Join us Nov. 13 for our final Equitable Development panel, "Understanding Gentrification in Detroit"

How big of a problem is gentrification? How much affordable housing does the city need at what percentage of area median income to prevent displacement? 

On Nov. 13, Stephen Henderson, host of WDET's Detroit Today, will speaks with panelists on these topics and more at our final panel as part of our Equitable Development series. The event is free and open to the public, but please RSVP here. Food and refreshments will be provided. 

The speakers for this event are...

Stephen Henderson (moderator), host of WEDT's Detroit Today

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Stephen Henderson is the host of WDET's Detroit Today. From 2009-2017, the Detroit native worked as the editorial page editor for the Free Press. His resume also includes reporting at the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, and four years covering the Supreme Court for Knight Ridder’s Washington Bureau. Henderson is a graduate of University of Detroit High School and the University of Michigan.



Arthur Jemison, Chief of Services and Infrastructure for the City of Detroit

Jemison leads strategy, deployment, and management of several city departments that contribute to the operational and economic development strategy for the City of Detroit.  Prior to this role, he served as the Director of the Housing and Revitalization Department where he led Detroit's housing policy and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entitlement funding. He also led the strategic investments in the city's existing housing stock and new development to retain existing residents and ensure long-term population and physical growth of Detroit.

Before coming to Detroit, Jemison served as Deputy Undersecretary and Deputy Director, Department of Housing and Community Development, for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has held a variety of both public- and private-sector positions, many related to city planning and urban development. This includes his role in the Office of Deputy Mayor for Planning & Development, District of Columbia.

Phyllis Edwards, Executive Director of Bridging Communities

Edwards is the executive director for Bridging Communities, a non-profit in Southwest Detroit whose primary focus is eldercare and community development. She earned a bachelor of social work degree from Marygrove College, a professional graduate fellowship to attend Wayne State University, and her master of social work degree. Currently, she is completing a master's degree in Urban Planning at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Previously, she was program manager with the State of Michigan Wayne County Department of Health and Human Services. She is the chair for Aging Services Consortium for Detroit, treasurer for the Southeast Michigan Senior Regional Collaborative, member of the advisory board for the Detroit Area Agency on Aging 1A, and Board Chair for Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD). Nationally, she is a national board member for Self Development of People, National Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Executives, and previous member-at-large National Association of Social Worker (NASW) Board of Directors; member of the NASW Executive Committee, By-laws Task Force, and National Committee for Leadership Identification; past president for Wayne State University Alumni Association.

Raquel Garcia Anderson, Director of Housing and Special Projects for Global Detroit

Raquel has been with Global Detroit since 2014, when she took their initiatives to immigrant dense neighborhoods. As the Director of Housing and Special Projects, she leads the Opportunity Neighborhoods Small Business outreach and Affordable Homeownership projects in Southwest Detroit. Currently, that entails mapping the homeownership and contractor ecosystem with the Southwest Detroit Housing Table partners. She works to grow community awareness about Global Detroit’s revitalization initiatives and is passionate about connecting with and empowering Detroit's people and neighborhoods by meeting them face to face at their doors. 

Previously, Raquel worked on state level immigrant rights campaigns, as an electoral campaign organizer, and spent 15 years in higher education in Detroit. She serves on the Detroit City Council Immigration Task Force, as the secretary for the Detroit Chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA),  is a founding member of Southwest Soup, and sits on the Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision Board. She works to cultivate support for long-time Detroit residents, underserved populations, and the integration of immigrants through removing barriers to family wealth building tools such as education, homeownership, financial literacy and access to financing. 

We'll also be hosting an IDEA Lab in early 2019 that will explore urgent topics to help inform and educate how Detroit can grow inclusively. Stay tuned for more information about dates, speakers, and more. 

This event is part of our Equitable Development series, in partnership with Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit, where we explore issues and stories on growing Detroit in a way that allows people from all races, classes, and abilities to participate and benefit from development. Read more articles in the series here. 

The Equitable Development Series is made possible thanks to generous support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Knight Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation.