What Up Doe, Black History Month!

Hey, Fam, for Day 6 of Black History Month — Which still exists at the time of this writing — I wanted to give a shoutout to some Detroit storytellers repping hard for the culture to make sure we aren’t erased or forgotten.

First up, I wanna give some love to a group reclaiming the narrative of Detroit Black farmers — The Detroit Black Farmland in collaboration with the Detroit Farmer Collective is launching a new legal and business program to support Black farmer’s journeys building sustainable farms across Detroit’s urban landscape. And as a descendent of Georgia sharecroppers, who had her own little garden as a pre-teen, I am so down for this.

Next up, make room at the table, Tyler Perry Studios! There’s a new Black owned film studio in Motown!

Shouting CONGRATS to 12 Detroit metro filmmakers who have joined together to launch The Collective Studios. The nearly 12,000 square-foot space offers a variety of popular sets – a restaurant, church, hospital, courtroom and even an airport terminal and plane interior, Located in Southfield, the studio is open to film and TV productions, as well as photographers and videographers, content creators, advertisers and marketers.

For our third Detroit Black History Month shoutout, allow me to introduce two Detroit bred writers leaving their marks on the literary scene. Continuing in the tradition Dudley Randall, Detroit’s first poet laureate and the city’s current one, Jessica Care Moore, is poet, mother and educator, Brittany Rogers. Her book of poetry, The Good Dress has been heralded as “a once in a generation debut,” and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll order your copy like I did. 🤓

The second writer I wanna boost just made a national splash on my favorite game show, Jeopardy, this week. I watch faithfully every night like the old soul I am and yelped for joy when I saw the above clue about novelist Cheryl Head’s mystery series.

Fam, I absolutely LOVE mystery novels. I’ve read all of Walter Mosely’s books and have been dreaming of writing my own mystery forever (Hoping to change that soon).

A few years ago I was schlepping through an airport — I forget which one — and Cheryl’s latest novel cover, “Times Undoing” caught my eye. I bought it without even knowing who she was or what the story other than the back cover told me it was about. And from the first page – her expert crafting of the story using history, journalism and drama – hooked me. So when I learned from a Jeopardy clue that Cherly also wrote her six-book mystery series, I immediately ordered all of them.

I can’t wait to dig into them. Yaw might wanna do the same. 😉

Last but not least, I gotta shout out Khary Frazier, a fellow storyteller who has been doing the work to build community and amplify Detroit’s stories through his podcast network, “Detroit is Different.”

Follow him and his podcast network on IG  @kharyfrazier, and @detroitisdifferent. And check out his recent conversation with Afros and Audio’s  @talibjasir for Black History Month.

Check out all or any of these amazing storytellers if the Spirit moves ya, Fam. I’m sure you’ll see just as I do that Detroiters aren’t just celebrating past Black History — They’re creating it.

And I, as a forever daughter of the D, am so proud of them.