even and legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson, who Duggan's seat the main stageall saying pre- onfunds: analysis of criminal jus- needs and universal Ensure Michi-“Political violence has no place troit’s 70-year streak of if he’s alone — are a true passeddata: awayBLAC earlier this year. school (0-3). remained despite nogan longer being the with tice recomin society...

I Yearn and pray for a being represented in Con- inspiration to me, as is his communities a mayor of Detroit.

Anthony, representmends significant Black compassionate, popucivil, competent and gress by Black leadership. commitment to fighting At onedata point,collection a group of middle Reject censorship in and professional analy-Rev.history ing himself, endorsed Dugganreceive for gov- adequate inclusive government in Washington, He won the Black vote in for a more just, more equal school-aged kids recited Jesse instruction: En- lation sis be initiated the couraging year in a move that funds to shocked address mental D.C.” Gov.last Whitmer Jackson's "I am with somebody.

Jaelen ernor Detroit’s 13th congressional America.” assistance of our health issues. insiders. to Jackensuresome theDemocratic goal for Party Reaves, 16, sang in aAttortribute to Sam can be reached at srobinson@ District Democratic primaYou can reach Sam at ney General, Michigan Michigan schools son, who was honored by speakers Protecting Blackmichronicle.com. voting Amongshould the other guests Sunday ry in 2022, defeating Black srobinson@michronicle.com.

Commission on Law be history instruction rights: Urge state officials Enforcement Standards that is presented by proto remain vigilant in the (MCOLES), Association fessionals with the subfight against schemes to of Michigan Prosecutors ject matter expertise, disenfranchise Michiganand other stakeholders pedagogical skills, and ders of color. to collect and judgment necessary some to of The initiatives the city has imple- and in neighborhoods where investment bility that larger conferences sometimes Bycollaborate, Jeremy Allen “BLAC members have analyze data strategically. present complex informented over the past five years. arrives in the form of one-off donations lack.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR worked hard to identify For people who are interested in parBan no-knock war- mation to students thatPhilanthropy has stepped in to fill instead of sustained giving efforts. the needs of the Black are grounded in provticipating in this sold-out forum, you can The conversations shaping Detroit’s future don’t rants: Urging the House gaps left by shrinking public resources, The panelists each operate within community and we feel able facts add to the Government always happen Operations in council chambers or and corporate watch live starting at 7:50 a.m. on May but that role raises ongoing questions. systems that attempt to address those these recommendations Committee boardrooms. to hold hear- understanding of mod13 by logging on to MichiganChronicle.

Who will decides what a neighborhood provide a solid first challenges, but the effectiveness of those ern-day America. ings on HB 5013 and other How towards are residents included in com/pancakesandpolitics, or by visiting Oftentimes, they take place over breakfast, where needs?step breaking systems often depends on collaboration. legislation thatjust would ban and the Increase those down decisions?

And what happens the stakes feel as high tone ismental a littlehealth Michigan Chronicle’s YouTube page. Adbarriers in educaor limit the On use Wednesday of no- supports more candid. morning, for Maythe 13, Black when philanthropic priorities shift?

Pancakes & Politics has built its repu- ditionally, Michigan Chronicle’s broadtion, community safety, knock quick will knock community: RecommendMichiganorChronicle continue to carve out that Those questions up in class- tation on creating space for those kinds cast partner WDIV/Local 4 Plus will health and show business,” warrants, and urging Michigan set a goal space with its third 2026the panel ing series of its Pancakes rooms lacking consistent resources, in of honest conversations, and the format stream the event live at ClickOnDetroit. said BLAC Co-Chair Dr. state legislature pass– this of increasing number & Politics speakers’toforum time with athe focus Donna L. Bell. of the forums allow for a level of accessi- com/pancakesandpolitics. arts programs fighting for sustainability, meaningful reform and of Black mental health that lands squarely on the intersection of philanthroBLAC will hold a viradvise Gov. Whitmer to service providers by 20% py and neighborhood impact. sign the bill after the leg- each year over five years. tual town hall meeting The third forum in the 2026 series feels both to discuss its policy rectimely and overdue, with a conversation about how ommendations on Thursphilanthropic dollars and leadership are influencing day, May 12 at 4 p.m. Join education, the arts, and long-term investment in DeBLAC and a virtual audipeople believe that they From page A-1Titled “From troit neighborhoods.

Detroit Neighborence in discussing the need to for themselves hoods to Regional Impact,” the discussion is expectthe chancellor embraces. andthe others to ways live better recommendations to suped to veer in the direction about tangible port the Black communi“I think of transfor- lives.” institutions are shaping daily life across the city. ty. mational leadership as a “Chancellor Ivery is The panelapproach brings together group of women thoughtful that aa true BLAC is housed in the whose work the core of thattransformational influence. causes peoplesits to at change Michigan Department of leaderFoundation and an outstandLewis Jackson the Kresge has Wendy but also causes the of sysLabor and Economic Oping CEO, who is more spent years funding strategies that ripple tems and directing circumstancportunity. Members repthanprojects, worthy arts of the through development ini-CEO of resent many professional es theycommunity are operating the Year Award he just retiatives, and public spaces. work often operates in to change too,” IvoryHerceived, “ said Prof. James backgrounds, including behind the scenes, but the results visible in corrisaid.

“Transformation- C. are Mays, who teaches economics, law, public dorschange where investment uncertain. al doesn’t once just feltentrepreneurship and safety, health and wellSkillman FoundaaskAngelique people Power, to do leading cer- the supply chain manage- ness, arts and culture and tion, things; comes into the conversation a focus onCorpo- media. They leverage their tain it asks them mentwith at WCCCD’s children andtheir education, reach extends“In intohis 27 experiences and expertise to change view but of her rate College. how systems eitherand support fail Detroit’s youngwhat’s possible ex- oryears at WCCCD, Dr. Ivery to make recommendaest residents.

Skillman’s role in shaping educationcites them to drive that has elevated WCCCD to tions to the governor on al outcomes, particularly in communities that haverecog- critical issues affecting change together because become nationally faced decades disinvestment, gives for her excellence a vantage and the Black community. they believe ofthat what nized point grounded both urgencyinnovation and accountability. they’re doing in will create and preparing To learn more about From the Knight Latrice McClendon positive change forFoundation, every- our students profession- BLAC and this upcoming representing an organization adds another one.

That’s layer, how entire ally and personally to do event, visit www.michithings that has increasingly prioritizedgreat Detroit as a in keythe cityworld.” gan.gov/BLAC. systems change because in its national portfolio. And her role as newly elected president of Detroit Public Schools Consolidated District brings even a different perspective to the conversation. Knight’s investments in journalism, civic engagement, and the arts have played a part in reshaping how Detroit tells its own story and who gets to tell it.

Kyliee Mitchell Wells rounds out the panel, bringing perspective from the Ballmer Group’s work across Southeast Michigan. That organization has adopted a data-driven approach to philanthropy, targeting systemic issues tied to economic mobility, education, and family stability. In a region where disparities remain stark, that approach has sparked both optimism and scrutiny about how large-scale giving can move the needle.

Together, the panel reflects a cross-section of influence that extends beyond individual programs.

These are leaders who help determine where money goes and how priorities are set.

Moderating the conversation is longtime Chronicle emcee Dennis Archer Jr., a familiar name in Detroit’s business and civic circles. As chairman and CEO of Sixteen42 Ventures, Archer has built a career around connecting opportunity with strategy, and his role as moderator positions him to push beyond surface-level answers.

The timing of this forum is important as Detroit continues to navigate a period of uneven recovery, where downtown development often grabs headlines while neighborhood concerns remain more complex and, at times, less visible. Additionally, Detroit is set to exhaust the $826 million in COVID-relief funding it received from the federal government in 2021 and will likely rely on philanthropic support to sustain

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A More Connected Wayne County Is on the Ballot This August Op-Ed by County Executive Warren C. Evans

If you own a car in Wayne County, you probably don’t think much about transit. You get in, you go.

But for hundreds of thousands of your neighbors, the absence of a reliable way to get around isn’t a minor inconvenience. It’s a daily calculation that shapes where they work, whether they see a doctor, and how far their paycheck actually stretches.

Wayne County is the largest county in Michigan. It is also one of the most transit-underserved. And right Warren C. Evans now, those two facts are colliding in ways that affect all 43 communities, whether they realize it yet or not.

The Gap Is Bigger Than Most People Know Seventeen communities within Wayne County have opted out of regional transit service. No fixed bus routes. No reliable connection to the broader system. In some of these areas, ridership demand is actually high. The routes just don’t exist.

For a shift worker in Inkster trying to get to a 6am job, that means Uber or nothing. For a senior without fixed-route service nearby, it means rationing doctor visits based on who’s available to drive.

For a young person who just aged out of school transportation, it means discovering that the county they grew up in wasn’t built for them to move around independently.

Car-dependent families can spend 15 to 20 percent of their income on transportation alone, a number that hits hardest for working families already managing rising costs on flat wages.

Why This Moment Matters Wayne County has had transit conversations before. Studies, frameworks, proposals. What’s different now is that there’s an actual decision on the table.

In August, Wayne County residents will vote on a transit measure designed around real demand data, not legacy routes or political compromise. The framework includes new routes, route extensions, and micro-transit options sized to fit communities that don’t need a full fixed-route system.

But a good framework doesn’t automatically become a yes vote. Trust in regional transit governance is uneven. Making the case for reconnecting means being specific about what changes, honest about what hasn’t worked before, and clear about who benefits.

What a Connected County Actually Looks Like Transit isn’t just about buses. It’s about whether Wayne County residents can reach jobs, healthcare, and education without it costing them half a day and a tank of gas.

A stronger transit system means a worker in Taylor can take a job in Dearborn without buying a second car. It means a family in a suburban community can get to a specialist without coordinating three rides. It means young people have a reason to stay in Wayne County because they can actually move through it.

That’s what One Wayne County really means. Not just connected roads, but connected lives.

WORKFORCE +

INFRASTRUCTURE Building the Bridge: How Wayne County

Is Connecting Its People to the Opportunities Already Here

W

ayne County has always had what it takes.

World-class infrastructure. A diverse, hardworking population. An airport that moves people and goods across the globe. Forty-three communities with real talent, real ambition, and real need.

