July 2022

Enhanced Fitness is more than a business name for DeShanda Edwards it’s a lifestyle. The lifelong Detroiter applied her passion for exercise and supplements and started a business. Today 2715 Puritan Ave Detroit MI 48238 Mon – Fri 10 am – 6 pm (9 am – 6 pm Sat) are the welcoming hours for your to experience Project-Enhanced Fitness. DeShanda offers a health solution in the heart of a Detroit community needing healthy options. Her journey residing throughout Detroit’s vast Westside as a child and eventually attending and graduating from Northwestern HS (my alma mater) provided her some insight into Detroit culture. After HS, she graduated from Northwood University with a dual degree in management and marketing, assisting in her current business growth. In this interview, learn about sea moss, vitamin D, Northwestern HS’s great teachers, and how to grow a business in a Black neighborhood.

Detroit is Different supporter Kim Sherobbi invited me to co-host a discussion held at Marygrove College Sunday, July 24. Jazz icon Stanley Clarke performed and spoke in support of his son Frank for the How We Will Change conference hosted in Detroit this past weekend. I hosted this discussion with my podcast network partner in creativity Piper Carter. Stephanie Rearick also performed her interactive blend of folk music and spoke about her commitment to Mutual Aid work. The discussion was impactful. Talking points from Detroit Jazz great Ralphe Armstrong and founder of B More Radio Dennis Talbert are also shared.

Building Community Value is beyond conceptual for Chase Cantrell. The visionary leader of the organization has taken his talent and skill set and applied this ethic. The Building Community Value Detroit organization has been providing lessons in property development for Detroiters for years now. Chase’s journey as an Attorney in real estate law, U of M student in the Prop 2 fight, and Renaissance Phoneix all provide layers of knowledge and understanding. In this interview discover his work at Mr. Alan’s, his love for the Cooley HS neighborhood, and his vision for West 6 Mile rd. 

From the East Coast to Metro Detroit was the journey for a young Erin Bevel. Today the Howard University professor and law school graduate is driven by family and towards Black Liberation. Black Farmers Land Fund, Detroit Black Food Security Network, and Mollywop are creative, cultural, and professional works for Erin, but family is first. In this interview, we explore her work in Washington DC inside the capital, and learn the inner workings of our government. Today Erin is an asset to Detroit’s Grassroots Black Community. 

Hastings Street is a work that Plowshares Theater Company is in the best position to present. July 21 – 31 at Detroit’s Music Hall the company re-launches post-COVID-19 welcoming audiences to a very special show. The show captures the story of the center of Detroit’s historic Black Bottom community. The musical captures the essence of Jazz, song, Soul, and much more. In this Detroit is Different feature, Gary Anderson that is the Artistic Director of Plowshares Theater Company opens up about this show and much more. Learn about his journey to Detroit and Wayne State University’s theater program in the 1980s and Detroit 1980sbeing an eclectic center. Check out this feature on Gary Anderson and the work of bringing to live theater in Detroit for decades.