Black business and government leaders across Metro Detroit were honored on Thursday, Aug. 28 during the Michigan Chronicle’s 2026 Young Gifted & Black celebration. The annual event honors a generation of leaders shaping the future of Southeast Michigan. Real Times Media President Cathy Nedd and WDIV host Jay Scott Smith served as the hosts Thursday evening at the Harmony Club in Paradise Valley downtown Detroit. The area has returned as a hotspot of Black business. The event celebrated the honorees achievements and inducted the group into a network of alumni. Special

More than 60 years after he became a leading voice in the Detroit radio market, Jay Butler retired from WDET 101.9 FM radio on Aug. 2. “This is it,” Butler declared toward the end of his final broadcast. “Before I go, I need to say thank you to the people of Detroit. Thank you for accepting me… I was just a small-time country boy from Jackson, Tennessee. You took me into your homes with open arms. I took me into your kitchens, your living rooms, your cars on

One of Southeast Michigan’s most influential philanthropic leaders is preparing to lead a new chapter in the region’s efforts to expand opportunity for children and families. Kylee Mitchell Wells, a longtime champion for equity and community investment in Detroit, has been named the inaugural chief executive officer of MoveUp Southeast Michigan, a newly established independent philanthropy created by Connie and Steve Ballmer to continue and expand more than a decade of investments across the region. The announcement, made July 1, positions Mitchell Wells at the helm of a permanent, locally led organization dedicated

Denzel McCampbell is not shying away from the greys that have overtaken his beard he’s been wearing at full length for a few years now. Men that grow out their facial hair know how deceptive a salt-and-pepper beard can be; the greys do tend to age people prematurely, with people incorrectly assuming said beard wearers to be older than they are. McCampbell jokes that he can actually use that to his advantage. “They” – “they,” being constituents, voters, other Detroit residents, whatever applies in the moment – “are probably like, ‘instead of 34, oh, maybe you’re a little

Janae L. Wilson is the founder of JLW Professional Services and an economic justice organizer raised and nurtured in Detroit. For the past decade she has worked in community organizing and economic development spaces. She currently serves as Deputy Director at Dream of Detroit, a Black Muslim-led organization combining community organizing with housing and land development through a community land trust and long-term neighborhood stewardship programs. Wilson has worked closely with entrepreneurs, local changemakers, and community organizations to turn community priorities into practical economic opportunities. She leads through relationships and

Punches don’t sneak up on Lance “Boogie” Smith the way that memories do. Sometimes the memories are tucked inside a workout; sometimes they’re hidden in a decision that requires patience instead of emotion; and sometimes they arrive as a familiar phrase he heard so many times growing up that he stopped paying attention to it until life gave it meaning. His father, Stephan Smith, had a way of doing that. “I remember one time I had a conversation with my dad and I was like, ‘Man, Pops, you’re dropping a

Just weeks after stepping away from leadership of the Detroit Auto Show and the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, Sam Klemet has landed in a new role that keeps him closely connected to the world of advocacy, communications and association leadership that has defined much of his career. Kelley Cawthorne announced Wednesday, May 20, that Klemet is joining the Lansing-based lobbying firm’s newly launched association management company Catalyst as vice president of operations. In addition to helping lead Catalyst, Klemet will also support Kelley Cawthorne’s continued growth efforts in