“So my very first video that I made played in front of 800 women.” When the videographer missed his mother’s women’s conference, Daniel Jones went from assisting to making the recap himself. The church gave him the job. On Detroit is Different, the East Warren-raised DJ and media entrepreneur traces that moment back to a family that had been finding its…

“If y’all see a lot, buy a lot.” Lake B Everywhere has a word for Detroiters thinking about what they can leave their children. Near Six Mile and I-75, her family rehabbed the house she lives in, giving her a firsthand lesson in what it takes to hold on to land and build something with it. …

“I've reached a point I think in my life that I'm looking at making sure that my legacy is solid.” Rob Brown has spent decades making sure Detroit sounds good, but his story begins long before the big stages and festivals. From summer visits to Meridian, Mississippi, where his uncle Paul worked in radio, to building homemade speakers and learning…

"Accessibility is key. We need access to the funders. We need access.” Najah Woods understands that opportunity means little when the people doing the work cannot reach the resources. Her story stretches from family roots in Alabama and Black Bottom to Inkster and Detroit, carrying the legacy of her grandmother Grace Rita Hampton, whose UAW advocacy opened…

“If you got an older family member now with the technology, just record them, record those stories.” Quan Neloms understands that preserving Black Detroit’s history begins with listening to our people. Born to parents who migrated from Georgia and Florida in the 1970s, Quan grew up in the Medical Courts near Eastern Market before moving west, where hip-hop…

Black women to heal. A Detroit triplet and Cass Tech graduate, Alandra traces her family history back six generations, including a great-great-great-grandmother remembered as an early Black woman realtor near Tireman and Beechwood. Her path through Michigan State, social work, therapy, and nonprofit leadership eventually brought her back to a childhood…

“I felt like I could truly have a greater impact if I came back here.” Antonice Strickland’s journey from basketball, to college, to Washington DC, and back home is a story of Black excellence, relationships, and the power of controlling our own narratives. At 98Forward, Antonice helped lead communications and public relations for Mary Sheffield’s historic…

“That work ethic that you get from those Southern people, that's in our blood as Detroiters.” Andre Terrell carries that legacy from his grandfather, who migrated from Macon, Georgia, and built Simmons Brothers from a wheelbarrow and shovel into a successful construction business. …

“I really love black people.” That simple declaration tells you plenty about Teron Haynes., but his journey to advocating for Detroiters is anything but simple. Raised in the St. Louis Metro East area, Teron enlisted in the Army at 17, earned his degree from Methodist University, and eventually made Detroit home. …

“Voting in your local elections actually matters the most." Sheila Cockrel has spent a lifetime understanding how power works in Detroit and why everyday people must have a voice in shaping it. From growing up in Detroit’s Catholic Worker movement to organizing against the notorious STRESS police unit, her story connects the city’s radical organizing…