In July, Donna and Orlando became the first podcast to ever grace the African World Festival!

Bryce Detroit joined the duo on stage to discuss his ‘Hood Closed to Gentrifiers’ campaign in light of events and news stories coming out of the city.

They also spoke with Kevin Davidson, Director of Design and Fabrication for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History to learn more about the history of the museum and the festival

To learn more about the African World Festival, click here!

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WRIGHT MUSEUM ART EXHIBITION 'DOUBLE ID' HIGHLIGHTS STRUGGLES OF BLACK MEN

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This week Donna and Orlando sat down with Researcher and Policy Advocate, Amber Hendley to discuss her fight to reclaim her grandfather’s church!

Amber is an accomplished researcher and policy advocate, known for her work in fair lending, wealth creation, and financial systems reform, particularly focusing on Black outcomes.

During her childhood, Amber and her mother resided in Detroit alongside her grandfather, Gary M. Douglas, Jr., the inaugural and only Black pastor in the history of the Abyssinia Interdenominational Church, where they actively participated in the life of the church.

For the past four years, she’s been actively engaged in Detroit with the intention to reconnect with former church members and have meetings with local developers, leaders, lenders, and city officials to gain insight into the needs of the area from the perspective of its native residents.

To learn more about Abyssinia Interdenominational Church, click here!

FOR HOT TAKES:

DETROIT JUDGE WHO HAD TEEN HANDCUFFED FOR SLEEPING TEMPORARILY REMOVED FROM DOCKET

DETROIT RELEASES 5-YEAR PLAN TO IMPROVE HOMELESSNESS

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This week Donna and Orlando sat down with Interdisciplinary Artist, Halima Cassells and Founder of Sidewalk Detroit, Ryan Meyers-Johnson!

Together, they discussed a collaborative art installation at Eliza Howell Park that teaches people about the impact of microplastics on the environment and the importance of sustainable practices for keeping our earth clean.

Sidewalk Detroit is an organization working at the intersection of spatial equity, environmental justice, public art, community building and place-keeping. This spring, they announced Detroit-based artist Halima Cassells as the 2024 Eco-Artist-in-Residence at Eliza Howell Park, part of Earth Futures, a public art initiative and artist-in-residence program in Detroit covering issues of climate crisis such as air quality and water pollution through the lens of spatial equity and public art.

The residency kicked off on April 20 with a river clean-up event at Eliza Howell Park, where participants joined forces to rescue materials from the Rouge River, embarking on the start of turning trash into treasure for the newest upcycled art installation at the park.

For more information on Halima Cassells and Sidewalk Detroit, click here!

FOR HOT TAKES:

DETROIT'S COLLARD GREEN COOK-OFF IS BACK

AUGUST 2024 PRIMARY: HOW DETROIT VOTED

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This week Donna and Orlando sat down with the Author of the Natural Hair Dictionary, Mo Williams.

Mo Williams, founder of Such a Natural, a Black-owned hair salon in Metro Detroit, authored and published the world’s first ever Natural Hair Dictionary®, a new book that defines exactly what natural hair and hairstyles are.

As a sequential reference guide, The Natural Hair Dictionary’s: Natural Hair Style List includes titles, descriptions and more than 60 original photographs defining natural hairstyles. It is a culmination of over a decade of experience in the natural hair industry, encompassed within a tool, resourceful to many.

If you’re looking to learn more about the Natural Hair Dictionary, click here!

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SABRINA NELSON HONORS JAMES BALDWIN'S LEGACY WITH 'FRONTLINE PROPHET: JAMES BALDWIN' EXHIBITION AT THE CHARLES H. WRIGHT MUSEUM

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This week, the organizers of the Afro Nation Festival plus a group of Detroiters who worked together to create an equitable development framework joined Authentically Detroit!

Donna and Orlando sat down with Smade - Co-founder of Afro Nation Festival, Josh Koram - Festival organizer/Lead Talent Booker, and Essosa - Festival organizer/ Communications and Social Manager. Together they discussed this year’s festival lineup, how they continue to unite the African diaspora, why Detroit is the only U.S. stop, plus all the other festivities taking place over the weekend.

Graig Donnelly, India Solomon, and Bucky Willis also joined the dynamic duo to talk about an equitable development framework they created together that analyzes current conditions and makes recommendations for how the city can move forward.

If you’re looking to learn more about Afro Nation and get tickets, click here!

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AFRO NATION IS HEADED TO DETROIT FOR THE SECOND YEAR

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Last week Authentically Detroit pulled up to Next Chapter Books for a book club discussion!

Donna and Orlando were joined by a live audience inside of the family-owned bookstore on Detroit’s east side. Tananarive Due is an award-winning author who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA.

A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies.

Due’s latest novel, “The Reformatory,” is a gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida. Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

If you’re interested in learning more about Tananarive Due and The Reformatory, click here.

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DETROIT POLICE ANNOUNCE BLOCK PARTY CRACKDOWN AFTER SHOOTING THAT KILLS 2 AND INJURES 19

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The Business of Food in Detroit with Marcus Reliford Jr. and W.E. Da’Cruz

This week Donna and Orlando traveled to the Eastern Market for a live podcast featuring Business Strategist, Marcus Reliford Jr. and CEO of The Mushroom Angel Company, W.E. Da’Cruz.

The conversation titled, ‘From Incubation to Acceleration: Stories of Scaling a Food Business,’ is part of a larger series where industry veterans explore pivotal challenges impacting the food industry and provide valuable insights to food business owners and entrepreneurs.

These gatherings also serve as a forum for networking and building community. If you’re interested in growing your foodservice business, ‘Accelerating your Food Business.’ is a six-week cohort tailored for growth-stage foodservice entrepreneurs looking to scale up!

Powered by Eastern Market and In the Business of Food, During these six weeks, you'll learn all about management, customer service, menu optimization, systems, technology, HR, and so much more.

Limited spots are available and applications close on July 18th so, apply now!

FOR HOT TAKES:

FRAMEBAR IN HAZEL PARK CLOSES CLOSES AFTER POP-UPS OBJECT TO BUSINESS PRACTICES

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This week Donna and Orlando returned to the studio after a brief hiatus to catch up on everything that’s happened in the city and their lives! The dynamic duo covers everything from the Ford Fireworks debacle, the Riverfront Conservatory Scandal, to the growing housing crisis in the city.

They also introduce the Detroit Playlist Live, a monthly music series co-produced by Authentically Detroit and Detroit is Different. This unique platform gives music enthusiasts the opportunity to delve into various musical landscapes with other music enthusiasts.

This interactive event fosters community engagement and celebrates the rich diversity of musical genres. Structured akin to a book club, The Detroit Playlist Live features curated albums and standout tracks chosen by the hosts - Orlando Bailey, Khary Frazier, and Donna Givens Davidson.

For more information and to join us tomorrow at Brix Wine (1588 Franklin St, Detroit, Mi 48207), click here.

FOR HOT TAKES:

WHY IS THE DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT USING LASSO LIKE RESTRAINTS

MICHIGAN STUDENTS FELL BEHIND DURING COVID, THEIR RECOVERY LAGS OTHER STATES

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