Building the Platform

Yep. All right, guys. So I'm ahead and hit record and we can dive into it. All right, we're live, so this is episode, I call it zero of the DGC Empowerment Hour podcast conversation basically centered around introducing this pod or podcast and using a platform of discussion, discussing social and economic issues affecting the African American community and beyond. While connecting that mission to the Detroit Graduate Chapter and the Groove Community Campus. So let's kick it off, guys, with let's introduce everybody introduce themselves. Let's start with you, Ed, and then T and then boss man.

Good afternoon, everybody. I am Edward Withers. I've been with the organization a little bit over 11 years now. Working with doing things in the inner city and working with our youth by trade. I am a school teacher. I teach special ed for high school. So I could, I could speak about the educational system and status as it is today. I even have a special needs son that's going very well.

Awesome.

Well, my name is Terence Willis, fellowman Terence Willis, a member of Detroit Grant since the winter of 2001 and also an entrepreneur and community development specialist.

and activists in the city of detroit fellowman craig muhammad uh proud to announce I'm uh 40 years a member of groove 5 groove a member of detroit graduate chapter since 1986 currently hold the position of executive director of the groove community campus I serve the community in numerous ways over the course of my life. I'm a social worker by vocation. I also am a student in the class in the ministry class in the Nation of Islam.

Okay, and I'm a fellow man Richard Vincent or Groove known as SIOP. I'm a technologist. I care about the community because I'm from this community. It's what raised me and gave, gave me every opportunity in life. And I'm also a study or a history. And so I'm appreciative to have this opportunity to be with you gentlemen so we can talk about what's going on in our community and come up with not just talking about problems, but also talking about solutions. I have one question for each of you guys, and we could kind of hang here for a second. Why is this the right time to start a podcast such as this?

Well, if you're asking me, I think this really is something that's long overdue, particularly here among our chapter, this particular group of men who have consistently worked in and on behalf of the community. What is uniquely special about this situation right now, Brother Richard, is that we are decided to plant our flag and really create impact in a particular neighborhood. And so, to highlight the efforts, the vision, and the work that we've been continuously doing, I think is right on time to both garner support as well as to make known. That we are here and doing what we say that we're going be doing.

Well, I'd like to add a that, just in the fact that, you in endeavoring to have impact and analyze what we perceive to be as challenges, what I've found is that the biggest challenge is just a misconception. You know, there's misconceptions. That in our communities we can't work together, black folks can't do this, or black folks can't do that, or black folks are always doing this, or black folks are always doing that. What I've discovered as we've, you know, kind of drawn our boundary and our focus area, and we began to surveil and do reconnaissance in that area, what I find is that there are a lot of people. That are working together. A lot of people that are, like-minded and endeavoring to create a better reality. And but oftentimes they're in silos and they don't know. I'm discovering new groups every day, people that amazing things. And so it's important that, in my examination of the lack of knowledge in terms of what other folks are doing. It made me look inward. And I see that we need to do this also, because I'm sure there are a people who would align themselves with us if only they knew what we're doing. And we sometimes can neglect to promote, self-promote and make people aware of what's going on. I think it's essential to leadership. Is communicating, you communicating what we're doing, what we're working on, where our priorities, and setting an example most importantly to those who are looking to be led.

My take on it is that I agree with Terence. A lot of organizations out there looking to move the city forward. But I think what we need to do is amend that a little bit. These organizations need to work with those who don't understand what the recipe for success looks like and how to get started. We've got to pull more of those people who do not know into the fold. Instead of saying 10 people per organization, Doing the colourless work over and over again, we got to get others involved.

Nice.

Okay, well, so guys, let's key up. Let's key up to get to the meat and potatoes, right? So if we look at, if we look at what we're about to be doing here on this podcast or this, um, or this, uh, we call it the empowerment hour, right? Uh, what What would be those social and economic issues that we should bring forward on this platform?

