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instrumental in the facilitation of movement of over a hundred thousand Blacks from the south to the north. The Chicago Defender is telling our stories on multiple media platforms as only we can.”

Michigan Chronicle Digital Anchor Andre Ash agrees.

“The positive focus of our community wasn’t always a focus of mainstream media,” the longtime, well-known reporter said. “So, you needed the Black press to be able to be the voice to tell our stories that you weren’t going to hear anywhere else. The Black press is important because we shine a light and give a voice that may not be given elsewhere.”

New Pittsburgh Courier Editor and Publisher Rod Doss told the Michigan Chronicle that Black stories “need to be told” as they continue to inspire and educate communities.

“It was their stories that lifted communities by showcasing the many talented and gifted individuals whose stories were only told in the Black press,” Doss said. It was their stories that captured the beautiful culture of the Black community and the philanthropy of churches, sororities, and fraternities that helped to provide college scholarships for so many of our youth. And yes, it was their stories that gave us the many heroes and heroines that led the way in civil rights, sports, the arts, and politics.” which serves more than 1.2 million members age 50 and older in Michigan. “Family members can play a role too, keeping their loved ones safe by engaging with facility management and staff and asking the right questions about vaccination rates.”

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, an infectious disease specialist in Ann Arbor, told the Michigan Chronicle previously that although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience post-COVID conditions.

“Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning or ongoing health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Even people who did not have COVID19 symptoms in the days or weeks after they were infected can have post-COVID conditions,” she said. “These conditions can present as different types and combinations of health problems for different lengths of time.”

“Nursing homes must prioritize steps to increase up-to-date vaccination rates among residents and staff,” said Paula D. Cunningham, state director of AARP,

Are Detroiters Left Out of the City’s Economic Comeback?

By Andre Ash

Detroit has been experiencing an economic resurgence following the city’s 2013 historic bankruptcy. It’s been fueled in part by the massive property investment in downtown buildings by local billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert.

The Motor City appears ready for another economic comeback after nearly three years of the COVID-19 pandemic which halted a lot of the city’s progress.

The city’s unemployment rate spiked to more than 38 percent in May of 2020, during the height of the pandemic.

During the early stages of downtown’s revival after 2013, more people began to populate the city’s central core, bustling from new offices to increased residential development.

A complete contrast from the after 5 p.m. ghost town the area withstood only 15 years ago.

As downtown’s growth 10 years ago began to escalate faster than overall neighborhoods, newcomers changing the racial make-up of an otherwise majority Black city became more evident.

This early new reality called into question: who might be targeted for downtown’s progress. It appeared certainly not for longtime residents on the verge of being pushed out from rising rents only to make way for newcomers who could afford the pricey new renovated stay. The city’s progress – certainly not for legacy Detroiters, many of whom lacked the skillset for job opportunities in industries and spaces that began to flood the zone downtown.

The murder of George Floyd in 2020 brought with it a racial reckoning across the nation, leading many government and business sectors to embrace diversity and inclusion efforts.

Over the course of time, the Mike Duggan mayoral administration instilled policy and efforts to shield from the likes of other urban cities which have lost legacy residents due to growing gentrification.

One could wonder how does city government ensure no Detroiter is pushed out or left behind? After all, this is an economic environment not too far removed from households not being able to afford the once high costs of gas, prices for groceries, rising cost of housing, and at one time lacked the talent pool and skillset for Amazon headquarters to land here.

The city would argue it has done an enormous amount of work to be inclusive and ensure gaps are being closed to fill over 8,000 jobs currently open. City officials say they’ve been doing the work to keep legacy Detroiters in their homes, opening the door to more affordable housing, connecting residents to jobs and introducing resources such as training and paid educational programs to help residents obtained basic or new skillsets for jobs employers have available.

“There is no shortage of opportunity for legacy Detroiters who need to brush up on their skills and/or understand what the current economy and job market demands of all of us,” said Nicole Sherard-Freeman, the mayor’s group executive for Jobs, the Economy and Detroit at Work. “There’s Learn to Earn skill building, adult basic education, GED completion and the high school