Speaker Series follow up: Declare Detroit and State of the City forum

The Model D Speaker Series took over the Majestic Theatre once more for a night of political discussion. First we heard from the Declare Detroit movement.

Actually, first we heard some amazing poetry from Inside Out Detroit poet Jose Rodriguez. Inside Out is a program that fosters a love for literary arts in Detroit youth. http://www.insideoutdetroit.org/Last year it won the Coming Up Taller literary arts award from the White House. Jose’s theme was “I declare,” and we think he stole the show.
Here’s ab audio clip
(Jose clip here.)
Next we heard from the Declare Detroit movement. They shared their 12 principles:
    •    Be welcoming and embrace our diversity.    
    •    Preserve our authenticity.
    •    Cultivate creativity.
    •    Diversify our economy.
    •    Promote sustainability.
    •    Enhance quality of place.
    •    Demand transportation alternatives.
    •    Prioritize education, pre-K through 12 and beyond.
    •    Elevate our universities and research institutions.
    •    Enhance the value of city living.
    •    Demand government accountability.
    •    Think regionally and leverage our geography.

They also shared personal stories of why they Declare Detroit, and encouraged the audience to join them in signing the Declaration, and being a part of the movement through action.

Here’s an audio clip from the presentation.

decdetroit.mp3

Learn more about the movement and sign the Declaration here.http://declaredetroit.wordpress.com/

After we watched the big State of the City address from Mayor Dave Bing on the big screen, WDET 101.9 FM host Craig Fahle led a discussion. Here’s a clip.

craig3pod.mp3

We also had a Twitter feed streaming live for the audience to track, and many in the audience also tweeted during the sessions. You can find those tweets at #detsotc. http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23detsotc

The Model D Speaker Series continues next month. The topic will be “Eating Green: From Garden to Grocery”
Tues, April 20, 2010, 6:30-8:00 PM
Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226