“I’VE GOT YOUR BACK, BECCA,” one of our Shetroit sisters soothingly whispered in my ear at the wrap-up of a recent gathering of Shetroiters. That’s our affectionate nickname for the Detroit women involved in this digital media endeavor known as Shetroit.com (rhymes with Detroit, of course). Her supportive words came following a bruising critique session […]
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Couples Retreats and Root Canals – It’s All About Digging Deep
The low point came several weeks before the couples’ workshop when Ron, my significant other, said he’d rather undergo root canal surgery. Or maybe it was a few days before we left for the workshop when he “joked” about getting prepared for “emotional waterboarding” (waterboarding being that infamous form of torture the U.S. military employs). […]
What the Trayvon Tragedy Can Teach Us About Being White
A week like this hasn’t been an easy one for conducting ourselves in the work-a-day world while Trayvon’s soul calls us to think deeply and long about healing and justice. The Trayvon Martin case shows once again how white people and people of color live in very different universes. Many of my African American friends […]
The On-Air Women of WDET? AHEM, Where Are They?
I love public radio. It’s one of the staples of my media consumption. Even call it the protein on my plate. And when I moved to Detroit a couple of years ago I was delighted to find a robust local program line-up on WDET (101.9 FM), Detroit’s National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate. I am not […]
How to Celebrate Mother’s Day Even When it Hurts
I get this knot in my stomach and wave of distraught when Mother’s Day rolls around each year. How do I celebrate in the face of having had lousy parenting? Odes to moms who inspired, supported, expanded, guided and embraced in unconditional love ooze from, well, everywhere … from friends talking about their Mother’s Day […]
Hey Mama! Meet Your New Best Friend
She lives in Royal Oak, has fulfilling work with good pay, a loving husband and two well-tended kids with another on the way. In that respect, Danielle Atkinson is miles apart – literally and figuratively – from the other mothers of color who live on the margins of barely meeting the basic needs of their […]
Shetroit: Putting the ‘She’ in Detroit
Of course, it rhymes with Detroit if you pronounce it the way most of us do: DEE troyt. Shetroit puts a feminine face on a city that has always been known for its masculine energy: Motor City, Arsenal of Democracy, Hockeytown, Rock City, The Fist. All of them strong iconic male images. On the other […]
Lessons from the ‘Occupied’ (Struggling, Partially Employed, Barely Mobile) Mom
I wrote about Tawana back in December after her hurting honest ‘Occupy’ letter landed her – and her gifts as a spoken word poet – in the blaze of the public stage. Blown away by her pluck and artistic talent I noted, “Honeycomb and I, we’ve not met yet, but I look forward to that […]
Detroit: The City with a Heart of Gold
What do I know? I’ve lived in Detroit for a couple of years. That’s a few nanoseconds to somebody who’s persevered the economic earthquakes, aftershocks and continuing tremors in this city. The stories of desperation are legend. And so with this backdrop how does a woman landing in Detroit find a way of embracing her […]
Weaving Community: Meet the Shetroit Blog Team!
Meet the Shetroit Blog Team! Detroit is in the spotlight with many eyes focused on it, wondering what it’s like to live, work and play in this richly complicated, intriguing and culturally diverse soup of a city – with all its offerings, both the challenges and the victories. Shetroit’s bloggers are presenting a diverse showcase […]