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Detroit Black Business Alliance Speaks Out Against City Ordinance That May Affect Black Contractors

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The Metro-Detroit Black Business Alliance held a press conference on Nov. 14, publicly opposing a city council ordinance it claims could negatively affect Black contractors, specifically those based in the city. The group’s president and CEO, Charity Dean, argued that the proposed plan would give suburban companies priority in landing big contracts, Fox 2 reports.

“What that ordinance stood to do is absolutely change the way in which the city does procurement the way it does it’s spending when it comes to contractors,” she said. Dean also claims that the council failed to honor an agreement that prohibits passing ordinances that may largely affect local Detroit residents without community involvement.

“The changes would give large suburban contractors priority over Detroit-based contractors,” she said. “In October of 2020 [the] city council unanimously passed the Community Outreach Ordinance that requires community engagement on major decisions that impact Detroiters. This new ordinance that’s before city council received no community engagement.”

City Council President Mary Sheffield disagreed.

“This is really an employee-driven ordinance really elevating the voice of everyday workers to ensure they are properly trained, paid right, and are not subjected to unsafe working conditions,” Sheffield said. “We’re saying we’re going to incentivize your bid with the city if you invest in your employees. Again, it’s not a mandatory requirement — it’s just saying we want the lowest and most responsible bidder.”

The two leaders agreed to have a sit-down to discuss how the ordinance could better serve Black-owned businesses in Detroit and keep them from being shut out of large projects. “Let’s come together,” Sheffield said. “Let’s get in a room and let’s get it done.”

Still, Black contractors worry that city leaders have already proven that they don’t have their best interests at heart.

“This ordinance has the potential to greatly affect my business as well as my fellow contractors — by giving equalization credits that would potentially put companies outside of Detroit ahead of us,” said Joe Bowman, owner of Humble Brothers Construction.

In a city that has spent the last decade offering massive tax incentives to billionaire developers, some say this has made areas unaffordable for many residents. Black Detroiters say they have good reason to fear this move by city officials, considering it the latest in a concerted effort to gentrify the former “Black Bottom.”

RELATED CONTENT: Detroit Artists Overlooked For White International Talent For City’s Murals


Detroit Grants 37 Cannabis Licenses, 13 Going To Black-Owned Businesses

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Some businesses in Detroit are going up in smoke— in a good way—as the City of Detroit has announced that it has granted cannabis licenses to 37 applicants. Thirteen of those have gone to businesses that are Black majority-owned, five to companies owned by a majority of women, and 21 that are owned by residents of Detroit.

“Just shy of a year ago, the City of Detroit awarded its first round of adult-use limited licenses, which saw a little more than 50% of adult-use limited licenses awarded to Detroit residents who are the majority owners of their businesses,” said City Council President Pro Temp James Tate in a written statement.

“Of those newly licensed business owners in ‘Round One,’ 16 are African American. Today, we continue the progressive expansion of our cannabis industry with the announcement of ‘Round Two’ awardees. Congratulations to all those who persevered through a gauntlet of challenges to get to this point, and I am excited for the future as we continue to provide legitimate opportunities for Detroiters within an industry that previously shut them out.”

The City of Detroit’s Office of Marijuana Ventures and Entrepreneurship (OMVE) has stated that the licenses distributed in this second round went to the businesses that have demonstrated the potential to be successful in this field. This round includes businesses that will become adult-use cannabis retailers, microbusinesses, and designated consumption establishment licenses.

“We congratulate all the successful applicants who have been awarded licenses in Round 2,” said Kim James, director of the Office of Marijuana Ventures and Entrepreneurship. “These individuals and organizations have exhibited remarkable potential and commitment to operate successfully while honoring the City’s diversity and equity goals. We are excited to witness their contributions to the sector and the positive economic impact we expect to see for the City of Detroit. OMVE remains dedicated to facilitating a transparent and fair licensing process, ensuring that all applicants have an equal opportunity to participate in this growing industry. The Office encourages unsuccessful applicants to continue their pursuit of entrepreneurship and stands committed to offering support and guidance for future licensing opportunities.”

Last year, according to CBS Detroit, the agency awarded 33 adult-use cannabis licenses.

2 Daughters Jump From 5th Story Window After Apartment Set On Fire

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A Nov. 14 apartment fire in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood prompted two girls to jump from the window of their fifth-story apartment to escape harm, FOX 2 reports.