Again, employment readiness, employment itself. Then there's the educational gap that we need to close. There's housing. That we need to address. I mean, the whole gamut exists. And our ability to not just recognize them, but to help facilitate a remedy is be crucial if we're be successful. And prioritizing our work, our efforts is going to be critical to our ability to sustain the effort. You know, just to name a few, again, I don't want to take up all but I think we have to be able to be remarkably wise in terms of being able to assess what the need is of the Willemick Park neighborhood as well as the entire Dexter cultural empowerment zone. We need to really understand what the needs are and then prioritize how we'll move out towards finding solutions.

I would add that I agree wholeheartedly with everything that Craig said. But I would add that, you in serving a community, you have to define the community. And oftentimes, you need to break things down to the smallest components. And I think, you almost, you the smallest unit of a community is families, and that the core of the family is a man as a leader. So, one of the areas that we've chosen to focus on is male leadership development specifically. And not to leave out our sisters. We do have a sister organization, Swing Phi Swing, as well that focuses on the sisters. But our goal as a fellowship is to focus on men and primarily black men. And helping to build better men. You shout out to Otis Bellinger, right? You know, to build better men and help those men be productive as fathers, as uncles, as brothers, as grandfathers, you know, in their families, and then bringing those families together all as a part of a specific community and then, you know, perfecting that process. And presenting that process to other communities as a way to bring value and restoration in those communities as well. And then, of course, there's other, you know, sort of low-hanging fruit that we see that work to both of those ends, right? Which is, you know, blight reduction, crime reduction, other things that present opportunities in and of themselves to create jobs and other things, you know. In our community, all as a part of this ecosystem of restoration in this target area.

Your thoughts?

Well, this kind of goes back to the conversation that you and I were having, Richard, yesterday. It starts with the family unit. You know, we actually mentioned that even as it pertains to the school system, so everything starts with the family. What is being taught at home is what's going to be displayed out in the community. So we have to, again, I agree with parents, sensing the family home, starting with the patriarch or their household, and go on from there. What we think is common knowledge or whatever, it may not be common for whatever reason for everyone.

Okay.

Oh, well, so my perspective is that one of those social economic issues that we should focus on as well, and I think each of you guys touched on it to a certain degree, would be knowledge itself. Because you can have someone who is very affluent, but they don't have knowledge of self. And so they're struggling in other areas that aren't financial. Or you have somebody who's not affluent, but they have knowledge of self and they might actually have a better mental health disposition. And I think that a lot of times we equate success in life with things that aren't what the measurable KPI is for success. And so. I think we have a community that struggles on many fronts from health to wealth to family marriage because that knowledge itself being that North Star is off kilter. And I think, and really, it's my hypothesis that that's one of the biggest things that affects the individual in the black community as well as the black community itself is kind of knowing itself, knowing what it is, knowing what it's capable of, what's powerful enough to do. Do in relegating our place to the seat that we, our birthright, you know, our connection with Mother Africa, our successes, our riches. So that would be my two cents. But that leads us into, guys, if we had to, you know, kind of dictate who's our primary audience, like who should be listening to us as we have these empowerment hours on a weekly basis?

Well, I would think, primarily all of the stakeholders within the area that we're targeting to impact as one, but then all of the, you know, supporters, potential supporters of our efforts throughout the nation, specifically within the fellowship, but then also, you know, our own networks of friends and families and supporters. As well as just the general public, because we don't know who we don't know. So someone, that's the beauty of this type of technology and this platform is that ultimately we could reach people throughout the entire world. So I would say limited to excluding anybody on the planet. Everybody has a potential, but definitely making sure that our message is one that resonates with. With our immediate impact area, you know, and all the stakeholders within it. Okay.

Well, with that, guys, I'm gonna move on to the next question, because I think it's a key one. And it'll take, and then we'll leave the section of introducing the vibe. But before we leave this section, I wanna talk about. What conversations are missing from mainstream media about African-American communities? Because I think this would be platform to kind of make those things, bring that awareness out, you know, being that we control this particular avenue of conversation.