What it hasn’t always had is a clear path connecting those communities to those opportunities. That’s the work happening right now. And it’s bigger than any single project or program. It’s a fundamental shift in how Wayne County thinks about what infrastructure actually means.

Infrastructure Is More Than Roads When most people hear the word infrastructure, they think of roads and bridges. And yes, Wayne County is investing heavily there. The $50 million Miller Rotunda bridge replacement in Dearborn and the $85 million Allen Road Grade Separation project are real, significant, and long overdue. Both have meant real inconvenience for residents, workers, and commuters. County Executive Warren C. Evans has been direct about that.

But Evans is equally direct about what comes next.

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” he said recently, “and it’s not an approaching train.” The Allen Road project breaks new ground within the month. Miller Rotunda completes this summer. When the work is done, Wayne County will have safer, more reliable connections across some of its most traveled corridors.

That matters. But it’s only part of what building a connected county actually requires.

The deeper investment is in people. Specifically, in making sure the young people growing up in Wayne County today can access the jobs that will define the regional economy tomorrow.

The Sky Is Not a Metaphor. It’s a Career Path.

Here is a fact that most Wayne County residents don’t know: 250 aircraft mechanic positions are expected to open in Michigan by 2032. Wayne County sits next to one of the busiest airports in the country. And right now, there aren’t enough trained workers in the pipeline to fill those jobs.

County Executive Evans, working with Wayne RESA, is building that pipeline.

The Aviation and Aeronautics Career Program is already active in 11 school districts across Wayne County.

Students are beginning aviation education as early as elementary school, building toward piloting skills, drone technology, and aviation maintenance by the time they reach high school and college.

If just 8 students from each of the county’s 33 school districts complete the aviation technician pathway, Wayne County graduates could fill every one of those 250 projected openings.

Wayne County Has Made Progress.

PROGRESS + ACCOUNTABILITY

Here’s What Still Needs to Happen.

For families navigating the real cost of education and the real uncertainty of the job market, this matters. Aviation maintenance careers offer competitive wages, longterm stability, and credentials that don’t require a fouryear degree and the debt that comes with it. In a county where more than 200,000 residents are already carrying over $7 billion in student loan debt, a workforce pathway that builds economic security without compounding that burden is not a small thing. It’s a lifeline.

One Wayne County Means Everyone Gets a Shot The through line connecting transit, infrastructure, and workforce development is the same in every case. Wayne County already has the assets. The airport exists. The jobs will exist. The school districts exist. What hasn’t always existed is the intentional, coordinated system that connects a kid in Romulus or River Rouge or Redford to the opportunity sitting a few miles away.

That’s what Evans means when he talks about One Wayne County. Not a slogan. A structural commitment to making sure geography, zip code, and family income don’t determine whether a young person in this county can access what this county has to offer.

The transit vote in August is part of this. So is the aviation program. So are the roads and bridges being rebuilt right now under real inconvenience and real investment.

Each piece is a component of the same larger project: a Wayne County where the connections between people and opportunity are real, reliable, and built to last.

What This Moment Requires None of this is finished. The transit framework still needs a yes vote. The aviation program is in 11 districts and needs to reach 33. The bridge projects will be complete this summer but the next round of infrastructure needs is already being mapped.

Evans is clear-eyed about where the county is. “We don’t just talk about hopes and dreams,” he has said. “We work with anyone willing to make those dreams real.”

That’s the ask for Wayne County residents right now.

Not blind faith in government. Not patience without information. But engagement. Showing up for the transit conversation. Asking whether your school district is part of the aviation pathway. Knowing what is being built, why it’s being built, and what your family stands to gain when it’s done. And voters should know that this proposed millage will replace the current millage, which means this is an all-in proposal. Because partial measures won’t get the job done.

Wayne County has always had what it takes. The work right now is making sure every resident can say the same about themselves.

For most residents, county government is background noise. It runs the roads, manages the budget, keeps the courts moving. You notice it most when something breaks.

What’s harder to see, and worth understanding heading into a consequential year, is what has quietly shifted over the past decade and what still has to happen for that progress to hold.

Wayne County has passed eleven consecutive balanced budgets, a streak that matters because the county entered the current administration carrying serious financial instability. Moody’s has since upgraded the county’s credit rating, a signal that fiscal discipline has been consistent enough to register with the people who track it professionally.

On public safety, Wayne County invested heavily in a regional violent crime reduction initiative that brought together city, county, state, and community organizations around shared data and coordinated strategy. Since that initiative launched, homicides in Detroit have been cut roughly in half. Non-fatal shootings are down 62 percent since 2020. Carjackings, which earned Detroit national infamy at their peak, are down 64 percent over the same period.

In November, the county launched

Rx Kids in six communities including Dearborn, a public health program that provides direct cash support to pregnant residents and new mothers during the first six months of a child’s life. Since launch, more than $1.5 million has been distributed to nearly 900 families.

These are real results. They are also incomplete ones.

The transit framework that County Executive Warren C. Evans has spent the past year developing with regional partners goes to voters in August. If it fails, 17 communities that currently have no reliable transit service stay that way.

The aviation career pipeline designed to connect Wayne County students to 250 expected aircraft mechanic openings by 2032 is running in 11 school districts. It needs to reach 33.

Progress in Wayne County is not a finished story. It’s a direction. Residents who want to be part of shaping it don’t have to wait for an invitation.

Learn what’s being built in your community, show up for the conversations that are happening right now, and make your voice part of the decisions that will define what Wayne County looks like five years from now. The door is open. The question is whether you walk through it.

Release: 03/18/26

Language: English

Emma Manola

Traci Filut

EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO ENSURE COMPLETE AND ACCURATE INFORMATION; BUT ERRORS MAY OCCUR. PLEASE CHECK THIS FILE CAREFULLY. NOT TO BE USED FOR COLOR APPROVAL.

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A5 | April 29 - May 5, 2026

Money.

Money Matters: What’s Up (or down) with the Economy?

By Mark S. Lee CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It’s an economy that looks better than it feels, especially for business.

If you’re trying to make sense of this economy, you’re not alone. The numbers say one thing – but everyday experience often says another. For businesses, that gap isn’t just confusing – it’s shaping real-time decisions.

On paper, there’s still momentum. Consumer spending remains surprisingly strong, with retail sales showing that Americans are continuing to open their wallets and purses. Job growth has Mark S. Lee held steady, and unemployment remains relatively low. From a distance, that’s a solid foundation for business activity.

But on the ground, the story is more complicated.

Consumer Confidence Slipping Consumer confidence has dropped sharply, and businesses are feeling it in subtle but important ways. Customers are still buying—but they’re more cautious, more selective, and more price-sensitive.

That shift is forcing businesses to rethink everything from pricing strategies to inventory and staffing.

Higher Household Costs Increased costs can lead to an adverse effect on affordability.

As households face higher costs for essentials, discretionary spending is tightening. For (small) businesses, that means fewer impulse purchases, longer decision cycles, and greater resistance to price increases. In response, many are absorbing higher costs themselves – squeezing already thin margins.

Housing adds another layer. Elevated mortgage rates have slowed the housing market, which doesn’t just impact buyers and sellers – it affects contractors, suppliers, real estate professionals, and the broader ecosystem of businesses tied to homeownership and development.

Then there’s energy. Rising gas prices are hitting businesses twice – once in their own operating costs, and again through their customers. Whether it’s delivery, logistics, or simply keeping the lights on, higher energy costs are cutting into profitability while also reducing consumer spending power.

Overall Business Environment The result is a business environment defined by tension.

Some companies – particularly those serving higher-income customers – are holding steady or even growing. Others, especially small and midsized businesses, are navigating a much tighter path. They’re adjusting hours, delaying expansion, rethinking hiring, and looking for ways to operate more efficiently without sacrificing service.

In many ways, this is becoming a test of adaptability.

Looking Ahead Businesses that are leveraging technology, including AI, to streamline operations and better understand customer behavior are finding ways to stay competitive. At the same time, there’s a grow-

michiganchronicle.com

Mayor’s Special Advisor Terri Weems Outlines How State Grants Will Help

Detroit’s Young Workforce

By Jeremy Allen EXECUTIVE EDITOR

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity recently announced the recipients of $3 million in Young Professionals grants and $1 million in Young Professionals Plus grants to provide youth and young adults with a meaningful introduction to the world of work, including career exploration and preparation, job skills, and earned income.

Young Professionals and Young Professionals Plus grants have been awarded to the state’s 16 Michigan Works! Agencies, including nearly $265,000 of the $4 million grant, were directed to the Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation (DESC). The grants statewide will support the creation and/or enhancement of locally developed Young Professionals employment initiatives to meet the unique needs of the communities they serve.

“With its focus on supporting underserved populations, including those with disabilities, the Young Professionals initiative prepares our future workforce to meet employers’ needs,” said LEO Director Susan Corbin in a statement.

“This initiative empowers young people to explore different career pathways by removing their barriers to employment, allowing them to pursue meaningful careers right here in Michigan.”

Young Professionals supports Michiganders aged

Terri Weems

14-24 years old who face barriers on the path to employment by exposing them to multiple career and educational opportunities, such as obtaining work experience or earning an in-demand training certificate.

Young Professionals Plus is supported by state funds and creates additional opportunities to engage youth who may not be eligible for Young Professionals funding.

In 2025, more than 600 young people participated in Young Professionals activities to explore a wide spectrum of career interests and pathways.

“Young Professionals allows our Michigan Works! partners to take a localized approach to support young adults, helping us close equity gaps, address talent shortages, and remove barriers to employment,” said LEO Workforce Development Director Krista Johnson. “This funding supports our future workforce by placing young adults on a path to achieve lifelong economic sufficiency.”

Michigan Chronicle recently connected about the grant to DESC with Terri Weems, the Executive of Workforce and Detroit at Work for the City of Detroit, and Mary Sheffield’s Special Advisor to the Mayor on Workforce.

We asked Weems several questions about how the grant would impact the organization’s efforts.

See DETROIT’S YOUNG WORKFORCE Page A-6

See THE ECONOMY Page A-6

Property is Power!

