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Garlin Gilchrist II
I'm from Detroit. I created Detroit Diaspora and am the National Campaign Director at MoveOn.org. I currently live in Washington, DC with my beautiful wife Ellen.
After graduating with degrees in Computer Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Michigan, I became a Software Engineer at Microsoft. By day, I helped build SharePoint into the fastest growth product in the company's history. On my personal time, I sought out opportunities to connect my technical skills with community building efforts across the country.
This led to my co-founding The SuperSpade: Black Thought at the Highest Level, a leading Black political blog. I served as Social Media Manager for the 2008 Obama campaign in Washington, and then became Director of New Media at the Center for Community Change. I spent two years creating and implementing a strategy for the Center to take it's 40+ years of community organizingexperience into the digital age.
Today I work at the crossroads of traditional political organizing and online activism. I speak before diverse audiences on empowerment in revolutionary new organizing spaces, increasing civic engagement & participation through emerging technologies and protecting civil rights in the age of the Internet.
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Info
- Campaign Director, Change AgentPolitical Organization | Washington D.C. Metro Area, USSummary
Connecting with people, enabling, and encouraging them to realize their full potential motivates me personally and professionally.
I'm looking apply my experience & expertise to help revolutionize advocacy, communication, grassroots action.
Experience- Feb 2013 - PresentDirector / Center for Community Change
I help guide the Center's approach to building a resilient, 21st century social movement that empowers low-income people and people of color to realize their political power and define their future.
In addition to lending my communications and organizing expertise, I serve on the board's Development committee.
- Aug 2011 - PresentNational Campaign Director / MoveOn.org
I am MoveOn's primary media spokesperson, and I'm responsible for brainstorming & executing on issue advocacy campaigns that enable people to make their voices heard and change their status quo for the better. This includes campaign strategy, fundraising, working with volunteers and communications strategy.
During the 2012 election, I managed MoveOn's volunteer partnership effort, mobilizing more than 30,000 volunteers on behalf of President Obama and other progressive Democratic candidates.
- Jun 2011 - PresentDirector / Voqal
I serve as a member of Voqal's Board of Directors. My responsibilities include evaluating and advising on new media strategies related to how technology can improve civic engagement and educational opportunities.
- Mar 2011 - PresentFounder / Detroit Diaspora
Detroit Diaspora is based on the premise that a strong way to rebuild Detroit’s human capital is to leverage the human capital that Detroit and it’s neighbors built. Southeastern Michigan has birthed, educated and trained hundreds of thousands of brilliant, hardworking leaders that have contributed their time, talents and treasure to the well-being of places all over the country and the world. It's time to channel all of this back towards Detroit.
- Jan 2010 - PresentDirector / National Black Programming Consortium
* Member, Board of Directors
* Providing strategic direction of Public Media Corps project
* Prioritizing the use of social media and online outreach strategies in the film, production, and distribution process - Oct 2008 - PresentCommunications Advisory Board Member / YES! Magazine
In this role I help guide YES! Magazine's Social Media and Web 2.0 Strategy.
I provide insight and training staff members on how to use technologies like Twitter and Facebook to raise awareness, engage audiences, and raise money online.
- Nov 2005 - PresentFounder & Co-contributor / The SuperSpade
I co-founded this site to elevate Black dialogue on the Internet. The days of the Internet as an entertainment-only realm for people are numbered, and we want to be a place where people can come to for relevant information on political and social issues.
- Oct 2010 - Aug 2012Trustee / The Awesome Foundation
The Awesome Foundation of Washington DC provides monthly grants to community-focused local projects and organizations that make the lives of DC residents more awesome. More awesome food. More awesome health. More awesome information. More awesome art. More awesome period.
- Mar 2008 - Dec 2011Trainer / New Organizing Institute
Specific expertise in Online Organizing, New + Social Media, Email Campaign Design, and Online Fundraising
- Aug 2009 - Aug 2011Director of New Media / Center for Community Change
Innovative leader charged with designing and executing strategic advocacy that connect low-wealth people to Progressive values & causes using new media.
Specific responsibilities include:
* Connect CCC’s online and offline work to the online advocacy/blog/netroots communities. Results: Qualitatively and quantitative risen the profile of on-th-ground community organizers in online media.