I would say first and foremost, a lack of consensus on who our community is, who we are, and who is a part of it. There's, you know, doesn't seem to be consensus on a single characteristic that ties us in as Black folks. Right. You got some people who, like myself, you who considers, you know, myself to be connected to everyone of African descent. And for that matter, you know, all of humanity. Specifically those who, you know, who have their roots in Africa, in the last four or five hundred years, right, and that have been seen by the world as being African or black, right, and have been dealt with based upon that characteristic. But there are other folks who don't necessarily, you know, some people, you know, see themselves as just Westside Detroiters. You know, they don't even connect with people on the east side, right? You know, and then you have some people who are hyper individuals that are, you know, it's only me and my inner circle, and no one else matters, right? So I don't think that that problem of that identity crisis is being addressed in the mainstream media. As a matter of fact, according to the algorithm of my social media, there seems to be be some force that's pushing division amongst us. No matter how many videos I don't like that separate us, I still seem to keep getting them. These myths about who doesn't like who and who's different than who. All these other things, you know, even pushing separation between male and female, you know, the man is fear versus the black girl magic, right? You know, all I see a lot of mainstream media pushing division amongst black people, where I think, you know, what our message really should be doing is showing the commonality, right? Because it's dawned on me. Me in recent decades that I've never been a minority in my city, in the city of Detroit, my entire life. And I've never been a minority on this planet. But that's almost in direct conflict with the paradigm that most of us operate under, right? We have minority contractor certifications and all of these other things when we're really not minorities. We're, you know, depending on how you identify yourself and how we identify each other. So.

I think Terence hits on something when he speaks about commonality. And I think what the mainstream media should, what I would like to see us push, first of all, I don't think that the mainstream media will ever push it. It really comes down to what will we push. But in terms of that commonality, what we get is either extreme. Either those that small percentage of blacks who have some measure of economic wealth, though they may not have any moral wealth, but that's who is promoted, or on the opposite end, those of us who, because of, like you said, Richard, don't know exactly who we are and are being influenced into an identity that we weren't born with necessarily. So, my algorithm, in terms of what Terence is saying, and I hate it because I don't stay on them long, but I see a preponderance of us in the most negative ways that is not reflective of the whole of us. I see our young ladies fighting almost more than our young men. And the masculinity of men and the effemining of the men. But those are, again, small percentages that are bombarded in our spaces that make us believe that this is who we are and it's not. But there are, so even in Wilderman Park, which is not unlike the areas that both I and Terence grew up in, where, you know, there were people who cut their grass, who were morally sound and whose family was, you know, was tightly structured. Didn't have much, but were rich in terms of understanding what is absolutely necessary for a healthy life. We don't see that individual, those of us, and that's the vast majority of us, and we don't see that being highlighted enough. So it's either we're the 1% who are rich and immoral, or we're the super poor and immoral. But all that's in between, that is the vast majority of us that are doing well, that are amoral, we don't see that enough. And I think that's where we have to be able to highlight that, bring light to it, and celebrate it.

Different perspective from everyone. I think most things that we need to start doing is dependent upon being dependent upon mainstream media to. Change the narrative of who we are. I think we have to develop our own media, develop our own narrative. One thing that I like about the nation of Islam, which I am not an official part of, but I do follow a lot of what they speak on, is they don't seem to be dependent upon the mainstream media. Because the mainstream media already has a narrative. That is rooted in dollars and cents. So, whether if it doesn't make dollars, it doesn't make sense. So, even meaning it could be the right thing to say or to present, they're not going to do it because it doesn't fit the monetary narrative that they have to uphold. So, with that being said, we got to start doing our own thing, get back to doing our own thing, increasing our narrative, our own, you know, and then go from there.