The Quiet Shift Making Homeownership Harder to Reach, and What It Means for Black People family wealth move with a distinct advantage. They can waive contingencies, absorb CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST higher monthly payments, and outbid comBy any conventional measure, the hous- petitors without relying heavily on financing market is “cooling.” Prices are no longer ing. Meanwhile, first-generation buyers surging at pandemic-era rates. Mortgage those building wealth in real time are asked rates, while still elevated, have eased slight- to compete in the same arena without the ly from their peak. Inventory, same tools. in some regions, is beginning High home prices alone to loosen on paper, this looks do not exclude people. High like relief. But for first-time prices combined with elevatbuyers, especially those withed interest rates, tight credit out intergenerational wealth, conditions, and aggressive this is not a recovery. It is a competition from cash buyers recalibration of exclusion. do. Add to that the burden of First-time homebuyers now student debt and rising rents, account for roughly one-fifth and what emerges is not of the market, a historic low. simply a difficult market, but That number is not simply a a structurally imbalanced one. statistic; it is a signal it tells The result is predictable us who the market is no Anthony O. Kellum access to homeownership is longer built for. not disappearing, but it is beThe dominant narrative frames today’s coming more conditional less about income, housing challenge as one of affordability more about existing wealth. homes cost too much, and borrowing costs And that distinction matters. remain high, hovering in the 6 to 7 percent range. This is true, but incomplete. The What This Means for Black Buyers deeper truth is more structural. The issue is For Black households, the implications not just that homes are expensive, it is that are particularly acute not because of a lack the pathways into homeownership are in- of aspiration or financial discipline, but becreasingly narrow, calibrated toward those cause of history. The median Black housewho already possess capital. hold holds a fraction of the wealth of the To understand this moment, we have to median white household. This is not incishift from thinking about price to thinking dental, it is the cumulative result of decades about position. Today’s housing market re- of policy, from redlining to exclusionary wards liquidity. Cash buyers, equity-rich lending practices, that systematically limithomeowners, and those able to leverage ed Black access to asset-building opportuni-

By Dr. Anthony O. Kellum

ties chief among them, homeownership.

In today’s market, that history shows up in very contemporary ways. Lower median wealth translates directly into smaller down payments. Smaller down payments translate into higher monthly costs and, often, less competitive offers. In a market where sellers favor certainty and speed, this can mean losing out repeatedly even when one is fully qualified.

At the same time, Black college graduates are more likely to carry student debt, often at higher balances. That debt affects debt-to-income ratios, reduces borrowing capacity, and delays the ability to save.

Layer in higher rental burdens in many urban markets, and the pathway to ownership becomes not just longer, but steeper.

What we are witnessing is not simply a continuation of the racial homeownership gap. It is its quiet reinforcement through

market dynamics that appear race-neutral but operate within a deeply unequal starting point and yet, there is another layer to this moment one that deserves attention.

Black homebuyers today are disproportionately first-generation. They are not merely purchasing homes; they are interrupting cycles. They are converting income into assets in families where that conversion has historically been obstructed. That makes their presence in the market both more precarious and more significant.

When the market tightens, it is not just individual buyers who are affected. It is the possibility of wealth transmission itself.

The Illusion of Access It would be easy to interpret recent shifts slightly lower rates, modest increases in inventory as signs that access is improving. But access is not simply about whether one can qualify for a mortgage. It is about

See HOMEOWNERSHIP HARDER TO REACH Page A-6

Page A-6 | April 29 - May 5, 2026 | michiganchronicle.com

Detroit’s Young Workforce From page A-5 MC: What was DESC’s operating budget for fiscal year 2025-2026?

Weems: DESC’s operating budget for 25/26 is $66 million. These funds support workforce development efforts across Detroit, including youth and adult employment and training, and employer partnerships.

MC: This grant is specifically aimed at young people. How will this translate into tangible outcomes for Black youth in Detroit, particularly those who are disconnected from school or the workforce?

Weems: This investment allows us to directly connect young people – especially those disconnected from school or work – to paid, meaningful experiences, career exploration, activities, and internships, including our signature program: Grow Detroit’s Young Talent. Additionally, it allows us to connect young people to our year-round youth career exploration and internship opportunities.

MC: What barriers are facing young Detroit professionals, and how will DESC prioritize dismantling those barriers with this funding?

Weems: For disconnected youth, the biggest barrier is often lack of access and opportunity – not lack of talent.

This funding allows us to meet young people where they are and connect them to our income and pathways forward across hundreds of employer partners.

With this funding, we are prioritizing two core barriers.

Access to first opportunities - Many young people don’t have networks that connect them to employers or career pathways.

Work readiness and exposure gaps - This is not a deficit in ability, but a lack of exposure to professional environments, expectations, and career navigation.

MC: Can you walk me through what success looks like a year from now?

What metrics or milestones will demonstrate that this funding has meaningfully improved economic mobility for Detroit youth?

Weems: We expect to see an increase both in youth working and in youth wages.

We already know that participants in GDYT have shown to have better school attendance, a higher graduation rate, and more often go on to pursue post-secondary opportunities. In addition to tracking the number of youth placed annually in summer internships

(over 8,000) and in year-round career exploration activities, we track the following: • The number of youth who obtain an industry-recognized credential; • Youth engagement and retention in our programs, including repeated engagement; • The number of youth who have obtained permanent jobs, who pursue post-secondary education, and stay connected to the workforce system.

MC: There’s often skepticism about whether workforce programs lead to long-term career pathways. How will this initiative ensure that participants are not just placed in jobs, but positioned for sustained growth and wealth-building?

Weems: We are intentional about placements. We’re not just matching young people to any job – we’re connecting them to opportunities aligned with their self-identified interests and career goals. Employers are part of that process, interviewing participants to ensure alignment from the start. That matters for retention, growth, and longterm success.

We’re also strengthening the connection between education and the workforce. We are working closely with our K-12 and post-secondary partners to embed career readiness, internships, and real-world exposure directly into the high school experience. This allows young people to build skills and explore pathways before they ever enter the full-time workforce.

For example, we are partnering with local labor unions to integrate curriculum into high schools so that students can graduate with industry-recognized experience and credentials. That creates a direct bridge into apprenticeships and high-quality careers, not just temporary jobs. At the same time, we’re expanding summer opportunities so young people can continue exploring and building on those pathways.

At a systems level, the mayor has also been very intentional about alignment – bringing leaders from K-12, higher education, and workforce onto transition teams and the Workforce Board to ensure we are building a connected pipeline, not fragmented programs.

Ultimately, our goal is not just placement – it’s progression. We want young people to enter pathways that lead to higher wages, stability, and long-term economic mobility, and that requires alignment across education, employers, and workforce systems. That’s what this initiative is designed to deliver.

Homeownership Harder to Reach From page A-5 whether one can compete effectively once qualified. This is where the current market reveals its deeper logic.

A buyer may be approved for a loan, have stable income, and demonstrate financial responsibility and still be structurally disadvantaged. Not because of poor decisions, but because the market increasingly privileges those who arrive with capital already in hand.

In this sense, the affordability crisis is misnamed. Affordability suggests a gap between income and price. What we are seeing is a gap between wealth and opportunity. That gap is harder to close.

Property is Power, and the Question Ahead If property is power, as this series insists, then the conditions under which property is acquired matter as much as the property itself.

The current housing market is not shutting people out explicitly. It is doing so implicitly, through a set of financial expectations that align more closely with inherited advantage than earned progress.

For Black buyers and for all first-generation buyers the challenge is not simply to enter the market, but to do so in a system that was not originally designed with them in mind and has not fully adjusted since. The question, then, is not whether the market will stabilize. It is who that stability will serve. Because a market that becomes easier for investors but remains difficult for first-generation homeowners is not a healthy market, it is a selective one. And selectivity, when mapped onto existing inequality, has a way of reproducing it.

The danger of this moment is not that homeownership is disappearing. It is that it is becoming more predictable, less a function of effort, more a function of starting point. For those who understand property as a vehicle

for freedom, for security, for intergenerational transfer, that should not be an acceptable outcome.

The market may be cooling. But its underlying logic remains unchanged, and until that changes, affordability will remain only part of the story.

Property is Power! is a movement to promote home and community ownership. Studies indicate homeownership leads to higher graduation rates, family wealth, and community involvement.

The Economy From page A-5 ing recognition that automation should enhance – not replace – the human experience that customers still value.

Looking ahead, the key question is sustainability – not just for consumers, but for businesses. How long can companies continue to absorb higher costs if customers push back on prices? And what happens if consumer spending begins to slow more noticeably?

For now, the economy is holding – but both consumers and businesses are feeling the strain.

It’s an economy that looks better on paper than it feels in practice. And for business owners, that means leading through uncertainty, making sharper decisions, and staying closely attuned to a customer who is still spending – but thinking twice.

We invite readers, business owners, and future entrepreneurs to follow along, ask questions, and engage. If you have story ideas or questions, you can email Lee at mark@leegroupinnovation.com or visit leegroupinnovation.com.

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Balancing the Challenges and Opportunities of Data Centers

By Scott Benson

DETROIT CITY COUNCILMEMBER

You cannot turn on the news these days and not see a story about how a community is fighting against data centers. These large facilities store and process massive amounts of data that is used to power a lot of aspects of our lives – cloud computing, streaming, and the ever-growing artificial intelligence (A.I.) that is becoming increasingly embedded in our daily lives.

According to the MIT Sloan School, A.I. is poised to transform the global economy, with projections suggesting it could add $7 trillion to $15.7 trillion to global GDP by 2030, driven by rapid advancements in automation and infrastructure, including chips and data centers.

I feel Detroit needs to be comScott Benson petitive in this sector. Our city has a long history as home to creators, innovators, and inventors. The A.I. boom is here, and we must be ready for it.

This is why I asked the city to slow down on siting data centers. It wasn’t because I am opposed to them; I’m neither for nor against data centers in Detroit. All I want is for us to learn more so we can make educated decisions about sensible community informed zoning regulations for the location of these facilities in our city.

The city council approved, on a 6-2 vote, my resolution requesting the mayor implement a moratorium on data centers. With or without this pause, I am gathering a wide spectrum of stakeholders – city officials, business representatives, utility company leaders, and advocates for sustainability and the environment – so that we can all have robust and thoughtful discussions about how to best regulate data centers so they do the least harm to our people, our natural resources, and our city.

