We had another incredible day in Detroit, meeting with individuals and organizations that have thought hard about their visions of the city and their roles within it.
Something Claire Nelson, the publisher of Model D (a web-based magazine focused on development in Detroit), said has stuck with me: "Detroit doesn't wear everything on its sleeves." The more we talk with local entrepreneurs, public servants, community organizers, and individuals who simply build their livelihoods in the city, the more I see the complex challenges, resilience, and hope all around us.
Take Tawnya Clark, owner of The Batata Shop, for example. When she was 12, her mother taught her how to make sweet potato-based waffles. When taking care of her 99-year-old grandmother, she revived the recipe to cater to her grandmother's dietary needs. She soon realized that this could become her own business--something she could establish and build in the community. Rather than continuing to work for corporate giants such as Verizon Wireless, she took a risk, borrowed money from her family, and set out to create delicious whole wheat, sweet potato waffles for folks all over the city. Two years later, she's developed a tasty line-up of flavors, been profiled on Model D, and gained a fan base on Facebook and other social media outlets. She'll even start selling in Eastern Market next week!
To me, Tawnya represents one of the most important, yet often overlooked, pillars of Detroit's revitalization. Though she's been passed up by the media just for not being white, she was able to leverage her own connections in the community to market her business. Though she carries the weight of the city's racial tensions, she still talks in the tune of unity. She and some 700,000 other Detroit locals are the people who will bring the city into a new era of accountability, stability, and eventual health. Their future depends on Detroit, and Detroit's on them.
She is one of the many people we had the privilege of meeting with today, not least of whom are Jocelyn Benson, Dean of Wayne State University Law School, and Joe Heaphy, VP of Neighborhood Service Organization. Both of them taught me a great deal about the city and have already come up with solutions that do not simplify or ignore the complexities of the challenges. I can't do justice to them or everyone else here.
Can't wait for what's to come tomorrow!
Linda
Something Claire Nelson, the publisher of Model D (a web-based magazine focused on development in Detroit), said has stuck with me: "Detroit doesn't wear everything on its sleeves." The more we talk with local entrepreneurs, public servants, community organizers, and individuals who simply build their livelihoods in the city, the more I see the complex challenges, resilience, and hope all around us.
Take Tawnya Clark, owner of The Batata Shop, for example. When she was 12, her mother taught her how to make sweet potato-based waffles. When taking care of her 99-year-old grandmother, she revived the recipe to cater to her grandmother's dietary needs. She soon realized that this could become her own business--something she could establish and build in the community. Rather than continuing to work for corporate giants such as Verizon Wireless, she took a risk, borrowed money from her family, and set out to create delicious whole wheat, sweet potato waffles for folks all over the city. Two years later, she's developed a tasty line-up of flavors, been profiled on Model D, and gained a fan base on Facebook and other social media outlets. She'll even start selling in Eastern Market next week!
To me, Tawnya represents one of the most important, yet often overlooked, pillars of Detroit's revitalization. Though she's been passed up by the media just for not being white, she was able to leverage her own connections in the community to market her business. Though she carries the weight of the city's racial tensions, she still talks in the tune of unity. She and some 700,000 other Detroit locals are the people who will bring the city into a new era of accountability, stability, and eventual health. Their future depends on Detroit, and Detroit's on them.
She is one of the many people we had the privilege of meeting with today, not least of whom are Jocelyn Benson, Dean of Wayne State University Law School, and Joe Heaphy, VP of Neighborhood Service Organization. Both of them taught me a great deal about the city and have already come up with solutions that do not simplify or ignore the complexities of the challenges. I can't do justice to them or everyone else here.
Can't wait for what's to come tomorrow!
Linda
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