Well, that's so that I agree with it. And so my two cents on the divergence of what's being discussed in mainstream media and what we discussed here, I think is indeed that this is our media. This is our platform, and there's no barriers for us to develop our own media, publish it to our own websites and our own social media feeds. So, absolutely, 100%. But I think the thing that doesn't get discussed, probably also that's of detriment to all communities, not just African-American. And T, you and Bossman mentioned this in the quote-unquote social media algorithm of divisiveness that we see, because I definitely see it. There's an old concept of mankind called the social contract. And what I mean by that is that mankind has a very powerful tool in its tool bag that helps us to, you know, it's not a popular phrase, but I find it to be somewhat true: dominate the planet. And what I mean by dominate the planet is you can take any beast, I don't care what the beast is, and that beast is sitting in any given zoo, sitting in the Detroit Zoo. Sitting in the San Diego Zoo, and that beast was apprehended, chained, put in that zoo by men who were much weaker than it is, right? Now, how did that happen? Not intelligence alone, because you can't take a smart man against a lion, and that man with intelligence is guaranteed to come out on top of that lion. But you can take a group of somewhat smart men, and they almost guarantee that we. We can do almost anything as a group, which then speaks to why so much divisiveness. Is it that the powers that be don't want us to exercise that one simple power that mankind has employed to its benefit or almost its entire existence? Is that they know that we could solve any problem if we were just to come together and going back to just what all you guys were talking about, that's not the unfortunate job of mainstream media. They don't tell us the truth. They don't even hold true to the vision of journalism half the time. They're just puppets or parrots squawking on what they're being paid to squawk on. So that brings us back here to our podcast, guys, in my humble opinion. I think that's the reason for us being here, right?

But, Richard, it goes also just back to what you were saying in terms of a lack of knowledge of self. And when we don't have have a knowledge of self, we are vulnerable to an external force dictating or influencing us to understand who we are. And when that happens, then we behave in a way that they, because, again, on the flip side, if we're influenced by a media or that is determined to keep us divided, as we spoke on, keep us unaware of who we are, to keep us in a victim identity, to keep us not believing that we can have unity or achieve anything. Then, we, over time, even if it's a lie, if it's told loud enough and long enough and strong enough, ultimately, we'll believe it and begin to act accordingly. Even all the things that we're talking, we need to recognize that it's going to be our, it's a task. It's a task because we're up against a formidable foe who has hundreds of years of subjecting a particular group of people. And that some of us understand the big play and have come up and made huge strides, but to get the entirety of us. You know, and again, that might not even be necessary to get the entirety of us. If we can just get enough of us to come together and begin to make strides that the others will benefit from, you know, then we then now wield some influence by which they can be influenced, you know. But that knowledge of self-peace is a big piece. Absolutely.

Well, guys, just for expediency's sake, because I know. You have a hard stop for this particular episode. But I'm loving the conversation, but I'm gonna just play on boss the ending of this segment of this episode, which is an introduction to the podcast. And let's move into in keeping with knowledge itself, let's talk about who we are. Let's talk about Detroit graduate chapter. And you know, boss, I kind of like you just get started, and then we can kind of talk about. Detroit graduate chapter from its origins its affiliation with our national organization and then also you know t talk about some of the amazing things that we're doing and I know some can look at me as being biased and saying the work that we do is amazing but I think I'm genuine when I do say that the stuff that we do is pretty amazing so if you guys want to talk about that for a little bit well I think the first question is who is groove find groove And for years, we've always identified Groove and what we are not.