* Manage CCC experiments to grow CCC's online base and increase open/response/action rates. Track outcomes and learnings to continuously improve reach and impact. Results: CCC lists grew 100% while spending $0 on name acquisition.
* Develop email and mobile actions to engage and grow the Center’s reach and impact online and offline.
* Develop and oversee the Center’s strategy with respect to social media networks. - Jan 2011 - Jun 2011Advisor / Instructional Telecommunications Foundation
Advisor to ITF Board on all matters, with a specific focus on how new media & technology build build human capital through education and political power through activism.
- Apr 2010 - Jun 2011Director, Deputy Treasurer / Media and Democracy Coalition
Mission is to amplify the voice of the public in debates over media and telecommunications policies, and build the movement for media change. Our role is to facilitate collaboration and communication among diverse organizations; help build organizational capacity to increase the number of groups working to reform our media landscape; share information and resources; and create opportunities for joint mobilization on key public interest media policies.
- Oct 2010 - Apr 2011Fellow in Media, Communications, and Information Policy / Rockwood Leadership Institute
Rockwood’s Fellowship in Media, Communications and Information Policy is a multi-session leadership program for media activists, policy advocates, media makers and scholars committed to ensuring an open and democratic media environment.
- Feb 2010 - Apr 2011Board Member / Reclaim the Media
I contribute to organizational strategy and planning for this grassroots media justice organization that uses media literacy and access as a pathway to social, economic and political empowerment in low-wealth communities and communities of color.
- Aug 2007 - Aug 2009Advisory Board Member / Seattle MESA
* Created Talking Points and Messaging strategy for MESA’s Legislative Priorities. The result was getting our previously unknown budget item onto the Legislative agenda in the upcoming very tightly-packed session.
* Lead effort to change the Seattle MESA website and web strategy to be more usable and effective for giving information and soliciting volunteers. This resulted in a 15% increase in the year-over-year number of citizen volunteers. - Aug 2007 - Aug 2009Founder / blacknetaction
Co-founded this coalition of Black Bloggers and Online Activists to serve as an online strategy center for New Media advocacy impacting people of color.
* Developed messaging framework focusing on inclusion, equal protection under the law, and accountability.
* Lead strategy planning for blogging and online activism campaigns such as the Jena 6 (managed blogging priorities for hundreds of participating international Black bloggers) and the Fox News/CBCI Debates (crafted messaging strategy and drove story placement) - Jan 2007 - Aug 2009Fellow, Senior Policy Analyst for Technology / NW Progressive Institute
* Wrote policy statements on a broad range technology issues including digital inclusion, privacy, and net neutrality
* Front page blogger and frequent audio podcast contributor - Mar 2006 - Aug 2009Founder / Opportunity Technology, LLC
"Forward thinking consultant with the ability to help businesses and organizations use technology appropriately to maximize their impact and meet strategic goals."
* Creator & implementer of advanced social media and Internet strategy plans for non-profit organizations, political campaigns, including the Washington for Obama campaign in 2008.
* Facilitator of information & training sessions for organizations on strategically using technology and the Internet to achieve their goals.
* Developer of useful, agile custom web applications & prototypesTechnologies utilized in this position:
Python, Django, PHP, Linux, Apache, MySQL, XHTML, CSS, Javascript, XML, SMSSkills & Strategies applied in this position:
Agile project development, rapid prototyping, web design, web development, web analytics, mobile design & development, usability & user experience, information architecture, testing - Jul 2005 - Aug 2009Software Design Engineer in Test / Microsoft
"Thoughtful leader who systematically drives improvements in performance testing processes, delivering high quality tools, features and products."
High-level responsibilities:
* Responsible for planning, organizing and managing multi-team initiatives on key feature areas involving stakeholders in different areas of the company.
* Leading efforts to evangelize improved testing methodologies across the company, resulting in higher quality product releases and higher productivity in engineering teams.
