SPIRIT OF DETROIT

Detroit-area lawmakers slammed the initial draft maps put forward by Michigan’s independent redistricting commission Tuesday, arguing the maps as drawn would disenfranchise Black Detroit residents by splitting them up between several different districts and make it harder to elect Black lawmakers. Hollier said he and other Detroit Democrats concerned about the maps aren’t advocating for specific line changes, but rather political district maps that incorporate majority Black districts and provide the city of Detroit with adequate representation. Under the federal Voting Rights Act law, political districts are required to adequately represent minority populations. Read more about Michigan’s redistricting process:Facing time crunch, Michigan redistricting commission cuts back on public hearingsDraft maps for new Michigan legislative districts currently favor Republicans, analysis showsMichigan’s redistricting commission promised transparency. Michigan Supreme Court rejects redistricting commission’s request for more time to redraw political mapsStudents, retirees and a ‘shop rat’ are drawing Michigan’s next political mapsThese 13: Meet the ordinary people tasked with drawing Michigan’s political mapsMichigan’s redistricting commission wants to see your ideal political maps.

Indigenous activists are calling on Detroit leaders to address historical inequities and honor the original people who were displaced from the city. The Detroit Indigenous...

Aaliyah was only 22 years old when she died in that tragic plane crash in the Bahamas.

After the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic last week, tens of thousands of metro Detroit renters are...

A former NBA basketball player is advocating for reforming marijuana laws in Detroit.

“We are resilient and we are innovative,” Angela Austin, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Michigan said in an interview with MLive. Grassroots efforts mobilized a diverse group of people who joined the fight for justice in cities, suburbs and small towns. Last year, Black Lives Matter protesters committed to march until courts, state legislators and police make significant improvements to the criminal justice system. “The fight for Black life is a class struggle ultimately, so we have to unite with the workers and unions,” Lewis said. “They’ve been sold a bill of goods that the problem is immigrants, it’s Black folks in Detroit, it’s the elites,” Snyder said.

DETROIT – There has been a wide spectrum of faces at the protests in Detroit, including those who’ve marched the path so many times before and those for whom the journey is relatively new. Local 4′s Devin Scillian was joined on Tuesday night by the head of the Detroit branch of the NAACP and a new face many Detroiters now recognize, Stefan Perez. Click here for more Spirit of Detroit: Fulfilling the Dream reportsWatch the discussion in the video above

DETROIT – Local 4 sat down with eight local high school and college students ages 14 to 18 from the inner city to the suburbs to talk about the racial equality movement. READ: How Metro Detroit high school students are working for diversity, inclusion, acceptanceThe students said they believe attention and exposure to racial diversity initiatives is needed in school. They also said students need better education about race and the African American side of American history past and present. Extended cut: Rhonda Walker talks to youth in Metro Detroit about racism, climateWatch the full report aboveClick here for more Spirit of Detroit: Fulfilling the Dream reports

Local 4′s Paula Tutman shared a story of a couple who was there that day and has continued to risk their lives to pave the way for civil rights and social justice. When King debuted his original “I Have A Dream” speech in Detroit in 1963, somewhere in the crowd was a 22-year-old warrior for civil rights named Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge. “It was a very exciting day to be a part of the march,” Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge said. Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge and her husband Dan Aldridge have spent more than six decades fighting for civil rights, equality and social justice. Now, the fight for civil rights seems different.

Watch: Conversation on race with Wendell Anthony and Stefan PerezPublished: June 23, 2020, 11:05 pmThere has been a wide spectrum of faces at the protests in Detroit, including those who’ve marched the path so many times before and those for whom the journey is relatively new.

Students share their views on the racial equality movementPublished: June 23, 2020, 10:48 pmLocal 4 sat down with eight local high school and college students ages 14 to 18 from the inner city to the suburbs to talk about the racial equality movement.