You know, we would say we're a non-Greek lettered fraternity or fraternal organization, but what we are is an independent social fellowship. So I'd rather tell us who we are based on the affirmative. We're an independent social fellowship at service organization by nature, fraternal in nature, but non-Greek. In that philosophically we don't adhere to the westernized understanding of Greek creating civilization and because we understand that they pilfered everything, literally everything that they know and have and have offered to the world from Egypt when Egypt was purely black. So that's who we are. Now, structurally, the Detroit Graduate Chapter was formed and founded and chartered in 1979, in April of 1979. And we've been serving the community to the degree that we were able to since that time, consistently. We are an affiliate chapter of the International Office of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship Incorporated, which was started on the campus of Morgan State University. In Baltimore, Maryland in October 12, 1962. So both the international office at large and the Detroit Graduate Chapter has some history behind it. In terms of the Detroit Graduate Chapter, we've always been, and I'm proud to say, on the forefront of evolutionary thinking and growth. We are currently, you know, I think. The only chapter that owns property that has an actual chapter owns, I'll call it a groove house for lack of a better term, and now a campus that we are actually moving forward with bringing a true identity and a cultural and resting spot for this community. I like to say that we hope that be a beacon of light in this community. But what I'm most proud of in terms of the chapter is the brotherhood. I would often say, and I still contend that the brothers of this chapter are as close, if not closer. Than some of my own blood brothers. Again, and I, and now I will say this to that point, though, Richard, COVID kind of that kind of, you gave us kind of a reason to kind of fall back from that effort. And I'd like to see us really put more effort into regaining that spirit of family that we once had. Strongly, such that people who came here wanted to go back and try to emulate what we had here in their own chapters. So, I want us to figure out a way. I would like to see us do more family things that we've done in the past. We used to do movie nights and bowling and dinners and things that brought us together, gave us time to spend time in each other's space and really get to know one another. Again, when I say family-rich, like my brother, my mother. They came to all the events. My nieces, they came to all the events. They, you know, their family, you know, at 2-2-2. I mean, our children grew up as play cousins and things of that nature. We can get back to that. You know, we have a rich history of that. And, but, but, yeah, I'm proud. I'm a proud member of the Detroit Guinea May Graduate Chapter of Groove Fight Groove Social Fellowship Incorporated.

