Durham Organizing Training Take 2

I missed my flight to the Community Census & Redistricting Institute's training on community organizing this past Thursday. I was invited by my boss and a state Representative so that I could learn more about southern politics and understand some of the dynamics of the organizing battle that awaits in 2011. I've never had a business trip to attend (and I've also never missed a flight) for most of the flight and slightly overwhelmed during much of the trip. I did manage to network and meet alot of bright policy minds from the state of Texas and others in the eastcoast and the South who will be involved in the redistricting fight in the south. The downside of attending this training was that I couldn't attend the Detroit Action Commonwealth meeting that Friday and say goodbye to the community organization that got me started in this field and the community I've organized for for the last 7 and a half months. The other downside was that I returned to Detroit on Saturday night and drove to Texas that following Sunday :(


So I didn't take alot of pictures. I only wanted to get a pic of Cameron Indoor stadium and the NCCU Law School.

Houston and the South (Take 1)

Last week, my parents and I took a road trip to Houston to help me look for an apartment and meet some of my organizing supervisors. Houston was hot, big, and vastly different from Detroit. Much of it was what I expected, but alot of it just blew my mind away. The parts that really shocked was the deep level of inequality that Blacks & Latinos live in as Texas "citizens" and the things that we as Detroiters take for granted. I got to visit one of the communities where I'll be organizing, Acre's Homes, which is the oldest Black neighborhood in Houston. There were no sidewalks in Acre's Homes and while the lay of the land looked like Detroit, with vacant lots and abandoned homes, it differed in that storm drains and other flood prevention methods were visibly exposed and placed with little concern to whether or not they worked. Houston also has no zoning laws for neighborhoods and the businesses that can operate in them. This means that next door to a single family dwelling is a mini grocery store based out of a home, next to a BBQ stand (sidenote: the BBQ at these joints is some of the best BBQ in the country).  I did about 4 one on one interviews during the time there and there is much much more to learn about Houston and the community I'll be working for.

Another thing that was pretty cool about this trip was the sites we visited along the way. We saw NASA and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, which was outside of Houston.

We also took a detour to Little Rock, AR and got to see the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and my friend Terrell, who was visiting family in Little Rock that weekend. Detroit can learn a few things from downtown Little Rock and its riverfront community. In Little Rock, the Civil Rights enthusiast in me HAD to go see Little Rock Central High School and the State Capital monument to the Little Rock Nine.

Lastly, we took a stop in Memphis and visited the National Civil Rights Museum at the Loraine Motel in Memphis. The Loraine Motel is the site where Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968 while in town for a garbage workers strike. This was probably one of my favorite tour sites ever, since earlier this year me and my friend Terrell stopped in the ATL to see the MLK boyhood home and Morehouse. While in Memphis we visited the Stax record company and museum, which during the 1960s was the SECOND best Black record company in America (the first being Motown, located in Detroit). I also got to sign the wall at Graceland (which is the home of Elvis Presley).

 Overall, it was a good trip. I found an apartment in the part of town that I wanted (not necessarily the apartment I wanted, but circumstances prevented that).  On the next go-around driving from Detroit to Houston, I'll visit the Muhammad Ali Museum in Louisville and a few sites I wanted to see in Nashville.

Trading my "what up doe" for "alreadys"

 "What up doe" is the "official" regional phrase of Detroiters. Whether they are in the city, across the state or across the world, you get an idea of who has spent some time here. From what I'm hearing, "already" (makes no sense to me by the way) is the phrase for Houstonians.

Officially I'm making the move to Houston in August to be a community organizer for a former ACORN affiliate in a few weeks. I've never lived outside of Michigan and aside from South African and London, I've never been farther than 45 mins away from Detroit for more than a week.

Its so much I want to do in the city and in Michigan but may never get the chance. There are so many people I want to say goodbye to and trade stories one last time but won't get the chance to. And its a few people I wanna throw the middle fingers up to, but will never get to do that either.

In reality, I really just want to take in all of Detroit and all of my real friends one last time (actually, I'll be back for every holiday, birthday and major event so I really won't be gone). My life has taken a complete 360 in the past two years and change. I'm just excited to start this next chapter and meet new people and experience new things.

Dear Summer

As internships come to an end and the last grill is fired up, one sad thought comes to mind: summer is almost over. For many, this sad thought means that school will soon be starting up and the weather will be cooler. For me, the change in season means a snap back to poverty and responsibility. Fall means the start of my obsession in college and professional football and basketball. While I myself tried to ball out of control last summer (I did succeed), this summer was more catered towards personal, economical, and professional growth.