Detroit - Urban Issues

Day 6 –

A few people from our group woke up early to take Ro to the bus. She had to catch the 8am to Chicago in order to make it back to a class lecture Saturday morning. We all woke up earlier than necessary and made a large breakfast – eggs, hash browns, and pancakes. Everyone was lively and upbeat but somber at the same time. Our last day in Detroit, already one member short, arrived too early.

We left in time to make it to our 10am tour of the Heidelberg Project on Heidelberg Street. It is a street full of artwork that one man, Tyree Guyton, created. He had creative representations of everything from alcoholism's effect on families to the oil spill in the gulf. He had completely revamped the old abandoned houses on the street by painting them with polka dots, hanging random signs and stuffed animals to help transform the house into something pleasant to see. He also had other pieces distributed throughout the block, such as a brick sundial that you can read by standing in the center of it and seeing where your shadow falls. After our tour we had an opportunity to meet with Tyree to talk about his art and motivation.

Next we made a quick stop to the Motown Museum. Without a doubt, if you make a trip to Detroit this museum is a must-see. After struggling to find parking, we were able to enter the house where Berry Gordy started Motown music. Our fantastic tour guide, Eric, showed us through the museum (house and studio) where Berry developed Detroit children into stars like the Supremes, Jackson 5, Mary Wells, Smokie Robinson, Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Beatles, and many more. It was wonderful to hear their stories, their music and have the opportunity to sing right along with our guide. The tour ended in the studio where the magic happened and we danced like the Temptations, did the moon walk in the same spot Michael Jackson had and shook our hips with one hand forward singing "Stop, in the name of love…" The atmosphere was infectious and the spirit undeniable. Motown was a wonderful opportunity to step back into the Detroit that existed throughout the 60s.

We quickly ran off to meet with Tiffany of United Neighborhood Initiative, UNI (the same organization where we worked Wednesday and Thursday with the after school program). Tiffany gave us a tour of the town that we have been serving and took us to a taco shop to grab lunch. After eating delicious local food, we went to Sheila's Bakery for dessert. We piled a tray high with all sorts of treats and our total was only ten dollars!

We had to run back to the All Saints School (UNI) to meet with the young adults (ages 14 to 21) who are taking advantage of a wonderful professional development program that allows them to have an apprenticeship in the community and to help them make their way to college. We played a quick ice breaker and then broke down into smaller groups in order to talk about ourselves and Mizzou, and answer any questions that they had.

It ended up being an incredible opportunity to share about FAFSA, extra curricular involvement, and even what its like to live in a Residence Hall. We also answered unexpected questions about life in general. Their questions gave us incredible insight to what they know and don't know which revealed more than expected about the community. Most of the young people had knowledge we didn't expect – it's clear that this program is already having a large effect. However, it is obvious that many students still aren't learning everything they need to know to transition successfully into college. UNI's plan, however, is a good one and is helping to alleviate this knowledge gap.

As our last night in Detroit we splurged and walked to Greektown for a final family dinner instead of our typical budget conscious at-home meals. As we sat there, laughing, eating bread and thinking back to everything that we've experienced this week, we looked around and it was apparent that we were no longer strangers with a plan to head to the Motor City. We are friends who have become family – laughing at inside jokes, discussing everything that the trip has become, and truly enjoying one another's company. The day came to an end too early. The week has come to an end too early. We joke about being rebels and staying in Detroit volunteering for another week but I know that if school wasn't waiting, not one of us would hesitate to work our way through another tough week making a difference in Detroit and within ourselves.

Peacing out of D-town,

Alicia, Carol, Stephanie, Jake, Paul, Stephen, Taylor, Monica, Roze, Nick, Michelle, and Ro (in spirit)