Detroit 21 celebrates five years of neighborhood revitalization at galaResilient Neighborhoods Feature

Friday, December 5, was a frigid night in the D, with winds gusting up to 30 mph across Roosevelt Park. But that didn’t stop 125 community leaders and their colleagues from venturing out for a unique opportunity to re-connect and celebrate in person.

Members of the Detroit 21 gathered at Newlab, adjacent to Michigan Central Station, to recognize the five-year anniversary of the D21 – named after the original 21 Detroit nonprofit organizations funded by The Kresge Foundation – and their efforts to revitalize Detroit neighborhoods.

The D21 is a collective of the executive directors of 25 organizations throughout Detroit and representing all of Detroit’s city council districts.

The hallways at NewLab, which by day serve as Michigan Central’s innovation hub, became a strolling reception with a D21 gallery lining the hallway, showcasing various neighborhood accomplishments.

Music boomed, people mingled, and signature cocktails – including “The Executive,” “D21,” and “The Dirty D” – were sampled. Restaurants from some of the D21 neighborhoods served hot snacks, from cabbage and macaroni and cheese provided by Central Detroit Christian Community Development Corporation and a neighborhood resident; to tacos and churros from Armando’s; to sopes from La Jalisciense; and even samples of vegan marshmallows from Someday bakery and art gallery.

"This event is part family reunion and part Thanksgiving dinner,” said Chandra McMillion, D21 consulting partner and a key event organizer, from The McMillion Group. “It is a celebration of collaboration and recognition of the key players in the development of the Detroit 21.” 

Robert Alexander-Jordan beamed behind the table representing Church of the Messiah Housing Corporation, where he serves as manager of the Resident Economic Stability Support program. The program helps residents and community members develop and implement individual action plans to become financially stable.

“It’s good to see some of the forces behind the work and be an active participant in the celebration,” Alexander-Jordan said. “To have this many community organizations coming together for a unified vision is great, and it’s timely because Detroit is turning a new page. We had music, we had cars, and now we have community.”

Lisa Johanon, co-founder and executive director of Central Detroit Christian CDC, was reflective of the five years the organizations have worked together to advance the community development space. She says that one-time competitors are now friends, even “helping each other to get that grant.”

Hope Village Revitalization Executive Director Jeffrey Jones was humbled to be among leaders that were once his mentors. “This is one of the most impressive collections of Detroiters. Most have been doing development work for ten, twenty or more years,” Jones said. “It’s a special gathering of folks, and the totality of experience in this room is phenomenal.”

As the evening progressed, and the official program began, there was a group picture, video clips of members, and many moments to celebrate transformation and impact across Detroit.

D21 honors were given to key organizations and leaders for supporting community development organization (CDO) collaboration and the development of the D21:
 
The evening was emceed by Kirk Mayes of KBM Ventures, with opening remarks by Chandra McMillion. She joined with Quincy Jones of Osborn Neighborhood Alliance to organize the event, along with an events committee.

The celebratory mood of the evening was evident among these hardworking, often unsung heroes of our city.

“Together we are making a difference, pushing our neighborhoods forward,” said Jones.

Current D21 members include leaders from these community development organizations:

BLVD Harambee
Bridging Communities Inc.
Brightmoor Alliance
Central Detroit Christian Community Development Corp.
Church of the Messiah Housing Corp.
Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance             
Congress of Communities
Detroit Hispanic Development Corp.
E. Warren Development Corp.
Eastside Community Network
Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance
Genesis Hope
Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp.          
Hope Village Revitalization
Joy Southfield Community Development Corp.
LifeBUILDERS
MACC Development
Osborn Neighborhood Alliance
Sinai-Grace Guild Community Development Corp.
Southwest Detroit Business Association
Southwest Solutions
The Villages
Urban Neighborhood Initiatives
U SNAP BAC
Woodbridge Neighborhood Development Corp.

Resilient Neighborhoods is a reporting and engagement series examining how Detroit residents and community development organizations work together to strengthen local neighborhoods. It's made possible with funding from The Kresge Foundation.