By the time most kids are learning how to open a lunchbox, Gail Perry-Mason’s young “investors” are learning how to open a stock portfolio. Across the city of Detroit, where wealth gaps have long been written off as inevitable, Money Matters for Youth is reshaping the narrative with a blueprint that starts early, builds intentionally, and reaches far beyond bank balances. What Perry-Mason has built goes far beyond a seasonal program thrown together for show. It’s a cultural shift in motion—rooted in legacy, powered by purpose,

While elite universities and accelerator programs continue to overlook grassroots founders, three local entrepreneurs have stepped up to create what mainstream institutions never prioritized: culturally grounded, community-owned business schools designed specifically for Detroiters. Racheal Allen, Ebony Cochran, and Jessie Hayes are not in the business of waiting on permission to educate, train, and empower. They’re building infrastructure—on their terms—for the entrepreneurs this city has long ignored. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the country. In Detroit, they lead one

The room wasn’t just filled — it was charged. On June 27, some of Southeast Michigan’s most visionary and accomplished Black men convened at Detroit's International Banquet and Conference Center, where the Michigan Chronicle’s 2025 Men of Excellence ceremony reminded residents of the city that greatness lives among us —working, building, and serving every single day. From the opening moment, it was clear this wasn’t a typical awards night. It was a homecoming. A declaration. A reminder that Black men in leadership—from union halls to hospitals, classrooms to

From high school co-op to corner office, Joi Harris’ story isn’t just one of mere corporate ascent—it’s one of Detroit legacy, Black excellence, and community-rooted leadership that has been decades in the making. On September 8, Harris will officially take the reins as president and CEO of DTE Energy, becoming the first woman to lead the Detroit-based energy giant. Her appointment marks a historic milestone not only for the company, but for a city built on grit, brilliance, and generations of Black leaders who have poured into

State Representative Donavan McKinney stood on Detroit’s northeast side as a child, witnessing firsthand the impact of housing insecurity, low wages, and inconsistent government support. His family moved more than a dozen times. His mother held multiple jobs to keep the lights on. That upbringing shaped how he approaches policy, accountability, and political service. Now, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has endorsed McKinney for Congress in Michigan’s 13th District. The endorsement came just six weeks into McKinney’s campaign, making it the first public show of support in the race

Underneath the weight of inequity, Christine Coady Narayanan built a vessel that carried thousands of Michiganders toward ownership, dignity, and possibility. That vessel is Opportunity Resource Fund—a community-rooted institution that’s leveraged over $300 million to uplift people who’ve been told “no” by traditional lenders. This year marks 40 years of that work—and with it, a shift that echoes the heartbeat of Detroit’s legacy of reinvention. After more than three decades of leading the charge for capital justice, Narayanan is preparing to step down. In her place, a new

The weight of legacy doesn’t always show up in speeches or statues. Sometimes, it breathes through the pages of a son’s testimony—a man raised in the echoes of a movement, shaped by a house where history gathered on hardwood floors and change strategized at the kitchen table. "My Father’s House," penned by John Conyers III, is not just a recount of political milestones. It is a deeply personal ledger of love, absence, inheritance, and the complexity of growing up within the orbit of a civil rights legend. John