Housing discrimination in Detroit: An example of systemic racismPublished: June 23, 2020, 10:26 pmOne concept has been often mentioned amid our country’s current crisis, but it is not as often understood: systemic racism.

DETROIT – Detroit teacher Quan Neloms is from the heart of Detroit and began working in the education system as a school volunteer in the late 1990s. Once thing he’s noticed since his journey began is the lack of Black men in the school system -- and, for the sake of our youth, that has to change. “The main thing is that we want to impress on Black men (is) that you are needed,” Neloms said. “Being involved in education, in the field of education as black men. The teacher also created an organization called In Demand, whose aim is to help older Black men make a positive impact on future leaders in the Black community.

It’s difficult watching what’s happened to Black men in our country. Many young Black men are taught by their parents how some people in the world might view them and the things they should do in hopes of staying safe. Local 4′s Evrod Cassimy sat down with three Black fathers about how and when they have this difficult conversation with their sons. Watch the full extended cut of the interview in the video player above. Watch Local 4′s ‘Spirit of Detroit: Fulfilling the Dream’ Special live here at 10 p.m. Tuesday, where we continue the discussion on racism in America.

The Spirit of DetroitPublished: July 20, 2020, 7:44 pmLocal 4 is bringing you another “Spirit of Detroit" special tonight, highlighting the positive stories happening in our community during the virus pandemic.

(CBS DETROIT) Three Motor City Match winners celebrated their grand openings Wednesday on the Livernois Avenue of Fashion. Each of the business owners received the Spirit of Detroit award from Councilmember McCalister in recognition of their contributions to the city. Thanks to Motor City Match, these minority entrepreneurs are now business owners in the City of Detroit, said Duggan. Skin Bar VII received a Round 7, $45,000 MCM cash grant, an MCM Design Award in 2016 and support from Hatch Detroit and Livernois Soup. Good Times on the Ave. received a Round 12, $40,000 MCM cash grant, which they used to complete renovations on the building.

The city is fully behind the Detroit Youth Choir. The choir is set to perform on the final of "America's Got Talent." On Tuesday morning, the Spirit of Detroit statue Downtown was adorned with a purple vest. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

DETROIT - The City Council has voted to make the block of Woodward Avenue in front of the Spirit of Detroit a permanent public place, so Detroit is investing $800,000 to improve it. Erica Hill, from the Parks and Recreation Department, said more people are taking advantage of the now-permanent plaza. Some people still can't get over what the plaza has done to traffic at one of Downtown Detroit's main areas. This weekend is the big Jazzfest, and the city doesn't want to disrupt that, so construction won't begin until Wednesday. Construction on Spirit Plaza should be finished by October.

DETROIT - Detroit police are still searching for a hit-and-run driver more than a year after a man was struck and killed while walking to pick up food from a nearby Coney Island restaurant, officials said. Dallas Thomas, 52, was visiting with friends Aug. 8, 2018, when he left to walk and pick up food from a nearby Coney Island restaurant, police said. Thomas was at the intersection of Dexter Avenue and West Davidson Street on Detroit's west side when he was struck by a vehicle around 11:55 p.m., according to authorities. Police said Thomas was struck possibly by a dark blue, midsize Chevrolet. The Chevrolet was heading east on Davidson Street when it struck Thomas, according to officials.

Spirit of Detroit plaza idea pushed back to Monday for reconsideration because of split vote from city council. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

(CBS DETROIT) The Amazing Race concluded its 31st season in Detroit. Here are some of the Metro Detroit landmarks they visited:Three #AmazingRace teams arrived to Detroit and this is their first challenge. pic.twitter.com/3Y05wyL8B4 The Amazing Race (@AmazingRaceCBS) June 27, 2019Spirit of Detroit2 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226The first stop was at the Spirit of Detroit statue located on Woodward Avenue. Guardian Building500 Griswold St #1600, Detroit, MI 48226The Guardian Building is an Art Deco skyscraper located in Downtown Detroit. Fans of the show were excited to see Amazing Race contestants in their native city.