S7E68 -If It’s Not There, Build It: Jahra McKinney's Story Behind Detroit Sound Conservancy

“If it’s not there, you build it.” With that declaration, Jahra McKinney—Director and Director of Collections at the Detroit Sound Conservancy—steps into the Detroit Is Different studio and delivers a masterclass on legacy, love, and the power of preserving Black culture. In this rich conversation, Jahra traces her family’s Detroit story from her grandmother Essie’s legendary Oakland Avenue beauty shop—“she was meticulous… a matriarch”—to the vibrant West Side community that raised her during Detroit’s golden era of neighborhood life. She reflects on becoming an artist and organizer shaped by jazz greats like her late husband Harold McKinney and the intergenerational music ecosystem that “kept Detroit excellent by passing the torch.” Jahra shares how losing Harold revealed the urgent need for a Black-led archive—“I realized nobody was preserving us… so I had to learn to do it myself”—and how that mission fuels the Detroit Sound Conservancy’s restoration of the sacred Blue Bird Inn. This episode is a living bridge between the Detroit that was and the Detroit being rebuilt through cultural memory, community love, and creative discipline. It’s a celebration of the people who “stood on shoulders and became shoulders”—a blueprint for honoring the past while preparing space for the next generation of Black Detroit brilliance.

Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.

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