We recently met as a group for the first time with 40 people in attendance. During this introductory meeting, I set the stage for the work I want this group to accomplish – a commonsense community-informed framework that regulates data centers. We will continue to meet over the next several months with the goal of implementing a zoning ordinance that regulate data centers by the end of 2026.

If you have been following the debate across the US about data centers, you know they have positive and negative impacts on communities. The positive impacts include bringing high paying construction and trades jobs to the community while the facility is being built, and an increase in local tax revenue. The negatives are the potential impact to the environment and an increased strain on the energy grid Data centers use a tremendous amount of water in their cooling systems, which makes Michigan and the other Great Lakes states an attractive place to build data centers. They also use a significant amount of electricity.

In some communities where data centers have been built, utility costs have soared for residential customers as utilities scramble to build and upgrade infrastructure to support a data center. Data centers also are noisy. People living near them often complain about the noise and its impact on the value of their property.

Many of these problems are associated with hyperscale data centers, which are massive facilities usually exceeding 1,000 acres of land, which is something Detroit cannot offer. Hyperscale data centers are used by such companies as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Apple. However, we can accommodate smaller facilities, but they also have the same pros and cons of hyperscale data centers – positive economic benefits and negative environmental impacts.

How the city balances the opportunities and challenges that data centers present will be critical.

I’ve made it clear to the stakeholder’s group that utility bills cannot increase for our residents. I’ve also made it clear that we must lean into the sustainability issues, particularly around water usage, and find a way to ensure we aren’t damaging our natural resources. The expansion of data centers in the Great Lakes region creates a strain on local water resources. It’s been estimated that less than a third of the data centers nationally are tracking their water usage. Fortunately, Detroit requires buildings over 25,000 square feet to track and report their water usage as part of my Energy and Water Benchmarking Ordinance, passed in 2023. We should be requiring that as the state which is literally defined by water.

I encourage residents to stay informed and follow my office on this issue. It is critical to the future of our city and state.

Hon. Scott Benson is a Detroit City Councilman who represents the 3rd District on Detroit’s north eastside. Scott also serves his community by sitting on numerous boards, is an avid cyclist, and a proud husband and father.

Whitmer: DOJ Request for Wayne County Ballots is ‘Direct Federal Interference’

By Sam Robinson SENIOR REPORTER

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last week called the Department of Justice request to view Wayne County’s 2024 presidential election ballots direct federal interference.

The Detroit News on Sunday reported President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is attempting to obtain all ballots submitted for the 2024 election in Wayne County, where Republicans have launched baseless claims of election impropriety for years.

Trump and his allies have since the 2020 argued widespread fraud occurred in Wayne County and Detroit, the largest city in the state where more than 70% of residents are Black.

City of Detroit Deputy Clerk Andre Gilbert told Michigan Chronicle the city has not received a similar request but will be prepared if the DOJ were to issue the city a similar letter.

Harmeet Dhillon, an assistant attorney general, sent a letter Tuesday to Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett, demanding records be released to the federal government, the News reports.

“Michigan’s elections are safe and secure, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is an attempt to take away Michiganders’ constitutional right to vote,” Whitmer said. “More than 1,600 locally elected clerks across Michigan ensure that every citizen can vote and have their vote counted. This demand is a poorly disguised attempt to justify more doubt and misinformation about our elections as well as direct federal interference.”

Attorney General Nessel sent a letter to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, urging her to uphold the rule of law and reject the Trump administration’s “fishing expeditions into the debunked conspiracies.”

A spokesperson for the DOJ did not reply to Michigan Chronicle’s request for comment.

Trump and his allies have for years taken aim at Black cities like Detroit, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

In 2020, a group of voters backed by the NAACP filed a lawsuit against Trump and his presidential campaign, arguing that the campaign was openly seeking to disenfranchise Black voters in Detroit.

During the 2022 midterm election, Kristina Karamo, who ran for Secretary of State against Jocelyn Benson, attempted to sue the city of Detroit to halt the counting of absentee ballots, which would have disenfranchised thousands in the city who cast votes by mail.

Trump’s campaign and his allies have presented no real evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have affected the outcome of the 2020 or 2024 election. They have faced multiple defeats in court.

In its letter, the DOJ justifies its request by citing three isolated instances of state-prosecuted voter fraud cases related to the 2020 election, and a civil case which was dismissed by now-retired Chief Judge Timothy Kenny from the Wayne County Circuit Court.

Each of the criminal cases were identified as suspicious by local clerks, referred to Michigan’s Bureau of Elections for investigation and successfully prosecuted by the Department of Attorney General, officials said.

Claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election referenced in the letter from Costantino v. Detroit were rejected by the court, which found the allegations to be “incorrect and not credible.”

Officials said none of the cases highlighted in the letter as examples of fraud were from the 2024 election cycle.

“Once again, President Trump is weaponizing the Justice Department in an attempt to sabotage our democratic process and turn it into his own personal agency to interfere in state elections. This request is as absurd as it is baseless,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement.

You can reach Sam at srobinson@michronicle.com.

McMorrow Has Fundraising Edge Over El-Sayed, Stevens in U.S. Senate Race

By Sam Robinson SENIOR REPORTER

Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow’s outraised her Democratic primary opponents in the most recent reporting period, FEC records show.

McMorrow raised more than $3 million in the first three months of the year, compared to about $2.3 million from former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed and $2 million from U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens.

“This is absolutely huge,” McMorrow said in a video.

Reports filed Wednesday, April 15, with the Federal Election Commission show McMorrow raised nearly all of her money from individual donors. 120,000 people have given to the campaign of the 39-year-old state senator from Royal Oak since she launched her campaign for U.S. Senate.

FEC records show McMorrow also finished the most recent reporting period with more in her war chest than Stevens for the first time since candidates began reporting their fundraising totals.

El-Sayed led candidates in money raised from outside of the state, nearly $1.3 million. McMorrow’s campaign saw more than $830,000 from outside the state, with Stevens raising about $1.2

million from non-Michiganders.

After flipping a Republican-held Oakland County district in 2018, her viral speech on the Michigan Senate floor in April 2022, which caught the attention of Hillary Clinton, turned McMorrow into a high-profile state political figure and national fundraiser.

The state’s Independent Redistricting Commission pushed her district into part of Detroit after she defeated former state Sen. Marshall Bullock, D-Detroit, in an August 2022 primary. Critics of Bullock at the time pointed to

his campaign accepting a donation from former Sen. Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, while supporters questioned McMorrow’s ability to represent Black Detroiters.

McMorrow is tied at 24% in the Democratic primary race with former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed, according to an Emerson College/WOOD-TV poll published Thursday, April 16.

A poll from the same firm in January showed McMorrow ahead in the primary with 22% of the support, to 17% for Stevens and 16% for El-Sayed.

Stevens has said since the beginning of her campaign that she believes she is the best-equipped Democrat to defeat former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters announced last year he wouldn’t seek reelection. Peters told Michigan Chronicle at the Michigan Democratic Party convention over the weekend, voters have three good choices to pick from.

“We have three really wonderful candidates that are running for

the Senate,” Peters said. “I’m confident in all of their abilities, and now they need to get out and make their case to the people in the state of Michigan.”

Stevens was booed by party delegates at the Michigan Democratic Party convention last weekend, where Israel’s influence on American politicians remained top of mind for thousands of party members who propelled progressive Democrats to decisive victories.

Party delegates chose progressives in the races for Secretary of State, Attorney General, and University of Michigan regent.

Stevens handed out physical copies of her 2025 tax return at the convention, saying she is the only candidate to do so. She called on other Michigan Senate candidates to be transparent and do the same.

Rogers, who does not have an opponent raising a significant amount of money in the Republican primary race, still maintains a cash advantage over the entire field.

“The future of our state and country are riding on this race, and we are fighting every day to earn working families’ support,” spokesperson Alyssa Brouillet said in a statement.

You can reach Sam at srobinson@michronicle.com.

Page A-8 | April 29 - May 5, 2026 | michiganchronicle.com

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The Inner Architecture: Survival Mode Is Not a Personality

By Miss AJ Williams Survival mode is not a malfunction. It is the body’s way of adapting to challenges.

Calling it a flaw is common in self-help circles, but it misses the point. Before we had words for these feelings, our bodies learned to sense which needs would be met or ignored and which actions would be accepted or punished. The nervous system builds a structure to help us function in certain situations. Many traditions have noticed this, and today, we often call it strength.

These adaptive behaviors develop in complicated ways. Children don’t choose to become overly responsible; they adapt because their environment requires it. When a child meets these demands, she is rewarded with safety, affection, or reassurance.

These rewards are often subtle: a tired mother feels relief when her daughter takes on tasks, a teacher praises the calm student, and a community adMiss AJ Williams mires the woman who handles everything without complaint.

These small reinforcements don’t feel like conditioning. They feel like love, or something close to it, until the long-term effects show up much later.

Over time, these survival strategies become part of who we are. When we repeat an adaptation for years, it stops feeling like a way to cope and becomes a natural part of our personality. For example, a girl who learns to rely on herself may grow up to believe she never needs help. A girl praised for being mature may become an adult who doesn’t know how to be vulnerable. These outcomes aren’t wrong or dishonest. They happen because survival strategies can become the main way others see us—and how we see ourselves.

At this point, much of the advice about healing falls short. It’s not as simple as just letting go. You can’t easily give up a way of thinking that has supported you for years and expect everything to stay the same. Letting go of a survival strategy that’s been reinforced by important relationships can feel like taking apart the foundation of who you are. Resisting this change isn’t a sign of weakness. It shows your body remembers past threats and is understandably cautious about facing them again.

Moving from survival mode to self-abandonment is more complicated than people often realize. This change happens when the original threat is gone, but the old behavior continues as if the danger is still there. The mind doesn’t always notice that things have changed. It keeps watching for problems, reacting to old pain, and handling relationships as if there’s still a crisis. As a result, the protective habits stick around long after they’re needed, sometimes becoming so automatic that a person doesn’t even notice she’s lost touch with herself.

Unlearning survival mode can be hard, and many wellness stories can make it sound easier than it is. First, you have to recognize that your old coping strategies actually worked and deserve respect before you can let them go. This means admitting that being reliable and strong has come with a real, often hidden, personal cost. Real grief is part of this—not just as a figure of speech, but as something you truly feel. For many people, being tough was the only way to get by. Letting go of that identity means grieving the part of yourself that helped you survive.

