“One of the motivations for me is that city government really is a two-way street. This isn’t about applying further scrutiny to city dealings or broadcasting information on behalf of the city,” Daniel Arking says. “The more meaningful and deeper engagement from residents is a win-win for both sides.”
“Our goal is to feel safe and secure and add beauty to our city. Adding these streetlights will do that,” says Avalon Village founder Shamayim “Shu” Harris. “We deserve this.”
Drawing inspiration from her family’s background in the trucking industry, Detroit entrepreneur Cherie Styles built Cheetah Logistics from the ground up, and she’s not about to let the COVID-19 pandemic stand in her way.
Willie Brake has always been ahead of the curve, joining business incubators before they became trendy and recognizing the value in refurbishing computers early on. Now the Detroit entrepreneur is using his business to build up equitable access to technology and tech training in his city.
COVID-19 isn't the first crisis Felicia Williams-Patrick has seen her business through. The Detroit boutique owner has weathered the city's ups and downs, and knows a thing or two about what it takes for a retail store to survive.
When COVID-19 hit Michigan this year, the Detroit Innovation Fellowship cohort were well placed to support the communities hit hardest. The 23 social innovators involved in the talent development program are proving that their focus on creating sustainable, accessible resources builds the kind of resilience that see communities through a crisis.
In Detroit communities hit hardest by COVID-19, solar power projects provided some relief and continuity of service this year. For engineers and entrepreneurs Ali Dirul and Karanja Famodou, renewable energy is not just about the sustaining the environment, it's about sustaining equity.
COVID-19 setbacks and losses have not been able to diminish the optimism of neighborhood innovator Tammy Black. The Jefferson Chalmers resident is drawing on the strength of her community to sustain plans for the construction of a treehouse community center and advocate for horticultural therapy.
It's not just a design hub that Tanya Saldivar-Ali and her husband, Luis, are building on 18th Street — the Detroit couple is developing a construction pipeline to connect residents with sustainable careers. But it's the cutting-edge technology they are using to tell residents' stories that is capturing international attention.
Detroit firefighter Gary Ringer is connecting with national health experts to promote a better culture of health in his community, and wants local stations to be a part of that change: "As firefighters, we can do more than just putting the ‘wet stuff on the red stuff,’ we can play a more intricate role in the community we serve."
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