“It’s not just about farming. There is a legacy in land ownership. It’s a continuation of generational wealth building.” – Tepfirah Rushdan Brenda Sharpe of Detroit has had a personal garden for years, but for the last two she has grown a community garden on lots adjacent to her westside home with hopes of expanding […]
Posted inSolutions
Planting trees in Detroit could save lives, but do people want them?
Are trees one of the most effective tools cities have for keeping cool in a warming world? Or “more worrisome than advantageous”? Morningside resident Donyelle Pressley has a complicated relationship with her neighborhood’s trees. Many streets in this east side Detroit neighborhood have large oaks and maples that form a solid tunnel of greenery in […]
Posted inCommunity
ANNOUNCING Life in the Cracks: An online exhibition
A month ago, we asked Planet Detroit readers and Detroiters Do Science participants “What thoughts, visions and feelings become possible with our attention tuned not to the roadway or the street signs, but instead to the universe of living beings thriving in the cracks of the pavement?” Now it is time to harvest and enjoy […]
Posted inCommunity
Indigenizing the News: Coming home through traditional foods
This is the first in a two-part series on the foodways of Indigenous Michiganders in partnership with Indigenizing the News, the Traverse City Record Eagle, and the Mishigamiing Journalism Project, a grant-funded effort that provides journalism fellowships to emerging Indigenous journalists. This reprint is made possible with generous support from the Detroit Equity Action Lab. […]
Posted inCommunity
You’re invited: LIFE IN THE CRACKS – A POP UP EXHIBITION
Saturday October 24th 7-9pm (October 25th rain date) At TYMPANUM – 4661 East 9 Mile Rd. Warren As the night falls earlier each day, let us come together in a socially-distanced burst of activity like a seed head waiting for a cool wind for dispersal. Join us for an outdoor launch of the Life in […]
Posted inCommunity
Profiles in the fight for environmental justice: Dr. Tony Reames
Reames focuses much of his scholarship and research on the field of energy justice. As the nation explores long-denied justice for people of color, he sees the potential for new opportunities. Dr. Tony Reames said his passion for the environment and how it impacts marginalized people was formed in his youth. “I always say I […]
Posted inAccountability, Deep Dives, Lead poisoning
Highland Park’s long path to lead-free water
The city got an encouraging result in its last round of testing, but it could be years before it’s in the clear To understand the challenges of testing for lead in water, look no further than Highland Park. At the end of 2019, the impoverished city contained entirely within Detroit got back some alarming test […]
Posted inAccountability
Behind the state’s decision to extend Grand Prix on Belle Isle to two weekends in 2021
On October 1, The Detroit Grand Prix–which encompasses several various car races on Belle Isle–surprised many Detroiters with the announcement that the event would now span two weekends in June rather than one, as was the case in previous years. In addition, Planet Detroit has learned that 2020 will likely not count towards the race’s […]
Posted inSolutions
Behind the new picture of food insecurity in Detroit, and those fighting it.
Gleaners workers distribute produce at Detroit Premier Academy this past March. Credit: Nick Hagen Sedans, trucks, SUVs and minivans idling in two lines down both West Vernor Highway and 25th Street, meeting in a fork where vehicles take turns edging forward. Masked drivers unlatching trunks as someone scribbles the number of children in their home on […]
Posted inCommunity
Fighting for open space in Highland Park: A neighborhood walk with activist Angela Lugo-Thomas
It’s doubtful many people know that this patch of grass, overgrown playscape and gravel-filled baseball diamond where Angela Lugo-Thomas stands is a park. She says that even she didn’t know it was a park until about a month ago, although she makes it her business to know about public spaces in Highland Park. It turns […]