A 14-year-old girl leaped to safety, breaking both ankles and one wrist. Her younger sister, just 8 years old, followed suit, miraculously escaping unharmed. Neighbors used a mattress and their bodies to cushion the sisters’ fall, providing a lifeline for the two sisters. Firefighters later rescued the girls’ mother by using a ladder.

Commissioner Charles Simms of the Detroit Fire Department commended the community’s remarkable response, emphasizing the instinctive courage displayed.

“You know some people don’t need the attention or the accolades, but we want to show them that not only are firefighters, EMTs and police officers are heroes, but even citizens out there in the neighborhood – they’re heroes as well,” Simms said.

The teenage girl, who was wrapped up in a neighbor’s sweatshirt before she was helped, is expected to fully recover. “Many times people who try to jump out windows that high – it’s a different outcome,” Simms said.

According to investigators, the fire was allegedly set by 43-year-old Marion Scruggs of Detroit. Scruggs, who has a history of domestic violence, was revealed to have been in a past relationship with the mother of the two girls. Security cameras captured him dousing the apartment door with gasoline, lighting a cigarette, and initiating the fire before fleeing the scene.

“This person tried to kill not just the whole family, but any and everybody that was in that building,” Detroit Police Chief James White said.

Scruggs was apprehended by Detroit police within 24 hours of the incident. In 2019, he faced charges related to purposely setting a girlfriend’s home on fire, resulting in the death of a pet.

Prominent Detroit Pastor And Community Activist Charles Adams Dies At 86

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Influential Detroit pastor Rev. Charles Gilchrist Adams passed away following a battle with pneumonia on Nov 29. He was 86 years old. 

According to his sister, Edith Clifton Adams passed away from complications related to the illness. She told the Detroit News the next day, “He was my only sibling and my best friend.”

The 88-year-old woman added, “We talked almost every day.”

Adams spent most of his career as a pastor at the Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, retiring in 2019. He was active for nearly 50 years. His congregation said the pastor did good work for the Detroit community by using the word of the Lord and resources he had access through the church to develop Detroit’s northwest side economically. 

Mayor Mike Duggan expressed in a statement following Adams’ passing, “Detroiters have lost a great champion and a great man. As a pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, Rev. Adams did more than offer words of hope and inspiration from his pulpit; he created opportunity by purchasing and developing land around Hartford, including the Hartford Village senior citizen community.”

Adams was born and raised in Detroit and graduated college from Harvard University and the University of Michigan. 

His sister recalled to the outlet, “While he was still a student at Harvard, he was called to be pastor of Historical Concord Baptist church, one of the oldest Black churches in Boston. During the seven years he was there, the church built an affordable housing project.”

Others expressed their sympathy and admiration for all the work Adams did while he was alive. Former dean of Harvard Divinity School William A. Graham said, “Charles Adams is one of the country’s most accomplished religious leaders. He is not only a widely acclaimed preacher but has been just as influential as a pioneer in linking the church’s mission to urban revitalization through economic, educational, and social initiatives.”

Adams was additionally a member of the Seventh General Assembly of the World Council of Churches and fought against racism and social inequity all across the country. He was twice named by Ebony Magazine as one of the United States’ top 15 greatest Black preachers and one of the top 100 most influential Black Americans. Adams also was a former member of the NAACP’s Detroit branch and was president of the branch in 1984.

RELATED CONTENT: Controversial Megachurch Founder Carlton Pearson Dies At 70

Detroit Man Uses Social Media To Support Single Father For The Holiday Season

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A kind-hearted man is looking out for his neighbors this holiday season. A user known as ColinDetroit, whose real name is Colin McConnell, turned to social media for support after learning that his downstairs neighbor, Donald Wilson, lost the mother of his three children. 

In a video posted to Instagram last week, Colin showed what the love and support of people coming together can do for those in need. He began by explaining that the man who lives in the duplex below him shared some distressing news.

“He told me that the kids are going to be around a lot more because their mother had passed,” McConnell said in the video, “And the kids were walking up the stairs at the time. I just saw their little legs, and my heart just broke instantly. I wanted to do something more for them. And he said, ‘We don’t really have winter coats.’ I thought he had three daughters because the son was wearing his sister’s clothes — it was because he didn’t even have clothes.”