There’s no way around this grief; it’s at the heart of the process.

What we often call burnout is really the body’s way of saying that the old coping strategies are now causing harm. This deep tiredness shows that what once helped is now holding you back. The exhaustion isn’t just telling you to do less; it’s a message from the part of you that managed everything, asking for permission to rest. Letting this part step back isn’t a betrayal. It’s a way to honor that its job is done.

There is no instruction at the end of this essay because instruction is not what this work requires. What it requires is slow, unhurried recognition. Notice how much of your life is still being run by a mechanism that does not know it is safe to stop. Recognition itself begins to change things. The architecture loosens—almost imperceptibly—when it is finally seen. You do not have to dismantle it today. You only have to stop pretending it is your name.

AJ Williams is a Spiritual Wellness Architect and Educator and the Managing Editor of the Michigan Chronicle. A thought leader at the intersection of astrology, psychology, and identity evolution, she is the founder of Sunday Communion, a quarterly live transformation experience held in Detroit. The Inner Architecture is her editorial column on the work of becoming.

Floetry’s Detroit Return Took Me Back to the

Beginning of Love

By Miss AJ Williams

I was just a “young tender” when Floetry found me. I was learning the ways of love in real time, the obsession, the merging, the slow loss of self you mistake for intimacy, and then the heartbreak that arrives when you realize you can’t find your edges anymore.

Floetry was the soundtrack to it all.

Being in that Detroit audience on April 18, all these years later, felt like running into a former version of yourself at a party. You remember her, and you see how you’ve grown.

The women in that room were the generation that was introduced to adult love at the same time Floetry was giving us the words for it. We showed up with our whole history. The nostalgia was real, but it was not sentimental. It was more like recognition.

Since their emergence in the early 2000s, Floetry has held a singular place in R&B. Their platinum debut, Floetic,

arrived at a moment when the genre was moving fast and loud, and they went quiet and deep instead. Marsha Ambrosius’ vocals alongside Natalie “The Floacist” Stewart’s spoken-word delivery gave poetry a lead role, not a cameo. Natalie is a poet rooted in spoken-word tradition, and her cadence on stage carries the literary weight of that foundation. Together, they built a blueprint for how lyricism and soul could coexist at the center, not the edges, of mainstream music. Nearly two decades later, the catalog still holds.

The moment that stopped the room was not a song. On stage, Marsha and Natalie embraced, embodying the reunion tour’s healing theme as they named what years had taken: missed births, missed weddings, the silence that grows between once-inseparable people. They called each other family and meant it. For an audience sorting through their own love histories, watching two women publicly repair something tender felt like a full-circle gift.

We had all lost something along the way. Some of us were still finding it.

As someone who reads the sky for a living, I could not help noticing the timing. Natalie, The Floacist, is an Aquarius. Marsha, The Songstress, is a Leo. Opposite signs, which in astrology does not mean incompatible. It means completion. The lunar nodes are moving into Leo and Aquarius in the coming cycle, a shift that astrologers associate with healing between the individual and the collective, the personal and the visionary. That Floetry chose this season to return, and to do so honestly, felt less like a tour decision and more like the right moment finally arriving.

The Say Yes Tour is being framed as a celebration and a reclamation. Both are true. But what I left with was simpler than either of those words. I left thinking about the young woman I was when this music first mattered to me, and how much of her I had carried, quietly, into that room. Floetry gave her a good night.

Detroit Artists Land Top Knight Fellowships

By Aaron Foley EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Two Detroit-based artisans were awarded one of the art world’s most prestigious fellowships this month, earning a grant that will allow them to perform at the intersection of tradition and innovation.

United States Artists announced five overall fellowships to a new class of Knight Arts + Tech Fellows, an annual initiative that supports artists with unrestricted grants of $50,000 to further their disciplines, practices, and new approaches in technology and media.

Wesley Taylor and Taeyoon Choi are the dual Detroit fellows, alongside Miguel Novelo and Rhonda Holberton, both of San Jose, and the collaborative duo LIZN’BOW of Miami.

Wesley Taylor

Taeyoon Choi

“Through the Knight Arts + Tech Fellowship, we aim to not only strengthen the arts and technology ecosystem through longterm investment in the individuals and artistic practices that fuel innovation, but also foster a community among artists and cultural workers and continued growth across the field,” said Kristina Newman-Scott, Vice President for Arts at Knight Foundation.

“Working across various disciplines and mediums, this year’s Fellowship class offers an examination of how evolving technological systems shape our environments, behaviors and forms of connection.

Their work inspires consideration for innovation as a site of relational

See KNIGHT FELLOWSHIPS Page B-2

Page B-2 | April 29 - May 5, 2026 | michiganchronicle.com

Knight Fellowships From page B-1 and communal possibility. We are thrilled to support each of these artists and we welcome their arrival and participation within our community.”

Taylor is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice combines installation, video art, and sound to make a world. His decades-long practice hones the lessons and sharpens sensibilities learned from Detroit artists who came before him, shaping his craft of sampling, referencing, and recontextualizing to demonstrate themes of placemaking, histories of entanglement with the present and the future, and the necessity of Black imagination.

“This is a crucial piece to moving some objectives and agendas that I have going,” Taylor told Michigan Chronicle. “I’m fully appreciative of this, and it’s a major relief for me. This is a crucial piece to moving some objectives and agendas that I have going I’m fully appreciative of this and it’s a major relief for me. I’m trying to work on some ambitious projects, and this is aiding that at the right time.”

Taylor is working on what he calls the Black Portal Project, which is a vacant theater he’s renovating near Detroit’s Conant Gardens neighborhood on the east side.

“The space is dedicated to tech-based, experimental performance work,” he says.

“At the moment, the theater is completely condemned, so it needs a lot of work. At the

same time, in this state of disrepair, I’m artistically engaging with the building, trying to figure out ways on how a condemned building can be useful.”

Choi is an artist, writer, and educator who explores the poetics of technology and human relations. Currently teaching at Wayne State University, he works with images, text, and code, oftentimes in collaboration with fellow artists, experts, and community members.

“You know, it’s really sign of support from the community because it’s nominated anonymously,” Choi told the Chronicle.

“And it’s a really good welcome sign to the city and the area because I’m relatively new to Detroit.”

He will use this time to make “capital-A arts,” conducting research around technology, society, and the relationship between computers and art in human life.

“I really also spend a lot of time thinking about education and community service and different ways of sharing the research with a wider audience,” Choi says.

“I’m an outsider and I think I’ll never feel like I’m from here -- I think you need at least a couple of generations of embedded living to call yourself a true Detroiter,” he adds. “But at the same time, the city is wide enough and generous in a way that it welcomes newcomers, and people who don’t really fit into boxes, or people who are in between genre or identity.”

You can reach Aaron at afoley@michronicle.com.

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Detroit Public Schools Community District Foundation Announces 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees Five members of the Michigan Legislature’s Detroit Caucus to be inducted at the 5th Annual Tyrone E. Winfrey Hall of Fame Alumni Gala on May 16 The Detroit Public Schools Community District Foundation today announced the 2026 class of Detroit Public Schools Community District Hall of Fame inductees. Five members of the Michigan Legislature’s Detroit Caucus, all proud graduates of DPSCD high schools, will be formally honored at the 5th Annual Tyrone E. Winfrey Hall of Fame Alumni Gala on Saturday, May 16.

The VIP Hour is 6 – 8 PM, and the Main Event is from 8:30 PM – Midnight. Tickets are $150 and available at dpscdfoundation. org.

The DPSCD Hall of Fame recognizes distinguished alumni whose leadership and service have created meaningful impact beyond their graduation, particularly those who continue to champion opportunities for Detroit students and public education.

This year’s class embodies that commitment. As members of the Detroit Legislative Caucus, these leaders have demonstrated sustained advocacy for advancing Detroit’s public schools and the success of the next

generation of students.

“We are incredibly proud to induct these five trailblazers into the DPSCD Hall of Fame,” said Kerrie Mitchell Campbell-Mabins, president and CEO of the DPSCD Foundation. “Their careers are a testament to what a Detroit public school education makes possible, and their ongoing commitment to our students and schools makes this recognition especially meaningful.”

2026 Hall of Fame Inductees The following Michigan state representatives will be inducted into the DPSCD Hall of Fame during the VIP Hour of the 5th Annual Tyrone E. Winfrey Hall of Fame Alumni Gala: Stephanie A. Young is a Democratic state representative serving Michigan’s 16th House District and the Chair of the Detroit Legislative Caucus. She has held key leadership roles focused on families, children, and community development - and previously served as executive director of Detroit’s Community Education Commission. Young is a graduate of Cass Technical High School, Class of 1983.

Tyrone Carter is a Democratic member of

Whether death or divorce leads to the end of a marriage, getting another chance at love is an amazing feeling. While they are on the wings of love, we stress to happy couples the importance of estate planning for blended families. This is because people often fail to revisit their estate plan—or draft one at all after a second marriage. This can lead to disastrous results for someone’s spouse and their children from a previous relationship.

Let’s take Bill. Bill was married to his first wife Barbara for twenty-five years before she passed away from cancer. They had three children who are now adults. Bill did not even think about dating until seven years after Barbara passed away. He falls in love with Joan, who he met during a chance encounter Jehan Crump-Gibson at a coffee shop. Joan has two children from her first marriage who are young adults. Bill and Joan ultimately marry and settle into their new life together, not thinking twice about planning for the unexpected. Joan moves into the home Bill shared with Barbara. They travel, enjoy jazz concerts, and other events. Their children even get along well and spend holidays together. You could not write a better story!

Unfortunately, the unexpected comes only three years after they marry. Bill dies after a freak accident at work. Joan and his children are heartbroken.

About a month after the funeral, the cracks in the picture-perfect family frame start to appear. Bill’s children assume that they are entitled to their parents’ home — the one they were lovingly raised in. When Joan starts making comments about adding her children to the deed and restricting access to the home, Bill’s children are furious. They even call the police to gain entry to the home but are told that it is a “civil” issue and they need to go to court. Joan then files for a restraining order against them! Bill’s children immediately contact an attorney to see what their options are. They estimate the house alone is worth about $200,000 and are ready for war.

