Tours of Detroit Hosted by The Detroit Summer Collective
Meet at the North Entrance of McGregor Conference Center
TOURS OF DETROIT
Independent Media
Founded in 1965 by Detroit poet/librarian Dudley Randall, organizations like Broadside Press have made publishing outside of the mainstream "as a vehicle for building communities and promoting cultural critique" a reality in Detroit. Tour Broadside Press and Black Star Community Bookstore, a local institution contributing to the growing consciousness of Detroit's Black community since 2000. Also talk with self-made author Yusef Shakur and hear his own story of how he published his memoir, Window 2 My Soul, against all odds.
Music
Detroit is as much built on soul, techno and hip hop music as it is on bricks and mortar. From Motown Records on West Grand Blvd. to world-renowned techno label Submerge a few blocks down on East Grand Blvd, Detroit has produced a sound that has made it "a magical place of global inspiration for thousands of people throughout the world," in the words of legendary techno crew Underground Resistance. Beyond the music itself, this tour will highlight the community that supports independent artists in this city.
Labor History
Detroit is a union town. Come learn the complex history of the labor movement in Detroit, as it intersects with the histories of Black Power, Immigrant Rights and Anti-poverty struggles. This tour will take you through the abandoned and near-abandoned factories where trees now grow on the rooftops, to community-based organizations like Centro Obrero, who are responding to the changing realities of the labor movement by supporting, empowering and allying with immigrant and undocumented workers.
Environmental Justice
Detroit has some of the country's worst environmental problems-- from the largest incinerator in the country, to brownfields left in the auto industry's wake, to the threat of water privatization and constant utility shutoffs. Come learn about how individuals and organizations in the community are coming together to raise consciousness, create tools of resistance and fight back to protect the land, air, water and diversity of life in Southeast Michigan.
Urban Agriculture
Detroit is at the forefront of a movement to transform our "dying cities" from "food deserts" into thriving urban farms. Due in large part to the abandonment of our city, vast tracks of land have been reclaimed by nature and offer the opportunity for food production. Detroit's first Black Mayor, Coleman Young, recognized this opportunity as early as the 1970s, when he instituted the city-wide gardening resource program, Farm-a-Lot. Learn how grassroots organizers today are creating a model for community gardening and local food economies in the context of urban decay.