At first, when he offered the single father’s help, he admitted that Wilson told him no. However, after persisting, Wilson finally agreed to let McConnell set up an Amazon wishlist for the children in time for the holidays. He shared it on his TikTok, hoping to drum up attention, but only thought a few people would see it. 

Fortunately, people came together quickly for Wilson and his family. McConnell said the very next morning, packages were already showing up on his porch when he woke up. The video sparked such a movement that hundreds of boxes of supplies were being sent to their duplex. 

He said in his video, “I didn’t think it would do that big and all of a sudden, it was thousands! I was like, ‘What! Oh my God!'” 

The gifts donated to Donald Wilson’s kids, Honesty, Poetry, and Donald Jr., were food, toys, and clothes.  

McConnell continued, “I want him to feel that he’s supported, not just by me, but now, these kids have thousands of aunties and uncles all over the world.”

Wilson admitted that it was difficult to accept all the gifts, but McConnell helped him through it. He explained, “That was the biggest thing for me, not feeling like I’m able to do it, or I’m not capable of doing it, but Colin made it easy. He made me feel at home. He made me feel like a brother, like family.”

Although Honesty, Poetry, and Donald Jr. will have to spend Christmas without their mother, Wilson said the loss has been made easier with those like McConnell. 

Wilson said, looking over all the gifts strangers bought for his kids, “It’s like she’s here. It’s like she’s a guardian angel speaking to us from all of you.”

Former NBA Players Joe And Jordan Crawford Open Speakeasy In Detroit

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Detroit News reports CRED Cafe, the latest family-owned cafe and speakeasy in Detroit, owned by former NBA players Joe and Jordan Crawford, had its grand opening Dec 6. The multi-faceted space serves as a coffee shop, bar, and event space, offering patrons a unique experience from day to night.

CRED Cafe, an acronym for “Crawford, Redefining Every Dream,” originated from the brothers’ vision while traveling abroad. Recognizing a void in similar establishments in Detroit, they proposed the idea of transforming their family-owned event space into a cafe for their parents and younger brother.

The cafe’s concept blends the charm of a coffee shop during the day, offering patrons a selection of snacks, pastries, and coffee sourced from Angela Yee’s Coffee Uplifts People. By night, a concealed door leads visitors to a speakeasy reminiscent of Detroit’s Prohibition-era bars. The venue, equipped with a bar, lounge, and event space, can accommodate up to 75 people, the outlet reports.

The Crawford family received support from the city’s Motor City Match small-business program, securing a $60,000 grant to aid in renovations and equipment. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, along with the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., joined the Crawford family for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Rivertown.

Sylvia Crawford, the mother of Joe and Jordan, serves as the cafe’s president and CEO. Reflecting on their journey, she emphasized their commitment to Detroit’s growth and resurgence. The cafe’s creation, she noted, transformed a vacant building into a dynamic community space.

CRED Cafe is not just a business venture; it’s a commitment to the local community. The cafe aims to provide employment opportunities for Detroiters and has partnered with several city-based contractors. Mayor Duggan commended the Crawford brothers for their dedication to reinvesting in the city that raised them.

“CRED Cafe represents how individuals like Joe and Jordan, who have achieved success at the highest levels outside of Detroit and Michigan, are coming back home to reinvest in the city that raised them,” said Mayor Duggan. “I’m so proud of what they have done with CRED Cafe, and I just know the community will support them.”

Motor City Match, a vital small-business program, facilitated the Crawford family’s entrepreneurial journey. Through its last 24 rounds, the program has distributed $15.7 million in cash grants, with a focus on supporting minority-owned, women-owned, and Detroit-based businesses, according to the outlet.

Sean Gray, vice president of Small Business Services at the DEGC, lauded the ambitious family’s creation of CRED Cafe, emphasizing its role as a special community space contributing to Detroit’s vibrancy. The cafe encapsulates the Crawford family’s dream of uplifting Detroit, turning conversations from years ago into a reality.

Detroit Spa Owner Cultivates ‘Soft Life’ Escape For Black Women

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A new era is dawning for Black women: the “soft life” movement, which emphasizes gentleness, self-care, and unwinding deeply rooted expectations of resilience. This shift toward prioritizing mental health and happiness was once an unattainable luxury but is now being embraced as a necessary paradigm.

Cheryl Hudson, owner of Detroit’s Woodhouse Spa, has spent nearly two decades embedding the essence of soft life into her business. Situated downtown, the spa offers more than relaxation — it provides a glimpse of escape where Black women can embrace self-care without reservation.

