Detroit is Different

  • Latest episode: “We Have Been Locked Away From Our History, Olayami Dabls Journey”
  • Latest episode: “Black Stories on the Big Screen: Inside the Detroit Black Film Festival with Marshalle Favors”
  • Latest episode: “Taste of Black Spirits is Building Black Ownership From the Bottle to the Shelf”

  • Latest episode: “We Have Been Locked Away From Our History, Olayami Dabls Journey”
  • Latest episode: “Black Stories on the Big Screen: Inside the Detroit Black Film Festival with Marshalle Favors”
  • Latest episode: “Taste of Black Spirits is Building Black Ownership From the Bottle to the Shelf”

“Hate pushed me to leave the South, but love brought me to Detroit.” In this electrifying episode of Detroit is Different, we sit down with powerhouse attorney, political strategist, and self-proclaimed vanguard of the New Great Migration, Thomaesa Bailey. From her roots in Eatonton, Georgia—home of literary icon Alice Walker—to making waves in Detroit’s political scene, Thomaesa shares her passionate journey of advocacy, civic engagement, and Black political power. She’s not just talking policy—she’s making it plain, breaking down legislative complexities, and bringing the people into the process. With experience in the Umoja Debate League, Detroit City Council, and grassroots mobilization, she’s on a mission to educate, activate, and empower. We dive deep into Detroit’s over-assessed property taxes, redistricting, and the larger fight for community self-determination. Plus, find out why an alien visitor’s first stop in the D should be the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center! Tune in for an unfiltered, inspiring conversation about the future of Black Detroit, political power, and what it truly means to be ten toes down for the people.