Bill’s children are shocked to discover all that Joan is entitled to as a surviving spouse—especially because they were not married long. Bill died without a Will.

Under Michigan law, Joan is entitled to a hefty sum of Bill’s estate off the top ($201,000 in 2026!) and splits the balance of the remaining assets with Bill’s children. Bill’s children are devastated—and there is nothing they can do about it.

This is precisely what happens when you plan to fail. There are more stories like Bill’s than you could imagine. The good news is that it does not have to be yours. Contact an experienced estate planning attorney to help you get your affairs in order today!

Attorney Jehan Crump-Gibson is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Great Lakes Legal Group PLLC, where she concentrates her practice in probate and estate planning, business and real estate matters. Great Lakes Legal Group is a growing black-owned law firm serving clients throughout the state of Michigan and in federal courts across the country. Jehan has served as Faculty for the National Business Institute and the Institute of Continuing Legal Education concerning business, probate and estate planning matters. She is a legal analyst with Fox2 Detroit’s The Noon and the author of the book A Matter of Life and Death.

state representative from Detroit serving in the Michigan House since 2023. His work focuses on environmental justice, economic equity, and community advocacy. McKinney is a graduate of Renaissance High School, Class of 2010.

This DPSCD Hall of Fame class reflects Detroit’s public school legacy, from Cass Tech and Renaissance, to Southwestern, Mumford, and beyond - and the enduring civic impact of those who walk the halls of Detroit’s public high schools.

The 5th Annual Tyrone E. Winfrey Hall of Fame Alumni Gala is themed, “A Different World: A Future-Forward Celebration of DPSCD.” The evening brings together executives, civic leaders, elected officials, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and alumni to celebrate distinguished graduates and raise critical funds for Detroit students.

Proceeds from the Gala directly support the DPSCD Foundation’s mission to expand opportunity, strengthen career pathways, and provide critical resources that help students succeed.

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.halloffamedetroit.org.

Faith Over Fear:

Series: Matters of Life and Death

Brady Bunch Blues…

the Michigan House of Representatives who has represented Detroit-area districts since 2018 and is the immediate past chair of the Detroit Legislative Caucus. A former executive lieutenant with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, with more than 25 years in law enforcement, he has built a career in public safety and community leadership.

Carter graduated from Southwestern High School in 1980.

Helena Scott has been a Democratic state representative serving in the Michigan House since 2021. A longtime Detroit resident and labor organizer, she has more than 15 years of experience in community activism and workers’ rights advocacy. Scott is a graduate of Mumford High School, Class of 1978.

Tonya Myers-Phillips is a Democratic state representative and attorney serving Michigan’s 7th House District. She previously served on the Detroit Charter Revision Commission and has a strong background in law and public service. Myers-Phillips graduated from Renaissance High School in 1995.

Donavan McKinney is a Democratic

Reclaiming Religion from Political Power and Returning to Truth

By Hodari P.T. Brown GUEST COLUMNIST

There is a hard truth that many people of faith have been hesitant to confront directly. What we are witnessing in modern politics, particularly within segments of the Republican Party, the Evangelical Christianity community, and the broader Religious Right, is not simply a difference in political ideology. It is a spiritual conflict over the integrity of faith itself.

At the center of this issue is the erosion of a foundational principle: the Separation of Church and State.

This principle was never meant to remove faith from public life. It was designed to protect faith from politiHodari P.T. Brown cal corruption and to ensure that no government could weaponize religion for power. When politics begins to dictate theology, faith is no longer sacred. It becomes a tool.

That is exactly what we are seeing unfold.

When Faith Becomes a Political Weapon There is a growing pattern where scripture is selectively quoted, distorted, and repurposed to justify policies and behaviors that stand in direct contradiction to the core teachings of faith. The message of Jesus Christ was rooted in love, compassion, humility, service, and justice. He consistently stood with the poor, the sick, the marginalized, and the oppressed.

Yet today, we see leaders and influencers who claim religious authority while promoting division, exclusion, and harm. We see support for war not as a last resort for protection, but as a first response for dominance. We see silence, deflection, or even defense when it comes to abuse, exploitation, and injustice.

This is not faith. This is distortion.

War, in any religious context, has historically been framed as a tragic necessity only in defense against harm. It was never intended to be glorified, politicized, or used as a mechanism of control. The normalization of aggression contradicts the very essence of spiritual teaching, which calls for peace, reconciliation, and restoration.

The Danger of False Doctrine False doctrine does not always appear obvious. It often comes wrapped in familiar language, religious symbolism, and cultural identity. It sounds like faith, but it does not produce the fruit of faith.

When religion is used to justify harm against the vulnerable, it ceases to be righteous. When policies disproportionately impact the poor, restrict access to basic needs, or

ignore the suffering of communities, they are not aligned with any true spiritual tradition.

Scripture across traditions calls believers to protect the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the oppressed. These are not optional values. They are central commandments.

To defend systems or leaders that harm these groups while claiming religious justification is not just a political stance. It is a spiritual contradiction.

A Moment of Reflection in Global Faith Leadership Recent criticism directed at Pope Francis for advocating peace highlights a deeper issue. When a global religious leader calls for peace, reconciliation, and restraint, that should not be controversial within faith communities.

It should be expected.

The backlash reveals how far political influence has shifted the moral compass of some who claim to act in the name of religion. Peace is not weakness. Compassion is not compromise. These are the highest expressions of faith.

Faith Is Measured by Love, Not Loyalty to Power As believers and as leaders, there is a responsibility to discern the difference between genuine faith and political ideology dressed as faith. Blind loyalty to any political party, whether the Republican Party or otherwise, should never take precedence over truth, justice, and moral integrity.

Faith does not belong to a political party.

Faith belongs to the people. It belongs to communities seeking hope, healing, and purpose. It belongs to those who are striving to live out principles of love, compassion, respect, and service.

A Call to Return to True Principles This is not a call for division. It is a call for alignment.

It is a call for believers across all denominations and backgrounds to come together and reclaim the true essence of faith: • Compassion over cruelty • Love over hate • Truth over manipulation • Justice over oppression • Peace over unnecessary conflict Religious freedom must be protected, not politicized.

Faith must be lived, not leveraged. And doctrine must be rooted in truth, not distorted for influence.

As ministers, leaders, and believers, there is a duty to speak clearly and act courageously. Not to condemn people, but to confront harmful systems and ideologies that misrepresent what faith truly stands for.

Because at its core, faith is not about power.

It is about people.

And any system that forgets that has already lost its way.

Hodari P.T. Brown, MBA

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University of Michigan Regents, Michigan State Trustees, and Wayne State Board Candidates Selected at Dem Convention

By Sam Robinson SENIOR REPORTER

Democratic voters across the state ousted controversial University of Michigan regent Jordan Acker at the party’s endorsement convention.

Civil rights attorney Amir Makled and incumbent regent Paul Brown received the most votes from party delegates.

Acker, a Southfield-based attorney, faced criticism and controversy during his first term as a regent and in the days leading up to the Democratic convention. Messages allegedly sent by Acker show sexual comments about a party strategist and a disparaging message about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a Slack group chat.

A report from The Guardian scrutinized Acker’s relationship with Attorney General Dana Nessel, who charged student protestors demanding the University of Michigan end all of its investments in Israel over the war in Gaza.

Nessel was criticized by left-wing Democrats and other groups like the ACLU of Michigan, which argued that the student protesters were practicing free speech.

Nessel was also booed by pro-Palestine party members during a caucus meeting at last year’s February convention.

Acker, who opposed students seeking divestment from Israel, ran on what he and the regents were able to accomplish during his prior term, including reforming how sexual misconduct cases are handled on campus, a neutrality policy on union organizing, and the expansion of the Go Blue Guarantee to Michigan residents whose household incomes are under $125,000,

The Michigan Daily reports.

Makled told Michigan Chronicle in an interview on Sunday that he’s running to support students and shake up the status quo.

“I want to make sure we’re not lost in the outside noise that’s happening around the outside issues here,” Makled said. “When we saw free speech, DEI, academic freedom and issues of gender affirming care being trampled on, we recognized our liberties were at stake.”

Incumbent trustee Brianna Scott and

Kelly Tebay Zemke, the director of Government and External Relations for The Henry Ford Museum, won party endorsements to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees.

Labor attorney Richard Mack and civil rights attorney Shereef Akeel were endorsed by the Wayne State University Board of Governors.

Candidates for Wayne State’s Board of Governors include Democratic activist Naz Hussan, Akeel, Mack, and recent Wayne

State graduate and activist Jeremiah Wheeler.

Akeel told Michigan Chronicle he’s focused on foreign students affected by President Donald Trump’s policies. In his career as a civil rights attorney, Akeel won cases involving travel bans and religious discrimination.

“Wayne State is the number one university for social mobility,” Akeel said. “Wayne State lifts people up, I’m here to lift people, lift the graduation rate for first generation students. I have five boys. I want them to do better than me.”

Akeel said Democrats must endorse strong candidates “Wayne State could conceivably run by Republicans,” Akeel said.

Mack, a member of the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party’s executive board, said he wants to use his experience wading through government budgets to help deliver a top-notch education for students, while fairly compensating faculty and staff.

Mack told Michigan Chronicle he would fight to bring fairer wages to Wayne State workers and faculty.

“I am driven to help make WSU more affordable, safe, and connected to the entire state of Michigan,” Mack said.

University of Michigan Republican candidates include Lena Epstein and Michael Schostak. Republican candidates for Michigan State Board of Trustees: Julie Maday, state Sen. Roger Victory, R-Georgetown Township.

The general election is on November 2.

You can reach Sam at srobinson@ michronicle.com

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Notice of Air Permit Comment Period and Public Hearing

Classifieds

he Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is holding a public comment period nd a hybrid public hearing to allow the public the opportunity to comment on the proposed conditional approval of michiganchronicle.com | o air permits.