* Initiated introduction of internal tools review processes to increase tester productivity by increasing usability in testing software and processes.Technologies utilized in this position:
SharePoint, C#, ASP.NET, Microsoft SQL Server, Windows ServerSkills & strategies applied in this position:
Software design, black & white box software testing, test planning, performance testing & analysis, security testing & analysis, deployment & capacity planning - Oct 2008 - Dec 2008Social Media Manager, WA / Obama for America
A testimonial from Obama Campaign Washington State New Media Director Edward Lee describing my work:
"As the Washington State New Media Director of the Obama campaign, I was very impressed with the dedication and expertise that Garlin demonstrated. Garlin was an active volunteer on the campaign who showed tremendous initiative in the projects he headed. He led our text message outreach initiative by dictating what the messages would be and coordinated the messaging schedule. He also managed our social outreach sites such as Facebook and MySpace to ensure that Senator Obama's message would be communicated to supporters throughout Washington State. Amidst the hectic nature of a campaign, Garlin's steady and consistent work ethic made him dependable and a strong asset to my team. I strongly recommend Garlin and I am confident that he will go on to do amazing things."
- Aug 2007 - Dec 2008Blog Host / Brave New Films
I am a writer and blog host on the Brave New Films blog. I write on a broad range of political issues, but focus on civil rights and technology.
- Feb 2007 - Sept 2007Consultant Chief Technology Officer / Johnson Publishing Company
* Oversaw the design, development, and management of web content for large websites such as www.EbonyJet.com.
* Managed a team of developers and technical support staff based in Chicago, IL. Under my direction, productivity and quality increased, resulting in fewer deployment issues and more advanced features.
* Managed the deployment plans for the high-traffic EbonyJet.com website, including working with web hosting vendors to ensure proper scalability and resource utilization.
* Managed vendor relationships and ensured that high quality work was delivered on time within budget.
* Managed the customization and deployment of proprietary Content Management System.
Education-
2000 - 2005University of MichiganBSE in Computer Science in Engineering
Activities: Dean's List, Member - National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Chairman - Black Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists (BEECS), Chairman - Here Earning a Destiny through Honesty Eagerness and Determination of Self (HEADS) -
2000 - 2005University of MichiganBSE in Computer Engineering
Activities: Dean's List, Member - National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Chairman - Black Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists (BEECS), Chairman - Here Earning a Destiny through Honesty Eagerness and Determination of Self (HEADS)
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Honors:Inbound Marketing Certified Professional
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Interests:new media, social media, consulting, strategy, web development, web design, ruby on rails, php, xhtml, css, design, project management, management, technology, internet, communication, marketing, advertising, blogging, sports
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Posts
- Jan 17, 13
When I think about priority lists, I am astounded at how often others and myself reflexively place our relationship with God at the top of that list. A running thought to illustrate this idea is the idea of tithing, but from the perspective of time. In other words, what if instead of tithing with your income, you tithe 10% of your day to growing your relationship with God. This works out to 2.4 hours per day. To be sure, I haven’t read any evidence of this idea in the Bible but it is certainly humbling to consider how many of us find it hard to imagine carving out 2.4 hours of your day to growing your relationship with God.
For me, the larger issue is not how much we think we should work on our relationship with God but rather, what is it about the relationship that we already have with God that encourages us to grow the relationship. Short of a real relationship, God will just be on a list and not in your heart. To that end, one of the most convicting questions you can ask someone who calls themselves Christian is how do they personally know that God is real. One on hand, you might hear the accurate, yet surface answer that God woke me up this morning or that God created the whole world. On the other hand, you may hear that someone’s disease was cured when doctors said it wasn’t possible or that a person was saved from their drug addiction by the power of God. The problem though is that both types of answers are easy to dismiss. The “God woke me up” answers sound trite and rehearsed, despite their being true while the deep, moving stories do not seem real if you can’t relate to that predicament.
So again, how do you know that God lives in your heart? What have you experienced in life that makes you feel horrible for not nurturing your relationship with God? Just like in any relationships, the perceived benefits based off past performance will determine how much you are willing to put forth to make that relationship work. God’s past performance is easy to take for granted because generally speaking, when you go to sleep, you expect to wake up. It’s also easy to take for granted when you have not had a severe downturn (financial, health, family, etc.) that caused you to prioritize God if for no other reason that you didn’t have a choice.
