Resources
'Voices from the Grassroots' Oral History Project
An Oral History Project Documenting Grassroots Organizing for Racial Equity in Detroit
This project documents how grassroots activists in Detroit have challenged systemic racism during the era of emergency management by building movements for a more just and equitable city. This collection aims to preserve, honor, and amplify the voices of grassroots organizers during this pivotal moment in Detroit’s history.
Launched in October 2023, the Voices from the Grassroots website showcases inspiring, diverse stories of resistance through grassroots activism in Detroit. Check it out for yourself! Visit voicesfromthegrassroots.org to see the profiles, oral history interviews, and more.
Resiliency Practices: A Conversation with Tawana Petty
Resiliency practices will get us through these times of crises. What opportunities for intergenerational dialogue and sharing do you have in your life? Check out our conversation with Tawana Petty as we discuss the power within the living knowledge of our ancestors, elders, and communities.
Tawana Petty, National Organizing Director at Data for Black Lives, led this conversation for our Racial Equity Fellowship's 2020 cohort, a.k.a. DEAL 5. Check out the video.
Detroit's Right to Literacy Case
Detroit students filed a class-action lawsuit charging that the State of Michigan denies children their right to literacy.
In 2016, Detroit students filed a class-action lawsuit against Gov. Rick Snyder and state education officials, charging that the State of Michigan denies children their right to literacy. Now in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Detroit’s right to literacy case (Gary B. v. Snyder) is the first lawsuit to argue that the right to literacy is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
Fiat Chrysler Plant Expansion in Detroit
Detroit's east side currently has illegal levels of ozone in the air. Despite this, Fiat Chrysler is building an assembly plant in the region and is, in part, meeting EPA standards by reducing emissions at a nearby plant in Warren. Not in Detroit.
So how does increasing pollution impact the people of Detroit? Check out our Race and Justice Reporting Initiative series, along with our infographic on environmental racism and our research dossier on asthma in Detroit.
Policing and Surveillance in Detroit
What is the role of police today and what was its role historically? We explore issues of policing, surveillance, and accountability amid the systems of structural racism in Detroit.
Project Green Light: Let's consider the cost of 24-hour surveillance in Detroit, a majority Black city. According to experts, Detroit's Project Green Light is proving to be a dangerous surveillance program through its invasion of rights and use of flawed, discriminatory practices—particularly through facial recognition technology.
Detroit's Mass Water Shutoffs: A Public Health Crisis
What happens when a city shuts off water to tens of thousands of residents? This is what we are witnessing in Detroit: an ensuing public health catastrophe from water shutoffs in a city unwilling to address the needs of its people.
Researchers have found a significant connection between Detroit's water shutoffs and water-related illnesses, according to a recent study by researchers from Henry Ford Health System’s Global Health Initiative and Division of Infectious Disease in collaboration with We the People of Detroit.
Get Your People: The Role of White People in Ending Racism
In the fight against white supremacy, white people are being called upon to step up and listen to the expertise of people of color. Our convening "Get Your People: The Role of White People in Ending Racism" was only the first step in addressing the question: what can white people do about racism?
Watch the full recording of the discussion.
Detroit: On the Road to Reinvention
What do jobs, othering, public resources, housing, transportation, education, water and development have in common?
They are all a part of the struggle for equity in Detroit.
Detroit: On the Road to Reinvention examines the critical issues confronting Detroiters today through the lens of the 1967 Rebellion. These issues include: 1) anti-blackness and othering; 2) displacement of long-term Detroiters due to school closures, water shutoffs and illegal tax foreclosures; 3) regional injustice; and 4) the need for equitable forms of development. We must explore these issues' deep, historical roots to fully understand the challenges facing Detroit today.
American Islamophobia: A Conversation with Khaled Beydoun
What actually is Islamophobia? Is it a new phenomenon?
Prof. Khaled Beydoun joined the Detroit Equity Action Lab at Wayne State University Law School on Monday, April 16, 2018, to discuss his newly published book, "American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear."
Information Democracy Speaker Series
Our Information Democracy series is for community members to learn deeper research and investigation methods. These skills enable participants to better understand their community histories, organize, and shape narratives about race and equity in Detroit.
The series covered topics including: using public archives, accessing public records, Freedom of Information requests, oral histories and interviews, legal concepts, legislative processes, unpacking public finances and understanding financial documents.
