Ok, comparing Challenge Detroit fellows to members of the Night’s Watch might a bit dramatic [and nerdy], but explore this idea with me-
Night gathers, and now my watch begins.
If you’ve made it to this blog, you most likely know that Detroit has been on the decline for decades. When the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the United States was declared by the city of Detroit in the summer of 2013, it arguably marked the darkest of days in Detroit. Doyle, Deirdre and the powers that be had already conceived Challenge Detroit to revitalize and protect this city with talented, young professionals. With state and federal “white” walkers were at The 8 Mile Wall, the need for localized defenders of Detroit was high. Luckily, the first watch of Challenge Detroit had already begun.
It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children.
That’s extreme. No one has to die in their duties to Challenge Detroit.
Also, we actually had a few fellows get married, Seth bought a beautiful home [with his now fiancée] in Art Center and Brittany is a mother-to- be. There has been a lot of responsibility associated with being a part of the fellowship, but that responsibility has collectively empowered, rather than inhibited, us as young leaders. Our commitment to this city isn’t mortally binding, but all of us are walking away from this experience taking a genuine part of Detroit to carry with us for the rest of our natural born lives.
I shall wear no crowns and win no glory.
For anyone who has followed my cohort’s journey over the past year, we are an accomplished group of young professionals to say the least. We have been acknowledged by local, state and national media. We’ve joined nonprofit boards, founded professional organizations, and presented at national conferences. [I’ve accepted an invitation to speak at TEDxBeloit on my time in Detroit at the end of the month.] With that being said, I have been consistently impressed by the level of humility my peers have possessed. No one has proclaimed themselves omnipotent saviors of Detroit. No one has let their personal motives outshine the mission that brought them here–Detroit’s revitalization.
I shall live and die at my post.
Again, not necessary.
I am the sword in the darkness.
Again, re: Not Saviors. But a city being held together by a fledgling municipal government and isolated, under-resourced third sector organizations, significantly benefited from the collective abilities of 35 zealous young professionals offering up their services over the last year. Point to any organization making impact in Detroit and I can all but guarantee that a Challenge Detroit fellow has contributed to their work.
I am the watcher on the walls.
As is the case for a majority of CD Fellows, I am not a native Detroiter; I never will be. But with Detroit’s best interests in mind, I have spent the last year vigilantly questioning every decision or piece of information regarding the city that I have come across.
Take, for example, this article on the lack of employment opportunities outside of the greater Downtown area-
Roughly half of the city’s population lives west of Woodward Avenue – more than 335,000 people. But across that vast stretch of Detroit there are only 30,500 jobs – less than one job for every 10 people. Similarly jobs-poor areas abound on the city’s east side.
That compares to the 64,000 jobs from Midtown to downtown, where just about 18,000 people live (Detroiters hold about 27 percent of the Midtown-downtown jobs). All told, the city has a little over 200 jobs for every 1,000 people, well below St. Louis’s 613, Cleveland’s 481, Grand Rapids 477, Milwaukee’s 450 and Baltimore’s 391.
As much as I appreciate my work over the past year, I realize it’s not an opportunity afforded to everyone who lives here. Until more accessible jobs move back from the suburbs or are created in the neighborhoods, I have an obligation to be an advocate. If you say that you support Detroit and it’s comeback, but you a) don’t seek out empirical information like this and/or b) don’t have a fire lit inside of you after reading those facts, then you might need to ask yourself what you are actually doing to benefit this city.
I am the shield that guards the realms of men.
Through its successes as well as its failures, Detroit is a city worth defending for all that have called it home. Remember There Are Birds Here.
I’ll steal an excerpt from Jessy’s blog to further emphasize this point-
One woman whom I met had a particularly lasting impact on me. She was born and raised in Detroit’s east side, and had lived there for most of her life. On October 9th, 1992, her son was shot and killed in the neighborhood at the age of fourteen. Yet despite her attempts to move away, she kept coming back to Detroit. “I was in such a hurry to get back. I don’t think I’d be happy anywhere else… There are still a lot of negative things going on, but still nothing negative could turn me against Detroit”. The words that woman shared with me that day in June 2012 really stuck – I wrote them down on a piece of paper which I’ve kept for two years and through five moves.
I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come
Every word I utter about Detroit and every breath I take within its borders is weighted with the lives of the nearly 700,000 people who also call it home. I cannot even presume to represent the voice of each and every one of them; I wouldn’t attempt to do so either. But for as long as I am here, I will devote myself to bettering it. I know the same can be said for every other fellow, past and present, as we continue the legacy of Challenge Detroit’s positive impact on this city. There is always more room for others to take up the charge and defend this city; I hope to see you by my side in the future.