Okay, so what I'm displaying here is a map of the city of Detroit from the famous eight-mile road right up here. It goes all across our northern border, all the way down to our southern border, which Detroit River. And, you know, south of Detroit is Canada. So we go south to go to Detroit. To Canada. So this great city that I was born and raised in, the Detroit Graduate Chapter, after, we started here in 1979, like Craig said. And, we decided that at some point we decided that we wanted to focus on a particular community. And that community is highlighted in this square here. You know, very, very valuable in terms of infrastructure and location. It is very valuable and strategic location, right? I mean, essentially it's in the heart of the city of Detroit, where all of the major interstates in the state of Michigan intersect very close to downtown Detroit and midtown Detroit. An area that in my lifetime represented probably the most prosperous black people on the entire planet. Born in 71 and throughout the 70s and into the 80s, even though Detroit as a whole was in decline, this neighborhood was, in my opinion, a premier neighborhood that had probably the highest percentage of home ownership. Black or white, in the country, and highest per capita income, black or white. And it also is the birthplace of black nationalist thought in Detroit for sure, and in some instances around the country. Our eastern border here, Linwood Street. Is home to the Nation of Islam, Mosque number one. It was the birthplace of the Shrine of the Black Madonna, the Republic of New Africa, Aretha Franklin's father, C.L. Franklin's Church, New Bethel, AME, a stone's throw away from Motown, the historic King Solomon Baptist Church, and so many other things along Dexter Avenue. We had Ed Vaughn's bookstore, the Broadside Press, the minor key jazz club where greats like Duke Ellington and Miles Davis played. We had the Langston Hughes Theater over on Livernoy. We had a, almost ground zero for black nationalist thought and the black liberation struggle happening right here in this community. Right? And this is made up of six neighborhoods: Russell Woods, Nardin Park, Dexter-Linwood, Jameson, Wildemere Park, and Potoski. And I'm going zoom in on Google Earth to that same neighborhood. And you can see down here at what I call the gateway to the Dexter. Cultural Economic Zone. You have the Groove Community Campus. So, this is an area where we've staked our claim. We own an entire block from Northwestern Street to Lothrup Street. We have three buildings that we control in that area currently. This building here we call. The man school or the Detroit graduate chapters and Great Lake Regional Headquarters for Groove 5 Groove and this building is focused on male leadership development. It's currently under renovations. We're doing a complete gut rehab of this building to create space for community fellowship and leadership development. And then currently we're operating out building at 7404 Dexter, which is the, we call it the cash flow quadrant. This property is, you know, dedicated to workforce development, self-employment, business ownership, and investing. That's why we call it the cash flow quadrant from Richard Dad, Poor Dad Fame. And then most recently, we acquired the building 7443 Dexter, which will be used to create sustainability to this project. It's a for-profit venture or a revenue-generating venture to support the activities. We call it the Groove BB, be a short-term rental for fellow men visiting Detroit as well as the general public. But what you can see also in this. In this view, here is that there's plenty of room for expansion. So we have expansion plans directly to the south of us and to the east of us to acquire vacant land and build new construction. Within the property that we own already, we have a location that's already primed and ready for expansion and most likely will be a newly constructed, much larger cash flow quadrant at some point. So, you know, this area, which is all part of, like I said, the Dexter cultural economic zone, we have our the Groove Community Campus here right at the gateway to that. And I want to put together a presentation. This will be the first time that anybody's even seen this. So hopefully, you know, I've done a good job of proofreading, reading it, and there's mistakes in this. But there is a, I'm sorry, wrong slide. This, this is a presentation I put together to talk about exactly what the Dexter Cultural Economic Zone really is, right? It's a phase approach to unifying heritage, reversing capital flight, and attracting global diaspora investment, right? It's that, you know, identity. Defining who we are as a people and connecting with all of our people from around the planet, right? And reproducing this in every single community in which we find ourselves in majority, right? So the mandate for urban sovereignty or sovereignty, restore unifying identity, arrest economic leakage, and institutionalize that identity, right? This strategy is the African Town Mandate, a vision established by the late City Council member Dr. Joanne Watson in her 2004 resolution that passed here in Detroit. The cultural continuum, African American identity, right? So this is, you know, the ideal is to talk about what our heritage is here in the Dexter cultural economic zone. What is our local heritage and legacy? But also connect that to a global diaspora and create a space in this geography that celebrates all African people from around the world. You know, part of that is creating a policy around getting the local government, state government, county government, and federal government to. Officially recognize the strategy of cultural economic zones. And here in Michigan, in Detroit, really, we have shining examples of highly functioning cultural economic zones. So, Mexicantown, for example, in southwest Detroit, in which, you know, predominantly Hispanic and, you know, this neighborhood pretty much. Much formed organically and then in the 80s was dubbed Mexicantown. Same thing in one of our internal suburbs in Detroit called Hamtramck. There's a large contingent of Yemeni and Bengali residents has become the largest majority Muslim city in the United States. And, you know, a perfect example of all types. And the same thing, you as the demographic shifted there, the Bengali and Muslim population took majority, and then it was dubbed Bangla Town. Dearborn being probably one of famous cultural economic zones in Michigan and as a Detroit suburb. Is the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States, with two of the