Exploring Economic Equity

This Model D and Metromode series aims to report on everyday Detroiters and their experiences as they live and choices about their neighborhoods, health, education, jobs, transportation, and other factors that relate to economic equity. The series is made possible by Detroit Future City.

Former President and CEO Christi Coady Narayanan speaks at one of Opp Fund's anniversary events. Courtesy photo.

OppFund looks back on impact with 40th anniversary; new leadership looks to continue legacy

By Sarah Spohn

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General

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July 9, 2025

For more than 35 years, Christi Coady Narayanan led the transformative work of the Opportunity Resource Fund (OppFund), as the President and CEO of the nonprofit community development financial institution. She retired last month, passing the torch to the new President and CEO Byna Elliott, to continue the organization’s unwavering commitment and innovation in empowering individuals, businesses, and communities all over the state.

"We are matching your time and commitment to your financial future,” says Essence Wilson, Chief Strategy Officer at Communities First.

New pilot program launched to help Detroiters build wealth, savings accounts

By MJ Galbraith

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Development News

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October 10, 2023

“This pilot program is unique because instead of requiring a $1 for $1 match, where you are required to contribute a certain amount to your savings, we are matching your time and commitment to your financial future,” says Essence Wilson, Chief Strategy Officer at Communities First.

Partner Partner Content How addressing social and economic factors can help close the gap in Detroit’s health equity

By Jaishree Drepaul

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Diversity

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November 23, 2022

"It's not enough to treat someone for a disease or help a mother grieve a lost infant," says Phyllis Meadows, a senior fellow at The Kresge Foundation's Detroit Program. "We need to look at all the economical, social, and relational stressors that contributed."

Partner Partner Content Circle Forest restoration clears a path for community growth in Detroit’s Poletown East

By Jaishree Drepaul

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General

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November 8, 2022

"There's an expression that goes, you can't see the forest for the trees. Well, we couldn't see the forest for the garbage," says Andrew "Birch" Kemp, president of Arboretum Detroit and part of the clean-up crew restoring Circle Forest.

Veteran Detroit journalist John Gallagher reflects on decades of racism in mortgage lending

By John Gallagher

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Community Development

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April 5, 2022

Gallagher recently penned a “Buying In: Opportunities for Increasing Homeownership in Detroit Through Mortgage Lending” for Detroit Future City, decades after he first reported on racism and mortgage lending in the city.

Local chef Kamesha McDaniel has big plans for growing her business, Detroit Green Carrot. Photo by Nick Hagen.

An urgent need to grow capital access for Black-owned businesses

By Jaishree Drepaul-Bruder

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Entrepreneurship

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March 21, 2022

Local chef Kamesha McDaniel has big plans for growing her business, Detroit Green Carrot. However, taking her catering company to the next level is going to take more than a vision. She needs capital for her big plans, and for African Americans and other minority business owners in Detroit, there are big challenges to getting the support and funding they need.

Key businesses identified 'Exploring Opportunities for Equitable Development in a Southwest Detroit Industrial District' plan

Partner Partner Content Southwest Detroiters build a map for equitable industrial development

By Jaishree Drepaul-Bruder

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Economic Development

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March 8, 2022

A new study offers a framework for approaching the reuse of industrial sites that stresses the need for low-income and under-resourced communities to have a say in the decisions that shape their neighborhoods and impact their quality of life.

Janet Martinez and Milagro Fernandez-Rivera. Photo by Nick Hagen.

How Detroit’s public schools are meeting these families’ needs

By Rhonda J. Smith

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Kids and Education

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January 24, 2022

While a lack of financial resources impacts the Detroit school district’s ability to obtain quality textbooks and teachers, these parents are making it work.

Partner Partner Content How some Detroiters are building a better city by transforming vacant lots

By Jaishree Drepaul-Bruder

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General

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January 24, 2022

"Transforming those four vacant lots started with a vision, and I believe that when you have a vision and put it out into the universe, you attract what you need and everything falls into place," Gray says. "But, it's not enough to have a vision. You need to put in hard work and you need money. And in this case our community needed money to make the garden a reality."

Edward "Eddie" Lewis. Photo by Nick Hagen.

Creating a path to middle-class wage jobs for Detroiters

By Jaishreee Drepaul-Bruder

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Economic Development

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January 18, 2022

A recent report by Detroit Future City (DFC) has found that residents – and in particular African-Americans, who have an unemployment rate 1.5 times that of white people – do not have a clear path to accessing middle-class wage jobs in the city. Here's how that can change.