Earlier this month, The Detroit News released an article saying that the efforts behind the revitalization of Detroit are being fueled by people who look nothing like the city residents. They’re right. Of the seven programs that have made an impact in the city, only one has over 50% black participation with second place at 38% and third place with 34%.

This article hit home and made me wonder, is there is a deeper problem going on here? I noticed the problem when I first applied to Challenge Detroit, out of 35 of us, only 8 were selected as Year 3 fellows. Now, that selection was not made by the leadership. It’s a ‘where ever the chips fell’ situation because the host companies ultimately make the decision on whom they chose, Challenge Detroit just puts as diverse of a candidate pool in front of the host companies as possible. Having gone through the experience, they certainly do. During my interview trip, there was a diverse of a crowd you can find. That is where the writer for the article should have gotten his numbers from.

Looking all all of this, this probes into an even deeper problem: education. Why aren’t the leaders of this revitalization those who reflect the city? What is holding them back from those abilities? Is this a result of the systemic educational racism? I think so. With every great problem, you have to trace the history of what got you there. It is a must that there be equity in education access. The path to success is not the same for everyone, it doesn’t need to make things ‘easier’ for minorities, but it needs to be accessible to minorities.

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