Hudson explained that as native Detroiters who appreciated spas, “My husband and I thought, ‘There’s no place like this in Detroit. We should open a spa.'”

Serendipitously spotting a franchise ad in 2005, Hudson took action.

Under Hudson’s leadership, Woodhouse Spa has evolved as a critical sanctuary supporting the wellness of Black women in Detroit amid a cultural shift away from requiring constant resilience. Hudson recognized that “there’s a brand-new clientele of market here that we need to reintroduce ourselves to.”

Recent renovations and upgrades provide a luxurious embodiment of the #softlife ethos.

Manager Christina Woodall described the spa’s holistic experience: “It’s not just about skincare or waxing…it’s the scent, the feel of every product, the serenity of the music.” This multifaceted environment nurtures Black women rather than depleting them.

Understanding the soft life movement means recognizing self-care is more than indulgence; it’s prioritizing mental health and self-love. As Woodhouse Spa’s transformation shows, it invites redefining success on one’s own terms, with tranquility and self-compassion.

The “strong Black woman” archetype has long been a double-edged sword: a testament to fortitude yet also a burden of silent endurance. While admirable, the perpetual resilience described by this narrative has overlooked Black women’s profound need for rest, vulnerability, and gentleness. The soft life movement seeks to restore that balance.

Detroit Passes Miami As The Fastest-Appreciating U.S. Housing Market

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Miami’s long reign as the nation’s hottest housing market is over, with Detroit now at the top of home appreciation growth.

Fortune magazine reported that home prices shot up 5.2% year-over-year in November 2023, the most substantial annual growth rate recorded since January. 

Detroit, an auto manufacturing hub until the 1970s, posted the highest year-over-year gain at an 8.7% increase, knocking Miami from its 16-month run in the top spot of highest-appreciating cities.

The news is significant for the Motor City, considering that as recently as 2010, homes were being sold in Detroit for $1, and one in five houses in the city was empty. Detroit’s downtown area has been revitalized in recent years, with a construction boom leading to a rise in green spaces, businesses, and housing. 

Miami didn’t fall too far, however, landing in second place at 8.3%. Charlotte, North Carolina, finished in third place at 7.4%.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused millions of people to relocate while keeping their jobs, as working from home became commonplace for computer-based workers. One of the most popular places Americans relocated to was the Sunshine State. 

Business Insider reports that Florida’s population jumped by 1.9% from 2021 to 2022 — a net gain of 417,000 new residents. It was the first year since 1957 that Florida held the distinction of being America’s fastest-growing state. 

As a result, housing demand skyrocketed there, and in September 2023 Zillow named Florida the second-most valuable real estate market in the U.S. The top housing markets have stayed hot through the pandemic, defying the belief that home prices would drop as interest rates continue to climb.

“This continued strength remains remarkable amid the nation’s affordability crunch but speaks to the pent-up demand that is driving home prices higher,” Selma Hepp, CoreLogic chief economist, said, according to Fortune. “Markets where the prolonged inventory shortage has been exacerbated by the lack of new homes for sale recorded notable price gains over the course of 2023.”

CoreLogic credits gains in home values to job gains thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPs Act as “helping to spur housing demand.”

The post Detroit Passes Miami As The Fastest-Appreciating U.S. Housing Market first appeared on Black Enterprise.


New York Times Called Out For Omitting Black Businesses In Detroit Lions Playoff Boost Report

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Phil Lewis, Black Twitter’s go-to source for news aggregation and a reporter for Huffington Post, pushed back on The New York Times‘ omission of Black businesses in Detroit in its report about Detroit businesses receiving a boost due to the Detroit Lions playoff run.

In his newsletter, “What I’m Reading,” Lewis reported that Chimika Harris, a manager at Cutter’s Bar & Grill, was interviewed by the Times for its report, only to have her comments omitted.

Detroit, which is affectionately referred to as the Blackest city in America, has a 77% Black population, so people noticed when its Black restaurant scene was ignored by The New York Times in favor of white-run establishments. 

Ken Coleman, a senior reporter at Detroit nonprofit news outlet Michigan Advance and a historian of the city, posted on Facebook, “Detroit is 77% Black. 57% of the NFL is Black. Not one African-American-owned business mentioned in this New York Times piece. Wow!” Harris responded underneath Coleman’s post, writing, “I’m very disappointed to hear this The NYTimes did a interview with me for this on Friday.” 