Our relationship with God should always be number one on our priority list. However, I just think it’s more realistic to do the things that make God number one as opposed to putting God first on the list on paper before you do the same with your heart. I once heard this quote that said something like, “Why would you treat someone like a priority who treats you like an option?” Selah.
Filed under: Issues and Politics - Jan 16, 13
What’s up fam,
I have been fascinated recently with the notion of pain, new pain in particular. New pain often comes from changes in our lives in which we may or may not have control. This past year, 2012 was full of new change including moving to Chicago, studying for the bar, getting married, and seeking work.
What inspired today’s post was a conversation I had with one of my high school classmates who played on the football team. (Still wished my mom had let me play, by the way.) During class, this football player got hyped and said, “Man, that hurt so good!” He went on to explain that his exclamation came from the pain his muscles felt from lifting weights. I didn’t fully understand what he meant at the time but later on I understood what he meant but I did understand when I tried a new workout or went back to school, etc.
The reality of new pain is that it is often the barrier that we must surpass in order to reach our goals, be it spiritually, emotionally, or physically. I think what prevents us from growing is that we love old pain. Old pain hurts in ways that are familiar and even if new pain hurts less, it is still unfamiliar. As you think about your life, are you afraid of new pain or inspired by new pain? Most everyone has goals but its enduring new pain that separates goals that are met versus goals that are desired.
I believe that our pain is elongated unnecessarily due to how we ourselves frustrate the grace that God has already provided. Painful or difficult times often inspire prayers that God take away our pain. However, when Paul pleaded that God take away the thorn in his flesh, God replied in II Corinthians 12:8-9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. God did not take away Paul’s pain so it’s important to focus not on the pain but on the grace that God gives us to endure.
Life has a way of bringing new pain regardless of whether you ask for it but in 2013, let’s all endeavor to seek out new pain, the pain worthy of our goals.
Filed under: Issues and Politics Tagged: goals, life, new years resolutions - Feb 29, 12
“For your dreams to come true you gotta wake up.”
–Joe BuddenI’m struggling right now to define myself as someone who makes things happen, as opposed to being someone things happen to.
I doubt I’m alone in being someone whose proudest moments are times when they stepped up: proposing to my wife, negotiating for a new job with confidence, starting Detroit Diaspora. It’s invariably more awesome being the golf club than the golf ball.
But I beat myself up about the times when I let circumstances dictate my state of mind and/or productivity. Yeah, I wasn’t feeling 100%, but why didn’t I make that phone call? Why did I let fear over what the doctor might tell me enable me to put off physical therapy for 2+ years?
I was scared. I still might be. But I need to flip that fear on its head. Maybe it’s more “fear” as in “fear of the Lord” I need, the kind that really means respect, trust, and confidence.
Being productive, being a “pro,” means being willing to put yourself out there. To get hit, hurt, or embarrassed. To fall down, but to fall forward.
That takes confidence that can only be built through experience. If you think about it, we respect people that go all in for stuff in this world. Basketball players who throw their bodies after loose balls and entrepreneurs that bet on their ideas have this in common. So do great teachers and soldiers.
I’m challenging myself on this in small ways with my health and habits. Less consumption and more production. That motto should get me pointed in the right direction.
Happy Black History Month. Now go make history.
Filed under: One Change - Feb 25, 12
What’s up fam,
2) If you have been to this blog before you know that I am from Detroit, Michigan. Right now, the Republican candidates for President are making their rounds across Michigan to strike up votes. Its hard often to not get caught up in the most recent flare up/verbal mishap/optic fumble but if I may, I want to revisit Mitt Romney’s comment about not caring about the poor because they have a safety net. This comment really struck me at my core because I thought that the recent and current economic catastrophe would expose the hoax of “everything will be alright if we just shore up the middle class.”
What we often fail to include in our national discussion is that of the working class and poor. The distance between being middle class and working class/poor is disastrously close. In this country, the middle class is akin to being on thin ice. Soaring health costs, college loans, downward housing values, retirement, caring for sick parents, helping or leaning on friends to make ends meet, you name it, there is little security in being middle class. Given this reality, can you imagine how precarious it must be to be poor NOW? The politically expedient response is to create the appearance that the government will create an impervious floor that will prevent the middle class from falling through the cracks. The problem however is that this will likely make it more difficult (both direct and indirect) for the working class and poor to make it up the economic ranks as it were.