largest mosques in North America in their community. That when 20, 20 years ago, was a predominantly white and somewhat racist community. That once the white population moved away from Dearborn, the Arab population consolidated their hold on Dearborn. And although it's not called, so it shows that the branding is not the important part. It's the strategy, it's the structure and the policy underneath the branding that's important. You know, Dearborn has seen economic and political power, beyond its weight, it's punching beyond its weight, right? So African Town claims no priority, African Town CDC, rather. Claims no priority on the specific branding of these companies. By establishing the CZ infrastructure, cultural nodes will grow and this self-name will be will evolve, right? So they'll be named after the fact. But part of the DNA, I talked about some of these things just a minute ago, so I won't spend much time on this slide, but a number in this geography, the local legacy of Pan-African and Black liberation struggle is apparent. Some of the architects of that, and I'm not gonna spend of time on this either, but you it's just there's as it relates to this idea of African Americans being separated from the rest of the African diaspora and Africans on the continent and somehow being different. You some of our greatest leaders had. Plenty to say about that and how, it was imperative that we connect with our brothers and sisters abroad, you know, from noble Drew Ali to Reverend Albert Klee, Elijah Muhammad, the Republic of New Africa, and Marcus Garvey, right? Even Malcolm X, who gave his last completed speech here in Detroit at the Ford Auto Tournament. In that speech, he made several. References to it's important for us to unite, you know, to unite us internally, but we have to unite with our brothers and sisters abroad. He talked about the need for us to connect with our brothers and sisters. So I don't think strategically it's very wise for us not to do so. I won't spend a lot of time on this, but it's just to say, as a part of this strategy, is ultimately to have each district in the city, each of the planning districts in the city of Detroit to have a large-scale CEZ that embraces African culture. But also, in every single neighborhood, we should have many CEZs, basically institutions or spaces that are designed to. To promote our common connection because that's the culture is the glue that holds the community together, right? So, this slide just some of those same things, some of the different existing mini CEZs, right? So, this is where that myth, right, that black folks don't want to work together, oftentimes is just that we don't know that we have, different individuals are working. In alignment. They're all working in these silos, but really, there's tons of synergy that should be taken advantage of This is just talking about Dexter Avenue just to the north of us. There's been about $9.5 million, the streetscape million dollars that's been invested in that strip already. With actually, this number needs to be updated because there's over $600 million worth of slotted. Developments happening in the commercial district of the CEZ. One of those is a project that's close to our heart. Both Craig and I both sit on the board of Africantown Community Development Corporation, which has a development. It's a 28,000 square foot former school that we're transforming into the San Cofa Arts and Culture Center to be a publicly owned. Anchor for the African town or the CDC development. And just recently, we had a Juneteenth, we participated in a Juneteenth Jubilee that activated that entire strip of Dexter. It was a beautiful, beautiful summer day very well. So it shows what's possible when there's just a little bit of vision. This just talks about some of the other developments that's coming. So of course, there's a 43-unit mixed-use development. Called dedicated to Marcus Mosiah Garvey that's being developed right next to the San Cofa Arts and Culture Center. There's a broadside loft, which is a 33 residential unit mixed-use development. There's the Encore, which is a 77-unit senior living complex. And then there's the Minor Key Residence is paying homage to the Minor Key Jazz Club that I mentioned earlier. 37 units of permanent supportive housing. Then there's Ensembl at Dexter, which is 10 live work lofts and 30,000 square foot food hall. Then the Cadence, which is a transit-oriented three-story mixed-use infield housing, and then the Russell Woods Living Center, which is a 12-story affordable housing for seniors. This is just talking about some of the plans for other expansion areas for cultural economic zones. Phase two would be in Brightmoor, and phase three would be in East Warren. I'm sorry, yeah, East Warren, which is District 4, and there's already activity in East Warren. We just had the recent ribbon cutting for a little Liberia restaurant and then. Fair, which is an East African restaurant, is going to be opening up on that strip as well. Global trade infrastructure. Ultimately, the thing that's most exciting to me being that one of my businesses is a company called Black Star Brokers, and I've been trading in Africa at one level or another for the last since 1999. And what that's shown me is that there's tremendous synergies and opportunities. For every single Black person in America and throughout the diaspora to be trading with one another. So this strategy or this system that we're providing open source to create a solution for local areas also includes being a portal for trade between Black communities around the world. This is just some policy recommendations for planning and development department. So I won't go into that very much at this point. And I think this is the last slide, just in time, actually, you know, the conclusion, join the harvest. Just as Motown defined the 20th century global brand, the Unified CEZ strategy is a modern rebranding of Detroit. It wipes away the negative propaganda and positions Detroit as a sovereign, culturally rich destination. Sankofa principle. We reach back to our collective history to build and empower the future. Through small, high-velocity, quick wins, we transition this vision framework from a localized development into a landmark global movement. So that's the big picture of what we're trying to do. We're starting at the individual grassroots level down to the family level with the men in those families. And then we have a holistic strategy on how we can expand that out and scale it to the globe and impact all of our people around the world and ultimately humanity.

