“I truly believe I was built for what I do.” Tiffany Gunter, General Manager of Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), joins Detroit is Different for a conversation rooted in family legacy, Detroit grit, and the future of regional transit. From her great-great-great grandfather coming north from Columbia, South Carolina for automotive opportunity, to her father’s 30-year career in the airport industry, Tiffany’s life connects “planes, buses and automobiles” through generations. A proud Northwest Detroiter from Seven Mile and Outer Drive, she reflects on walking through the neighborhood and learning entrepreneurship early selling Kool-Aid cups and cookies during backyard basketball tournaments. Her mother’s lesson—“you can’t make me your supplier and then don’t cut me in on a deal.” She shares how working in a church office at 13 taught her compassion, listening, and patience with people facing real life issues. Now leading SMART, Tiffany sees beauty in 3 a.m. bus pullouts and the scale of service that moves workers, families, and communities. This interview connects Detroit’s past mobility struggles to a future built through understanding, service, and regional cooperation.

“The Black church has the ability to do so much—and it can do so much more.” Dr. Charles Williams, pastor of historic King Solomon Baptist Church, joins Detroit is Different for a powerful conversation on faith, family, organizing, and the sacred responsibility of serving Black Detroit. Dr. Williams opens up about how Dr. Charles Simmons of the Hush House, a member of King Solomon, connected him to the legendary church over a decades ago—a house of worship where Malcolm X delivered “Message to the Grassroots,” Dr. King spoke, Joe Louis gave, and generations organized for freedom. Now Michigan Chair of the National Action Network, Dr. Williams reflects on his Detroit roots, his family’s migration story, and the wisdom he gained as a young reverend from Rev. Horace Sheffield II and Rev. Jim Holley. He shares how King Solomon continues to be more than a church: “a social center,” a place of advocacy, community action, and healing. With his wife’s work in health and well-being shaping their ministry, and his doctorate from the University of Michigan grounding the Black Church’s role in the Black family, this interview bridges Detroit’s past and future.

“We got the goods for you here.” Drake Phifer returns to Detroit is Different to share the heart behind Detroit Diaspora, a cultural festival built around the music, movement, art, food, vendors, and unmistakable style Detroit has carried across the world. In conversation with Khary Frazier, Drake frames the event as a homecoming for Detroiters and descendants of Detroiters whose families, creativity, and influence now live across the globe. Detroit Diaspora honors the DJs, dancers, visual artists, makers, and community builders who keep the city’s spirit alive wherever they land. More than a festival, it is an immersive celebration of Black Detroit’s cultural reach—connecting Paris, Berlin, Washington, D.C., Thailand, and beyond back to the city that shaped the sound.

8th Annual Detroit Diaspora Day Fest is a 12-hour celebration of global Black culture where the family reunion, art opening, house party, marketplace, cipher, and block party meet.This year’s musical experience brings together selectors, artists, and cultural storytellers, including: DJs will move the crowd, artists will showcase visual stories, vendors will share fashion, food, jewelry, wellness, and cultural goods, while canopy lounges create space to connect. Experience cultural storytellers from Detroit, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, D.C., St. Louis, Cleveland, and beyond. Explore the Detroit Diaspora Pop-Up Art Show curated by Kirsten Jordan, Jonathan Kimble, and Drake Phifer, featuring Dwele, Asia Hamilton, Anita Sewell, Anthea Calhoun, Alecia Robinson, Audrey Johnson, Brian Nickson, Corey Chavis Jr., and more. Explore the Detroit Diaspora Pop-Up Art Show featuring Dwele and more. Detroit is Different will be live onsite capturing features. Come ready to dance, shop, view art, connect, remember, and celebrate.

8th Annual Detroit Diaspora Day Fest
Sunday, May 24, 2026 || 12pm – 11:59pm
The Norwood || 6531 Woodward Avenue Detroit, MI 48202

“A lifetime over 50 years”—Queen Mother Helen Moore returns to Detroit is Different inside the very building that now carries her name, the Helen Moore Recreation Center, formerly Dexter-Elmhurst Recreation Center. In this triumphant conversation, Moore sits with Khary Frazier and reflects on decades of revolutionary organizing, education advocacy, and community protection rooted in love for Detroit children. She remembers how the center became “a way to show people what people could do,” and why she made it her mission to “keep this center and never leave it,” even when many said the building should be torn down. Moore shares how she and neighbors built bonds across generations, welcoming young people, elders, athletes, families, and even those facing street conflicts with a firm standard: “Look, don’t bring none of that in here.” This episode uplifts the power of Legacy Detroit organizing—how respect, persistence, and collective care can save public space and shape the future. From Wayne State to Detroit College of Law to the frontlines of education justice, Queen Mother Helen Moore’s story is a lesson in community ownership, revolutionary patience, and what it means to fight for our children.