Lewis interviewed Dennis Archer Jr., owner of Central Kitchen + Bar, who expressed his disappointment with the narrative that overlooks Black Detroit’s contribution to the economic impact of the Lions playoff run. “Because the city is majority African-American, because of the history of how the city became that way, and because of the number of strong purveyors here, it’s unfortunate when we are not equally represented in the narrative because we are such a strong part of the foundation, the backbone, and story here,” Archer said.

Archer was referencing the Great Migration, a period from 1916 to 1970 when many Black individuals moved from the South to the North in search of better opportunities and to escape racial violence under Jim Crow laws. Emily Fisher, in a Detroitisit op-ed, highlighted the allure of higher-paying jobs in Detroit at the time, like at Ford Motor Company, which offered $5 a week compared to the average $5-a-month income for Black Americans. Herb Boyd’s book Black Detroit notes the significant population increase in cities like New York and Detroit during this period, with the Motor City experiencing a remarkable 611% surge and becoming a symbol of economic promise and opportunity for African Americans.

Black individuals who fled the Jim Crow South encountered a different but still discriminatory environment upon their arrival in northern cities. Instances like the 1967 Race Riots in Detroit highlighted the harsh realities faced by Black communities.

In 2021, Detroit was named the most segregated city in the country, in large part due to the disproportionate distribution of white people in the Detroit metro area. In that area, despite Detroit’s overall population being 78% Black, only 23% of the population in the Detroit metro area was Black. The metro area remains disproportionately white. And it seems that this is where The New York Times focused its story, thus excluding Black-owned businesses in other parts of the city.

Kenny Valentino, who owns District Seventy8, a restaurant/lounge establishment, said of the exclusion, “With all the revitalization in Detroit, the small, minority, Black-owned businesses are always left out. It does not surprise me.”

The Detroit Free Press, after also being criticized for only including one Black establishment in its own report on Detroit businesses receiving a boon from the Lions playoff run, ran another piece emphasizing the impact on Black Detroit businesses. At the behest of Starex Smith, who runs The Hungry Black Man, a platform dedicated to reviews of Black-owned establishments, the Free Press sent a reporter out on a bar crawl of several Black-owned restaurants.

RELATED CONTENT: Detroit Passes Miami As The Fastest-Appreciating U.S. Housing Market

The post New York Times Called Out For Omitting Black Businesses In Detroit Lions Playoff Boost Report first appeared on Black Enterprise.

Detroit Business Owner Rides With President Joe Biden, Talks Shop And More

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Environmental tech company owner Darren Riley rode in the presidential motorcade with President Joe Biden on Feb. 1 and talked about the Detroit community one-on-one with him.

Riley met Biden on the Selfridge Air National Guard Base after receiving an invitation from the presidential campaign team. The 32-year-old was given the opportunity to have a private conversation with the president, asking him for advice on his company, JustAir, and learning more about his politics.

Riley talked to CNN about his ride in the armored SUV with President Biden. He said, “It was a shock. I’m still processing it.”

Riley described the day at the outlet. He said that he and Biden rode through Detroit and visited local restaurants and places, while Biden asked about his childhood, business, and life.

“He asked me who I am, and what I’m about. He grabbed my hand and looked me in the eye,” Riley explained.

“Even if you’re on different sides of the spectrum … it’s important that we’re in this together. You have to build that rapport and that trust,” Biden told the environmental tech company owner.

According to Biden’s campaign officials, the president intends to travel more as we approach elections, as he wants to emphasize retail politics, personal connections with his supporters, and understanding real business needs. The campaign officials said they decided to offer Riley a chance to ride with Biden for half an hour so that they could “give the president more time and space to hear directly from a constituent.”

Riley admitted that he learned a lot from Biden as they talked. He told the outlet, “He talked about multiple topics, the things he’s juggling and navigating and processing. He is very sharp. That man? He’s sharp. He’s with it.”

He said that the unemployment rate for Black Americans has declined during Biden’s presidency and that the president had a lot of plans to decrease the “widespread pain and suffering in the world.”

RELATED CONTENT: Biden Administration’s First Chief Diversity And Inclusion Officer To Leave White House

The post Detroit Business Owner Rides With President Joe Biden, Talks Shop And More first appeared on Black Enterprise.





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