Walimu Raised Me: Dr. Tierra Bills on Mobility, Black Bottom, and Repair

“‘We said pledges about remembering our ancestors… loving Black (at Aisha Shule)” In this episode, Dr. Tierra Bills—Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Public Policy at UCLA—returns home through memory, tracing her family’s East Side roots and the African-centered foundation of Aisha Shule, where “as the daughter of one of the Walimu… I had to set the tone.” She honors Mama Easter’s “big presence” and the rituals that taught students their history “did not start with slavery,” then shows how that cultural grounding carried her from FAMU to UC Berkeley and into transportation engineering. Bills breaks down “mobility as a system,” asking not just how we travel, but “how easy can I get to my desired destinations?” and what happens when data, scooters, robots, and roadwork reshape daily life. From 696 detours to the I-375/Black Bottom rebuild, she insists engineers must measure real community impacts: “80% of the businesses will be shut down,” “your travel time has ballooned,” and “those who are bearing the worst impacts are those who are also most vulnerable.” It’s a Detroit legacy lesson—culture as preparation, and policy as repair—and an invitation to show up at public meetings.