Challenge Detroit (Year 2) has come to an end. No more Fridays spent working for non-profits, no more “mandatory” cultural experiences, no more monthly reports. No more housing stipend, no more Fellow Facebook posts, no more blog writing. There will be no more “roundtable discussions”, feedback groups, design thinking days, leadership forums, or entrepreneurship panels.
Challenge […]
During the month of July, I worked with my fellow fellow, Ben Newton on creating the substructure and foundation for a company I’m creating. It focuses on real estate, but affects so much more. It helps people navigate distressed property, and focuses on the distressed/ overlooked parts of Detroit. While originating from my own experiences, I […]
While still a senior in my undergraduate studies, I’d drive past this house thinking what must have happened. Then I did hours worth of research, and barely brushed the surface. From my findings, the property was near the epicenter of Black Bottom. Originally part of the original St. Aubin Ribbon Farm, it was subdivided and developed […]
Over my last month in Detroit (and the inner suburbs) a mere background thought really grew in my mind to a solid phenomenon. Maybe it was the young lady, Tiffany, who I met waiting for Cold Stone Creamery ice cream in Greektown or the bus load of kids that exited into a clean and quaint […]
As a resident of the North End, I’m afforded a beautiful neighborhood with a great mixture of housing types. These homes range from small (collapsing) wooden bungalows to large stone mansions. From country looking baptist churches, to huge beautiful cathedrals. From dilapidated, tenement-looking townhouses to carriage homes that are bigger than suburban mansions.
The best way […]
This is a response to a letter received in response to my October 2013 Blog. Apparently the information was twisted and misinterpreted, eventually being exploited to intentionally spread a negative message about myself and the non-profit I’m part of. The letter we received can be found here: MUFI Letter. Since the person who wrote this letter sent […]
This city has its beginnings as a French fort, founded in 1701. It was designed from the beginning as an outpost for the Kingdom of France to extract resources, primarily fur, from the New World.
This city was founded on a river, with tracts of land set up in “ribbons” extending from the river into the […]
While it’s winter and more time than ever is spent indoors staying warm, I wanted to provide some insight into what Detroit used to look like back in the day. The settlement patterns were inspired from both the deep cultural influences of European explorers and the natural landscape. These patterns are still present today and […]
This time of year is filled with the holidays. Starting with Thanksgiving in the end of November and wrapping up with a two week period of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, much time is spent with friends and family. Most of my friends, my life, and passions are in the City of Detroit, however, nearly […]
Some of my family and close friends are aware of the winding adventure that led to my ownership of two beautiful puppies. While definitely not expected, they’re welcomed additions to my life – often softening my natural hardline tendencies.
Back in late March, shortly after my return from spring break in Key West, I noticed a […]
