A few weeks ago, longtime Ypsilanti resident D’Real Graham left town for Washington, DC, where he’ll soon be restarting his college career. Before leaving, D’Real and I had the occasion to exchange a few emails about his memories of growing up here, how he’d seen the city change over his lifetime, and his plans for […]
Tag Archives: Belle Isle
Ypsi/Arbor Exit Interview: D’Real Graham
Posted in Special Projects, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti Also tagged 1969, 826, activism, basketball, Black Eden, Chris Stranad, churches, Civil Rights Act, creative writing, D.C., deacon, Detroit, Donald Trump, D’Real Graham, Elijah McCoy, exit interviews, gateway cities, gentrification, Great Migration, Howard University, Idlewild, Kate de Fuccio, Keep Ypsi Black, Metropolitan Memorial Baptist Church, New Orleans, Nick Azzaro, NWA, racism, roasts, S.L. Roberson, social justice, Straight Outta Compton, student activism, Ta-Nehisi Coates, vacations, Washington, Washtenaw County Prosecutor, white supremacy, women's studies, write-in, Ypsi/Arbor Exit Interviews 9 Comments
What exactly happened to Detroit?
Someone from Europe posed the following question on Reddit a few days ago… “Americans: What exactly happened to Detroit? I regularly see photos on Reddit of abandoned areas of the city and read stories of high unemployment and dereliction, but as a European have never heard the full story.” Here, because I think some of […]
Posted in Detroit, Uncategorized Also tagged Albert Kahn, anti-union, automotive industry, Brush Park, Chicago, city income tax, Coleman Young, Comerica Park, Corktown, corruption, crack cocaine, Dave Bing, Detroit '67 riots, Detroit City Council, Detroit corruption, Detroit Riot, Detroit River, factories, Ford Field, Ford Motor Company, forestry, General Motors, GM, Henry Ford, housing bubble, housing crisis, industrialization, Joe Louis Arena, Kevyn Orr, Kwame Kilpatrick, logging, lumber, maquiladora, Mexico, NAFTA, North American Free Trade Act, northern migration, outsourcing, People Mover, Poletown Plant, prohibition, public transportation, Pulte, racism, Rail, Renaissance Center, Rick Snyder, rightsizing of Detroit, Ross Perot, the parable of Detroit, union busting, unions, westward expansion, who to blame for the situation in Detroit 9 Comments
Ypsi/Arbor exit interview: Melissa Dettloff
I never enjoy doing exit interviews. It’s by far the worst part of the job… if you can call this late night obsession of mine a job. I hate seeing good, bright, motivated people leave our community. And, as you can probably imagine, this is especially true when those who are leaving are talented collaborators […]
Posted in Detroit, Mark's Life, Shadow Art Fair, Special Projects, Uncategorized Also tagged Ann Arbor - Detroit rail, Dixboro, dogs, drawing, exit interviews, Gratiot, greyounds, Henrietta Fahrenheit, imaginary friends, Indian Village, Jennifer Albaum, kombucha, Krampus, Krampus Ball, life changes, McNichols, Melissa Dettloff, nicknames, photography, Renegade Craft Fair, severed unicorn head superstore, vegan, vegan soul food, VG Kids, VGKids, Vinnie Massimino, Ypsi/Arbor Exit Interviews 13 Comments