When people are scared, they look to the government for answers and the answers we are getting from state and national governments are not sufficiently viable. The answer must come from us, the people. A great example of this ideal was encapsulated by Martin Luther King’s vision of the Poor People’s Campaign. Video below. What do you think the current Republican candidates for President would say about the Poor People’s Campaign?
2) Question for the day. Assume that there is a medical test applicable to both men and women that will allow you to determine whether or not you can have children.
Before you got married or plan to have children, would you want to take it or have your partner take it? Why or why not? Here is why I bring it up. The trend of people getting married and/or having children is getting older and older. Therefore the complications of having children become more complex whether you are talking about issues involving men or women.
Our society often associates children and marriage so closely that they become indistinguishable. Case in point, what is often the first question that people are asked when they get married? “When are ya’ll going to start having kids?” Given this association, the expectations about having children become complicated in a society where getting married past the age of 30 is normal. Let me stop here. This post is not about the dire straits of being single and/or childless after the so-called Big 3-0. What I am saying is that there are risks involved with having children later in life. And for those in my generation that do want children, the thought and planning process is a bit more sobering when one considers the risks.
Therefore, is there any reason to think that the availability of such a test would help this process? If not, why not? Let us know
Stay up fam,
Brandon Q.
Filed under: Issues and Politics - Sep 11, 11
On September 11, 2001, I was thinking about my future.
My plan for that Tuesday was unique.
It was the 2nd day of the 1st week of my sophomore year. I woke up that morning in my dorm room in Ann Arbor, MI at 6AM thinking about two things: my career and the Blueprint.. Before my classes started, I had an early meeting somewhere in Troy, MI. My mother had connected me with a man that was a former General Motors colleague of hers who had a few years prior left GM to create is own consulting practice. He was an electrical engineer whose consultancy had GM as his biggest client. He was quite successful.
I was a Computer Engineering major with aspirations of owning my own business. Meeting him was an exciting proposition to me, having just come off my 2nd internship at GM that summer. He was living the dream. I wanted to understand how he did it. I called my parents at home while I was in the car on my way to his office. I got there around 720AM for my 730AM meeting.
I won’t give his name, but suffice it to say that he and his business were awesome. He opened my eyes to entrepreneurship in a way that reading a blog post about Steve Jobs or a book by Jack Welch never could. He told me about how hard it was to run a business, and how much it was worth it. He told me he wasn’t swimming in money, but he and his family were quite comfortable. He told me how terrified he was the day he quit GM, despite the fact that he had a plan, but his faith and his family undergirded him. What I remember 2nd most about that meeting was the fact that this was a real person with a real business. He had pictures of his kids on his desk and a drawing of a tiger by his daughter on his wall.
What I remember most, however, was how I felt walking out of that office. We passed by a conference room and did a double-take. Why was CNN playing? Why where 10 people in there for an 845AM meeting on no one’s calendar? What was going on?
A woman in the office was crying. The screen showed one of the twin towers that defined the most famous skyline on the planet. It was surreal. We sat down and watched in horror. The coverage was scattered and frantic, mirroring the hearts and minds of everyone in New York and everyone connected to anyone in New York. I watched the 2nd plane hit the tower in that conference room. I watch the tower collapse in that conference room.
I got back in my car and drove back to Ann Arbor. I called my dad, a Department of Defense employee, to find out if he knew anything and if his office had been put on any type of alert. He basically knew what I knew. It was scary.
I got back to campus to find everyone stunned. I had class, but when I got to North Campus I found signs on the buildings saying classes were cancelled (I think that’s the only time that’s happened before). I was supposed to go to the mall with my then-girlfriend, but the mall was closed. In my dorm room, a combination of CNN and Jay-Z served as our soundtrack for the next several days. Our room, the biggest on our floor, was where everyone came to find out what was happening. Great hip hop mixed with catastrophic news. Our TV and our stereo remained on the same channel/CD for days and days.