One question, T. Okay. As it relates to the CEZ zones, in your vision, do you see them being independent of each other? Or are we looking to try to unify these zones in a way that the standard or create I don't know, you know, how each zone would operate to be true to the title, the length, what I'm saying? The activity.

I understand, yeah, yeah, totally. Yeah, the plan is for every CEZ to connect to every other CDC. Okay, okay. So, so in instead of, think about like what the comment I made earlier about the divisions in Detroit. Whether they're said jokingly or whether they're real about East Side versus West Side, right? East Coast versus West Coast or Crip versus Blood. Oftentimes, neighborhoods are very, you know, are at odds, sometimes like, right? So the whole idea is by creating these cultural economic zones, one, their purpose is to. 365 days a year remind members of that local community that we're connected to a larger community. And then, in practice, foster trade and exchange and communication between the neighborhoods as a counter to the ideas that, you know, on the other side of the major avenue is somehow your enemy.

Right.

You know. So that's why the whole purpose for the many CEZs is to do on a micro level what we're attempting to do on a macro level. How can we connect with brothers in West Africa and collaborate, create trade leakages, and all these other types of exchange? When we can't get along with the brother on the other side of the Jordan. Exactly.

It's true, uh, J.K., I think, at one time stated, as not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. When we adopt that philosophy for our neighborhood, I think that'll be a good start.

You know, in the Nation of Islam at the relationship community, you know, we have two sayings. We do a self-improvement study course, which is self-improvement is the basis for community development, means everything that will develop the community begins with self and the improvement of self. So that goes back to the knowledge of self. We have to engage individually in that exercise of introspection to understand that which is good and that which we need to correct. It needs that self-correction, that we might then be better in our homes, that we can then really be the cornerstone of a good community and society. The second thing is the minister has put us on the directive of the nation that we must. And must is a strong word. He says we must make our communities decent and safe places to live. And again, even that goes back to the individual taking stock of self, household, block, and then neighborhood. And really coming to understand what is necessary, what is needed, and then how and then how to proceed. Arthur Ash says, you know. Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. And with that philosophy, it eliminates anybody saying, I can't do anything. No, start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. And it implies do something.

Do something.

So, what I would ask the community to do is to again take stock of self, household, neighborhood, and then also. Tune in whenever we're going to be on the air and share with us that we might be able to attack those things, that list that we're building that we might be able to prioritize and then move out on.

I'd like to say this too. I'm going to share this with us. Recently, we've had some. Our cars broken into several on our block uh we had a shooting uh two days ago I think it was and one of the things that we're in talks now is putting together a rock club we've been the police all in because when the police came out to investigate the shooting what did they do after they looked for evidence or physical evidence they started going door to door, talking to the people, because they know we all got cameras and stuff like that that's, you know, trying to secure our homes. So they can't, they brought it back to the people. We could do that ourselves. Not saying we don't need the police, but we have to start policing our own neighborhoods, get back to that. You a lot of times the first inclination is, oh man, it's getting bad. To get out of here. No, fix the problem. You can't run from the problem and I approve my block for what they're doing. We'll get ready to put together a block club. And that's how we have to do. This is, I think, a roof print for other streets, for other blocks. Put that together. And then we can work together.

Well, guys, this has been great. Those are some great call to actions or CTAs. I'm going to just close it out with this call to action. It is very simple. Visit our website, www.groovedetroit.org, and keep listening. Because as you can see or as you can hear, we're talking about something. And so, with that, I'm ahead and end the recording, guys.