MC Digital Edition 4.19.23

The Importance of Unions for Workers in Detroit

By Andrea Plaid

At one point in time, a person said they were a union member with their whole chest. It meant that their paycheck could buy them a home and they could send their children to private schools, if not put them through college. It meant that their healthcare was not only guaranteed, but it covered everything, from the tip of one’s head to their toenails. And it meant that the products that came out of a union shop was well-built and made in the USA.

If a proud union member was a city, Detroit would be it—and that person would more than likely be Black.

Then, the anti-union rhetoric seeped into the public conversation. Unions protected “spoiled” employees who wouldn’t work because they knew their jobs were protected. Unions workers “cost too much.” Unions were corrupt. Slowly and surely, the private businesses and public distrust eroded the organizations’ reputations. After that came the laws and the government actions: former President Reagan firing the unionized air traffic controllers. Right To Work. The rules outlawing freedom of assembly. Postmaster Louis DeJoy holding the U.S. Post Office’s pension hostage under the guise of “balancing the books.”

In the process, work itself fell apart. The minimum wage didn’t rise. Employers demanded more work, usually under the Millennial-appealing phrases of “doing the work you love” and “rise and grind”—and let’s not forget “hustling.” Full-time work is slowly disappearing in favor of “the gig economy,” where everyone is an “independent contractor”— more popularly known as a “solopreneur”—and no one has any salary or even company healthcare.

What’s happening around the country also happened in Detroit—including the revival of pro-union action. Recently, the Allen Park Starbucks joined a national action for better wages. Governor Gretchen Whitmer repealed right to work and that contractors hired by the state must pay the “prevailing wage,” or the amount used to pay union workers.

The Michigan Chronicle reached out to several local unions chapters for their perspectives on what’s happening with the present-day work-related organizing in Detroit. to SEIU Healthcare Michigan Trustee Dian Palmer responded in an email.

“The pandemic really changed everything,” Palmer said. “Workers who were con-

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Celebrating Cannabis and Black Advocacy

By Lynzee Mychael MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

April 20th, or better known as “420” is a global celebration of cannabis culture. But for Black people, the history behind the term holds deeper significance, rooted in a long-standing struggle for social justice and equity. In recent years, the cannabis industry has faced criticism for its absence of diversity and inclusivity, but Black activists and entrepreneurs are reclaiming the narrative and using this day as an opportunity to advocate for change and highlight the contributions Black people have made to the cannabis industry. While commemorating 420, we celebrate the resilience and creativity of Black people in this space, and continue to push for a more equitable future.

Before becoming a recreational drug, the cannabis plant was used as an industrial cash crop by early American presidents to make fibers, rope, and paper. Cannabis was also a major ingredient for medicines targeting pain, spasms, nausea, and depression. At the turn of the 20th century the drug was popularized by Black jazz musicians and Mexican immigrants. These associations with the Black and Mexican demographics are what drove the backlash from White lawmakers and state officials to make the drug illegal. The controversial use of the plant led to campaigns to criticize the drug, including changing the name to marijuana, drawing a connection to the Mexican users, and funding the anti marijuana film Reefer Madness, used as a scare tactic with the public.

The use and sale of cannabis in the United States were effectively banned with the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act in 1937. There was a concerted effort by lawmakers and the media to vilify cannabis and link it to Black communities. This propaganda was fueled by racist fears and stereotypes, with many claiming that the use of cannabis by Black people would lead to moral decay and social dis-

order. President Nixon called use of marijuana a national problem. In 1970 Congress passed a drug law, Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act, identifying marijuana as a public health concern. This law placed marijuana as a schedule I substance along with addictive drugs including heroin and LSD.

Going Green:

for Cannabis

Advocating

While the history of Black people and maurijana in the U.S. has been marked by discrimination and inequality, there is also a rich legacy of cultural innovation and advocacy that deserves recognition and celebration. Many notable musicians, artists, and activists have been vocal about their support for cannabis use and its potential benefits. In recent years, Black entrepreneurs and advocates have been at the forefront of the cannabis industry, pushing for greater diversity and inclusion in an industry that has traditionally been dominated by white individuals.

Jess Jackson is a Director of External Affairs and Social Equity with LIV Cannabis Company and is known for her advocacy within the cannabis industry. Through her consulting work with Can-

naclusive and LIV Cannabis Company Detroit, she has been able to provide her expertise and support the development of Principle, their social equity product line.

“Principle is a product line that is a Win, Win, Win!” said Jess. “We reinvest 100% of profits into communities via awards and grants. Last year we supported the Last Prisoner Project and Great Lakes Expungement Network. Both organizations help with expungement and education around the criminalization of cannabis. Principle also supports arts & culture creators and local and small businesses. Our awards program is 100% community led. Nominations come from community, voting comes from community and funding comes from community via Principle sales. If folks know of a community forward organization that is either a nonprofit, creative or business in need of funding, exposure, and development, nominate them today!”

LIV Detroit takes pride in being a Detroit Legacy licensee, which requires at least 51% ownership of the dispensary to be held by a long-term Detroit resident who has lived in the city for at least 15 years within the last 30 years.

Michigan Appoints Nandi Comer as First State Poet Laureate

By Lynzee Mychael MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST

Michigan is now a part of the group of states with a poet laureate, as Nandi Comer was appointed to serve as the first poet laureate of Michigan since the 1950s. This information was released by the Michigan Department of Education following the appointment on April 7. Comer is a popular poet and proud Detroiter known for her raw and unfiltered approach to topics surrounding race, gender, violence and the Black experience in urban areas.

“The questions are what compels me to write. I think that there are a lot of questions and curiosities that I have about the world. The only way in which I can somewhat figure them out or sift through all the muck of life is to just write about it,” Comer said in an interview.

Nandi Comer

al appointed by a government or organization to serve as the official poet and promote poetry and literature. Nandi Comer has been officially appointed as the poet laureate of Michigan, making her the second person to hold this position in the state’s history. The first was Edgar Guest, who

held the position from 1952 until his death in 1959. In 2021, Governor Gretchen Whitmer approved a budget bill that allocated funds for the poet laureate position.

State Superintendent Michael Rice was one of many excited for her appointment, stating, “We’re excited about Nandi Comer’s experience working with schoolchildren and the potential for Ms. Comer to excite young people not simply about the reading of poetry, but the writing of poetry and literacy more broadly.”

The Michigan Department of Education’s announcement says, Comer is expected to meet with students, educators, and citizens of Detroit to promote poetry, literary arts, literacy and spoken word. Comer has experience teaching and plans to bring excitement, understanding and appreciation to literacy inside and outside the classroom. Comer is a University of Mich-

igan alumni where she studied English and Spanish, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in both areas. She went on to complete fellowships with Cave Canem, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Vermont Studio Center, Callaloo, and U.S. Poets. Comer has won several awards including the 2020 Midland Authors Award, 2020 Julie Suk Award and the Crab Orchard Review’s 2014 Richard Peterson Poetry Prize. She returned to school and in 2016 received an M.A. in African American Literature and an M.F.A. in Poetry.

Known for bringing a unique outlook and execution to her poetry and writings, Comer has made a reputation that precedes her. By incorporating musical aspects, relatable storytelling and critical thinking, she has molded a genre of her own. Her work and

See NANDI COMER page A2