What strikes me most about this day and the 10 year anniversary today is that I’m still thinking about my future. The “I had no idea I’d be here today” cliche applies to me. On September 11, 2001, I expected to be starting business school at MIT on September 11, 2011. Instead, thankfully and happily, I am siting in the basement of my beautiful home in DC with my beautiful wife of exactly 2 years and 2 months, watching New York on TV, just like I was 10 years ago. I’m working in politics for the public interest, not technology like I thought I would be. I woke up this morning thinking about my future, just like I did 10 years ago today.
On September 11, 2011, I’m still thinking about my future. We all are, and we all should be. But on this day, and every day, let’s remember how important our past is too.
One Love. One II.
Filed under: Issues and Politics, Lifestyle Tagged: 9/11 - Apr 09, 11
What’s up fam,
I wanted to make a special appeal for all would be lovers of better education in the city of Detroit. On Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 5:30pm, Teach for America – Detroit will be hosting a forum at the DIA (in the lecture hall) featuring Teach for America Founder, Wendy Koop as she discusses her new book, A chance to Make History, with Brian Dickerson, the Deputy Editorial Page Editor of the Detroit Free Press. This event is free and open to the public and you can buy books at the event. You can RSVP by clicking here.
I have the privilege of knowing some of the staff of Teach for America Detroit and I know they are doing the hard work to make education better in Detroit. I can’t think of one person that I know reads this blog that does not see or understand the importance of quality education, especially in places like Detroit. So if you are in the area, please make your way to the DIA on April 19 and help be a part of Detroit make history as a template of digging in when the going gets tough.
You can RSVP by clicking here.
Stay up fam,
Brandon Q.
Filed under: Community, One Change - Mar 25, 11
Detroit is where I was born. It’s the best place on earth.
You wouldn’t know that by the Detroit Decimation Porn that has been the most resilient major media fetish of the last five years. It makes me want to spit at my computer screen now. I get showing images and telling stories with the intent to educate. But it’s clear to me that nothing new is coming out of that noise: what was once educational is now irresponsible and exploitative.
I am neither a denier nor an apologist for what’s happening in Detroit. It’s tough. Real tough. The 2010 Census says the city has lost 25% of its population in the last 10 years. That fact is jarring but unsurprising.
Like most hard truths this presents both a set of challenges and a set of opportunities. Too many people dwell on the former, lacking purpose and direction. Instead, I’m choosing to approach the latter in a way that suits my current skill set and station in life.
I introduce to you Detroit Diaspora: From Detroit. For Detroit.
Grave challenges in Detroit’s public school system drove my parents to decide to move our young family out of the city to its northwest suburbs. They felt forced to choose between their child’s education and their love for Detroit, the only city they’d known. The Census data shows that more and more individuals and families are facing the same choice every day. This opens up a unique opportunity.
Detroit Diaspora is based on the premise that a strong way to rebuild Detroit’s human capital is to leverage the human capital that Detroit and it’s neighbors built. Southeastern Michigan has birthed, educated and trained hundreds of thousands of brilliant, hardworking leaders that have contributed their time, talents and treasure to the well-being of places all over the country and the world. Detroit’s most valuable export is its people.
Many move physically, as I did after graduating from the University of Michigan to pursue a career in software development. But most don’t move emotionally. Many of these travelers have family in the area. They faithfully read the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Michigan Chronicle, etc. more than the local papers in their new cities. They perk up when they hear the word Detroit at a bar or a party and initiate conversations with people about their home. And it’s over if they find somebody who also hails from Southeastern Michigan: just call it a night.
Being an organizer, whose passion is in connecting community energy and common purpose to world-changing goals, I see great potential for Detroit in the energy of these current expatriates.
- What if everyone that ever thought about moving back home to Detroit actually did?
- What if they maintained connections with the fearless changemakers building Detroit’s future and supported them with ideas and resources?
- What if every native Detroiter changed the prevailing Detroit doomsday narrative one conversation at a time?
- What if every native Detroiter knew of and was connected to every other native Detroiter in their city?
We are only limited by our imaginations when trying to envision what would be possible if we mapped and connected the Detroit Diaspora. When you connect people to one another that share common bonds, sparks are lit, fires are started and lives are changed forever.