April 29 - May 5, 2026 | Page B-5

ANNOUNCEMENTS The public comment period is open from April 29, 2026, until June 11, 2026, with a hybrid (in-person and virtual) public hearing on June 4, 2026 for:

ANNOUNCEMENTS CITY OF HIGHLAND PARK Robert B. Blackwell Municipal Building 12050 Woodward Ave Highland Park, MI 48203 (313) 252-0050 ext. 251

Notice Air Permit Period Companies: Marathonof Petroleum Company LPComment (Marathon) and MPLX Terminalsand Public Hearing

The Michigan Department Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is holding a public comment period and LLC (MPLX).

Marathon is located of atEnvironment, 1001 South Oakwood Boulevard in Detroit, a hybrid public hearing to allow the public the opportunity to comment Michigan, and MPLX is located at 12700 Toronto Street in Detroit, Michigan.on the proposed conditional approval of two air permits.

What is open for comment: The public comment period is open from April 29, 2026, until June 11, 2026, with a hybrid (in-person and virtual) hearing Juneas 4,well 2026 for: • Marathon is requesting to increase flexibility in theirpublic feedstock andon fuels, as changes to permit conditions.

(Air Permit Application Package No. PKG-0000452) Companies: Marathon Petroleum Company LP (Marathon) and MPLX Terminals LLC •

MPLX is (MPLX). requesting to use is the vaporatcombustion unit control device instead of the vapor recovery unit Marathon located 1001 South Oakwood Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, and MPLX located at 12700 Street in Detroit, Michigan. control device for aislimited amount ofToronto time. (Air Permit Application Package No. PKG-0000668)

What is open for comment: Technical details: • Marathon is requesting to increase flexibility in their feedstock and fuels, as well as changes to permit The public comment period hybrid public hearing allow all interested parties the opportunity to conditions.

(Airand Permit Application Packageare No.toPKG-0000452) comment on•the proposed conditional approval of two Permits Installdevice (PTI). instead It has been of thepreliminarily vapor recovery unit MPLX is requesting to use the vapor combustion unittocontrol determined that the requests from Marathon and MPLX will not violate any of EGLE’s rules nor the National control device for a limited amount of time. (Air Permit Application Package No. PKG-0000668) Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Technical details: Additionally, The the requests from Marathon and MPLX willhearing requireare revisions Operating Permit public comment period and hybrid public to allowtoallRenewable interested parties the opportunity to comment on the proposed approval two Permits to Install (PTI). has been preliminarily (ROP) No. MI-ROP-A9831-2012c (SRN conditional A9831). This public of comment period meets the Itpublic participation the requests amendment from Marathon requirementsdetermined for a futurethat administrative to and the MPLX ROP. will not violate any of EGLE’s rules nor the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. ovide comment in any ofthe these ways

by Marathon June 11, and 2026: Additionally, requests from MPLX will require revisions to Renewable Operating Permit (ROP) No. MI-ROP-A9831-2012c (SRN A9831).

This public comment period meets the public participation • Online: MiEnviro Portal for Marathon or MiEnviro Portal for MPLX requirements for a future administrative amendment to the ROP. • Email: EGLE-AQD-PTIPublicComments@Michigan.gov Provide comment in any of these ways by June 11, 2026: • Voicemail: Call 517-284-0900 • Online: MiEnviro Portal for Marathon or MiEnviro PortalLansing, for MPLX • Mail: Permit Section Manager, EGLE, AQD, P.O. Box 30260, Michigan 48909-7760 • Email: EGLE-AQD-PTIPublicComments@Michigan.gov • At the hybrid public hearing on June 4, 2026, starting at the close of the informational session. The sole 517-284-0900 purpose •ofVoicemail: the public Call hearing will be to take formal testimony on the record.

• Mail: Permit Section Manager, EGLE, AQD, P.O. Box 30260, Lansing, Michigan 48909-7760 EGLE will host an informational session before the hearing to explain the proposed permits and our technical • At the hybrid public hearing on June 4, 2026, starting at the close of the informational session. The sole review. There purpose will also of bethe anpublic opportunity ask questions of EGLE staff. hearingfor willthe be public to taketo formal testimony on the record.

EGLE will host an informational theon hearing proposed permits and our technical tend the hybrid informational session andsession public before hearing June to 4, explain 2026 atthe 5:30 PM: review. There will also be an opportunity for the public to ask questions of EGLE staff.

• Attend in person: Kemeny Center, 2260 South Fort Street, Detroit, Michigan 48217.

Attend the hybrid informational session andPM public hearing on June 4, 2026 at 5:30 PM: • Join online: pre-register any time or join at 5:30 at https://bit.ly/AQD060426.

• Attend in person: Kemeny Center, 2260 South Fort • Call in: 855-758-1310 and use meeting ID 897 6693 5606 Street, Detroit, Michigan 48217.

• Join online: pre-register any time or join at 5:30 PM at https://bit.ly/AQD060426. et technical reports this project: • Call in:about 855-758-1310 and use meeting ID 897 6693 5606 • Online at technical Michigan.gov/EGLEAirPublicNotice, Get reports about this project: choose ‘Applications Open for Comment’ • Detroit: EGLE, AQD, 313-456-4681 • Online at Michigan.gov/EGLEAirPublicNotice, choose ‘Applications Open for Comment’ • Detroit: City Clerk’s Office, 313-224-1990 • Detroit: EGLE, AQD, 313-456-4681 • Detroit: Wayne County Clerk’s Office, 313-967-6938 • Detroit: City Clerk’s Office, 313-224-1990 • Lansing:•EGLE, AQD, 517-648-6663 Detroit: Wayne County Clerk’s Office, 313-967-6938 • Lansing: EGLE, AQD, 517-648-6663 equests for translation or other accessibility concerns can be sent to: EGLE-Accessibility@Michigan.gov Requests for translation or other accessibility concerns can be sent to: EGLE-Accessibility@Michigan.gov uede enviarPuede solicitudes traducción u otras cuestiones de accesibilidad a: EGLE-Accessibility@Michigan.gov enviarde solicitudes de traducción u otras cuestiones de accesibilidad a: EGLE-Accessibility@Michigan.gov EGLEAccessibility@Michigan.gov ‫ﯾﻣﻛن إرﺳﺎل طﻠﺑﺎت اﻟﺗرﺟﻣﺔ أو ﻏﯾرھﺎ ﻣن اﻟطﻠﺑﺎت اﻟﻣﺗﻌﻠﻘﺔ ﺑﺈﻣﻛﺎﻧﯾﺔ اﻟوﺻول إﻟﻰ‬ EGLEAccessibility@Michigan.gov Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, And Energy Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, And Energy Cindy Smith, Section Manager

PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED Cindy Smith, Section Manager ADAS Systems Cybersecurity Engineer Positions offered by Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, Michigan). Note, this is a hybrid position whereby the employee will work both from home and from the Dearborn office. Hence, the employee must live within a reasonable commuting distance from Dearborn, MI. Lead the development and integration of Cyber Security work products on future vehicle program applications for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features.

EOE. Apply online: careers.ford.com Consulting Architect – Developer Tools Positions offered by Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, Michigan). Note, this is a hybrid position whereby the employee will work both from home and from the anticipated worksite. Hence, the employee must live within a reasonable commuting distance from the anticipated worksite. Provide Strategic Alignment of Software engineering tool product strategy with experiential products and overall business goals. Domestic and International Travel Required up to 10%. EOE. Apply online: careers.ford.com Data Engineer Positions offered by Ford Motor Credit Company LLC (Dearborn, Michigan). Note, this is a hybrid position whereby the employee will work both from home and from the anticipated worksite. Hence, the employee must live within a reasonable commuting distance from the anticipated worksite. Design and build production data engineering solutions to deliver reusable patterns using Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services: Big Query, Dataflow, DataForm, Astronomer, Data Fusion, DataProc, Cloud Composer/Air Flow, Cloud SQL, Compute Engine, Cloud Functions, Cloud Run, Artifact Registry, GCP APIs, Cloud build and App Engine, as well as real-time data streaming platforms like Apache Kafka, GCP Pub/Sub and Qlik Replicate. EOE. Apply online: careers.ford.com

Data Scientist Positions offered by Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, Michigan). Note, this is a hybrid position whereby the employee will work both from home and from the anticipated worksite. Hence, the employee must live within a reasonable commuting distance from the anticipated worksite. Develop and maintain advanced analytics capabilities essential for pricing and go-to-market strategies, including product allocation, distribution, and mix optimization. EOE. Apply online: careers.ford.com Diagnostics Systems Engineer Positions offered by Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, Michigan). Note, this is a hybrid position whereby the employee will work both from home and from the anticipated worksite. Hence, the employee must live within a reasonable commuting distance from the anticipated worksite. Refine existing platform system requirements as needed to provide diagnostic and configuration capabilities to new content within the existing ADAS system. EOE. Apply online: careers.ford.com

The City of Highland Park Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing at the regular meeting on 5/13/2026, at 5:30pm.

Planning Commission meetings are in person and will be held at, THE HIGHLAND PARK FIRE STATION, TRAINING ROOM, 25 GERALD ST., HIGHLAND PARK, MI 48203. A public hearing is a portion of a meeting which is dedicated to hearing comments from the public on a specific subject.

1. Notice Of A Public Hearing For Zoning Text Amendment – Addition and Revisions of Definitions for Detention and Immigration Facilities and Centers.

2. Notice Of A Public Hearing For Zoning Text Amendment – Revision to the Planned Redevelopment District Ordinance, striking the Former Ford Factory Site requirement.

3. Notice Of A Public Hearing For Special Land Use – To permit parking on Residential zoned land, at 121-155 Highland, 108-116 Cortland, & 12319-12335 Second St., accessory to the Community Center at 120/138 Cortland.

Written comments may be sent to the City Planner, Donovan Smith, via email (dsmith@mcka.com) or mail to the City Hall, 12050 Woodward Avenue | Highland Park, Michigan 48203-3578

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Your Tech (StatePoint) Phones are essential to everyday life, but they also come with an environmental footprint.

New survey data from Allstate Protection Plans shows that Americans are thinking more seriously about that impact. The challenge is that habits around recycling, trade-ins, and refurbished devices are still lagging behind awareness.

Allstate Protection Plans’ latest mobile survey shows that 52% of Americans say the environmental impact of smartphones is extremely or very important.

That is a strong signal that sustainability is no longer a niche issue in consumer tech. People are paying attention not just to what their phones do, but to what happens to them over time.

That shift is also showing up in how people think about refurbished devices. Nearly two-thirds of consumers, 65%, say refurbished electronics are both economical and sustainable. People increasingly understand that extending the life of a device can reduce waste and deliver real value.

PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED Product Security Architect Visteon Corporation has an opening for Product Security Architect in Van Buren Township, MI, responsible for designing & leading process improvements for Product Cyber Security Management for end-to-end product development lifecycle & bring forth Industry Standards & solutions into our process & products. Bachelor's Degree (or foreign academic equivalent) in Comp Sci, Computer Eng, Electrical Eng, Mechanical Eng, Mechatronic Eng, Information Systems, CyberSecurity or related. 5 yrs progressive, postbaccalaureate experience. 5 yrs experience w/ designing & building systems/software; 3 yrs experience working w/ product security elements; Experience w/ Automotive cybersecurity process, Vulnerability, Threat Analysis & Risk Assessment; Experience w/ security concepts for authenticated boot, secure network , & hardening; Experience w/ CyberSecurity requirements analysis; Experience with Cryptography domain, tools & PKI; Experience w/ programming language, including C & C alternatives. This is a hybrid position. Domestic & International travel needed, up to 15% of the time. Any applicant interested should apply to job reference number J10714 at https://www.visteon.com/careers/join-us/default .aspx.

Engineering Manager Ford Performance

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE – CITY OF HIGHLAND PARK, MI

Positions offered by Ford Motor Company (Allen Park, Michigan). Note, this is a hybrid position whereby the employee will work both from home and from the Allen Park office. Hence, the employee must live within a reasonable commuting distance from Allen Park, MI. Lead D&R activities for components, systems, and modules in Exterior, Interior, Electrical, Features and ANNOUNCEMENTS Electrification. Domestic and international Travel Required up to 10%. EOE. Apply online: careers.ford.com

Classifieds

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) CONSULTANT – CUSTOMER SERVICE AND Positions offered by Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, Michigan). Note,SECRET SHOPPER SURVEY this is a hybrid position whereby the DEVELOPMENT, DISTRIBUTION AND ANALYSIS employee will work both from home and from the Dearborn office. Hence, the October 2022 employee must live within a reasonable NA Dealer Ordering Software Engineer

Software Engineer commuting distance from Dearborn, MI. Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is seeking Own features fromproposals concept through Positions offered

by Ford Company for a qualified consultant to work withMotor Detroit LISC to production for both front-end (Angular) (Dearborn, Michigan). Note, this is a hybrid create, distribute and analyze customer service surveys gather position whereby the employee willto work and back-end (Java/Spring Boot) information about the services of the Detroit at Work One Stop both from home and from the anticipated components. EOE. Apply online: worksite.

Hence,will the be employee mustand live put careers.ford.com System. The findings from the surveys analyzed within a reasonable commuting distance into interim and final reports beanticipated submitted to LISC. fromtothe worksite.

Work on a Balanced Product Team and collaborate Specifically, Detroit LISC is seeking those with proven experience OTA Deployment Engineer with the Product Manager, Product Positions offered by Fordfollowing Motor areas: in the Designer, and other Software Engineers to Company (Dearborn, Michigan). Note, deliver analytic solutions. Responsible for ✓ Evaluation ✓ Analysis this is a hybrid position whereby the the development and ongoing support and employee will work fromCreation, home and ✓ Report Development maintenance of the analytic solutions. ✓both Survey from the anticipated worksite. Hence, EOE. Apply online: careers.ford.com Distribution and Collection ✓ Program Design the employee must live within a

reasonable commuting distance from Software Engineer to downVisit https://www.lisc.org/detroit/about-us/careers/ the anticipated worksite.

Deploy Over load full RFP. Responses Positions to this RFP are due Friday, October 21 offered

by Ford Motor the Air Software (OTA) to company Company (Dearborn,LISC Michigan).

Note, to owned and consumer and vehicles. should beEOE. emailed to kgallick@lisc.org. is committed this Enterprises is a hybrid position the Apply online: careers.ford.com working with Small Business (SBEs),whereby Minority-Owned employee will work both from home and Business Enterprises (MBEs), and Women-Owned Business from the anticipated worksite. Hence, Enterprises (WBEs). LISCthe encourages submissions SBEs, employee must live within from a Product Development Engineer MBEs, and WBEs. reasonable commuting distance from Positions offered by Ford Motor the anticipated worksite. Implement Company (Dearborn, Michigan). Note, solutions and problem resolution relating this is a hybrid position REQUEST whereby the FOR QUOTES to Teamcenter platform. EOE. Apply employee will work both from home and careers.ford.com The Suburban Mobility online: Authority for from the Dearborn office. Hence, the Transportation (SMART) is employee must live Regional within a reasonable RFQsMI. for Pre-Employment, commuting distance soliciting from Dearborn, Develop and refine Drug, designand validation Alcohol Screenings Control methods for ensuring proper feature- RFQ forms may be No. 23-3659. level performance. Domestic Travel obtained beginning October 19, 2022, Required up to 10%. EOE. Apply online: careers.ford.com from http://www.mitn.info. RFQs are

due by 3:00 PM ET, November 11, 2022

Product Manager – SCM Analytics Positions offered by Ford Motor Company (Allen Park, Michigan). Note, this is a hybrid position whereby the employee will work both from home and from the anticipated worksite. Hence, the employee must live within a The Detroit Schools Community reasonable commuting distance Public from the anticipated worksite.

District Lead is seeking proposals for Architecture deployment of software solutions for and Engineering Services for Facility Master Supply Chain Management Plan SeriesAnalytics.

1 under RFP 23-0111.

EOE. Apply online: careers.ford.com

Please visit our website Please visit our website for more for more A virtual Pre-Proposal Conference will occur at 10:00 a.m. October 21, 2022. classified ads.ads. classified Published Every Wednesday Call-In#: 1 313-462-2305

MICHIGAN CHRONICLE Conference ID: 944 369 237#

313 963-8100 https://tinyurl.com/yfm35pw5

The due date for Proposals is Get Michigan Chronicle November 10, 2022 at 12:00 p.m.

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If you Your haveInbox! questions, please contact the Scan the QR Procurement Code Department at (313) 873-6531. to Sign

michiganch ANNOUNCEMENTS PHOTO SOURCE: (c) photoguns / iStock via Getty Images Plus

But there is still a gap between what consumers believe and what they do. While many people see the Detroit Mover/Detroit Corporation benefits of People refurbished devices, onlyTransportation 18% say they have ever bought a refurbished535 phone.

The same Griswold St disconnect shows up in recycling. OnlySte 20% of consumers say # 400 they recycle their old phones, while still throw them Detroit, MI8% 48226 in the trash. Another 26% say they are not confident they know how to recycle a phone properly.

BID 07-01-2022helps REBID That# uncertainty explain why so many devices never make it back into the circular economy.

Instead, The Detroit Transportation Corporation Office of Contracting they sit unused at home.

In fact, the average household and Procurement requests proposals from qualified firms has unused smartphones tucked away in drawers. to1.8provide CCTV and network upgrades.

This includes One forgotten phone notCCTV seemsystem, like much, modernization effortsmay for the Publicbut Address (PA) across millions of households, those(VMS), unused devices system, Variable Message Signs and Wired Backbone represent major atmissed opportunity Network asystem, the MCF, at each for DPMreuse, station, and at refurbishment, or responsible recycling. substations described herein.

Atbids the must samebetime, ownership habitsTransportation are changingCorporation All received by the Detroit in via ways that could on support a more future. 7, 2022.

Bidnet/MITN or before 5:00sustainable p.m. (EST) November Consumers are keeping their phones longer.

TwentyA pre-bid site visit will be determined at a later date, if necessary. three percent say they keep their phones for three to can they be accessed on thewhen Bidnet Direct four years,Proposals and 21% say only upgrade their www.bidnetdirect.com//detroit-transportation-corporation phone breaks. Battery life now ranks ahead of price as the top factor influencing purchase decisions.

Mike TheseAnderson shifting priorities are good for consumers, Procurement Manager Holding onto devices longer, and good for sustainability. mandersonjr@thepeoplemover.com protecting them from damage, repairing them when possible, and making smarter end-of-life decisions all help reduce unnecessary waste.

The takeaway is that more responsible electronics ownership doesn’t have to be complicated. Small actions can make a real difference. Consumers can Detroit People Mover/Detroit Transportation Corporation trade in old devices instead of letting them collect dust.

535 Griswold St They can use certified electronics recycling programs Ste # 400 instead of throwing phones away. They can donate Detroit, MI 48226 working phones so someone else can keep using them. And when it is time for a replacement, they can BID # 08-8-2022 REBID consider refurbished models as a practical, lowerwaste The option.

Detroit Transportation Corporation Office of Contracting and Procurement from qualified ContracA few simple stepsrequests can alsoproposals make phone recycling tor/Firm(s) provide annual geometry measurements of the feel easier andtomore secure.

Backing up data, signing rail height, power rail tolerances, running rail height and outLIM of personal accounts, performing a factory reset, track gauge.SIM or memory cards can help people and removing feel more confident aboutand passing a devicetrending on for reuse The initial information subsequent information on or the recycling. rate of change of the measured parameters of the Detroit People Mover (DPM) track willalready be reviewed and the utilized as part The good news?

Consumers care. Now of the existing detailed maintenance to One ensure long term opportunity is to turn that awareness intoplan action. safety and availability traded-in phone, one to the riding public. recycled device, All bids must be received by the Detroit Transportation Corporation one viarefurbished Bidnet/MITN on or before 5:00 p.m. (EST) November 7, 2022. purchase at asite visit is scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, A pre-bid time, consumers 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (EST). can help cut Proposals can be accessed on the Bidnet Direct e-waste and www.bidnetdirect.com//detroit-transportation-corporation move personal tech in a more Mike Anderson sustainable Procurement Manager direction. mandersonjr@thepeoplemover.com

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www.michiganchronicle.com PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED PROFESSIONAL HELP WANTED BSW Engineering Manager

Staff Design Release Engineer - Wiring Warren, MI, General Motors. Engineer, design,

HELP WANTED EXPERIENCED HAIR STYLIST NEEDED

Page B-6 | April 29 - May 5, 2026 | michiganchronicle.com