Detroit Diaspora is about making those connections and being a platform for this community. As we grow, we’ll decide how to proceed together. I have a few ideas about what can be done through this community, but there are infinite possibilities:
- Diaspora Map. Who makes up the Diaspora? Where are they? What are they doing today? Who do they know? Through Detroit Diaspora we’ll draw this map together.
- Detroit Stories. People sharing their stories and vision for home and how they plan on contributing. For those that do return home, people will share how and why they did so. Detroit Diaspora will be a platform where these stories are told and shared.
- Detroit Circles. Everyone has a story and a place. Each place can form a Circle, where people interact face-to-face. People will soon be able to find and join Detroit Circles.
These are just a few ideas, by no means the extent of what’s possible or what will happen. The ideas and opportunities will flow as the community grows. So join and grow the community first. Let’s do our part to contribute to the future of Detroit.
Fellow native Detroiters, join me on this Detroit Diaspora journey today. Please share this with your friends and family.
One Love. One II.
Filed under: Community, One Change Tagged: Detroit, Detroit Diaspora - Jan 10, 11
I started feeling sick the second-to-last day of my trip home to Detroit for Christmas. It’s not the best way to finish up such a trip. What started as a dry throat became a sore one. A few sniffles evolved from a cold to [what I think is] the flu.
I’m still not 100%. I’ve pummeled four boxes of Puffs since returning to DC plus a full box of Kleenex from my parents and 3 travel-packs of tissue. I’m almost through Costco-sized boxes of DayQuil and NyQuil, and I should buy stock in domestic vapor rub manufacturers.
You get the idea: this infirmity has been tough to get over. While going through this, I can’t help but thinking about the bigger problems we’re dealing with that seem to persist no matter how hard we fight. US politics has regressed from broken to vitriolic to violent. Poverty and economic inequality have skyrocketed with no end in sight. And racism finds another hole to poke its head out of every day. This stuff makes curing the common cold look as easy as walking in a straight line while sober.
There is no agreed-upon cure for the common cold, but the approach we take to treating it could be instructive for us as address our nation’s challenges. Consider what we normally do:
- Rest up
Being sick usually wears us out because our body is literally fighting off infection. Unsurprisingly, fighting is tiring. We need to rest so we can fight again next time.
The same is true with the societal and structural challenges we’re tackling, but replace rest with reflect. Taking at least a second to think before reacting to all the day-to-day idiocy in the news would probably lead to less idiocy in the news every day. My father has a saying: “I don’t have to do anything right now.” By this he means that he operates on his own timetable, not someone else’s, and that he won’t be cajoled into doing something until he’s thought about it and is ready. We should all heed that call to reflection.
- Drink lots of water
Drinking fluids flushes our system and replenishes us. When facing big problems, we need to do the same. Read and watch responsible, nuanced and smart media instead of sound byte silly news. Engage people that make you think about why you think and feel the way you do about issues, not just people you implicitly and explicitly agree with on virtually everything. Consume good, healthy stuff and watch good, healthy come out.
- Wash your hands
Hand washing is one way to prevent colds and the flu. It’s a preventative solution based on the principle of helping everyone while at the same time helping yourself. That’s called community values, which means acting in a way that responsible to humanity in general and to yourself individually.
These things are what come to mind when we get sick, and they can inform us on how to go about healing our nation. There’s no magic cure, not matter what any person or interest group says, but there are things that we know won’t work. Let’s commit to doing things we know will move us closer to a healthier future.
One Love. One II.
Filed under: Issues and Politics - Rest up
- Jan 04, 11
The following is a brief essay I wrote in late 2010 for the Skillman Foundation Annual Report in which I was featured. After the essay, there is a short video message I recorded for young men in Detroit as well.
One Love. One II.
I wear my Detroit heritage proudly every day. I was born at Hutzel Hospital. I played basketball at Herman Gardens. I spent sunny afternoons at Hart Plaza. I love Detroit, its people and its history. Most importantly, I love the future of this great city.
The city’s visionary leaders and institutions invested in me and thousands of other children like me. Programs like the Skillman-funded Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) exposed us to a future beyond the negative circumstances too many young people face. Foundations like Skillman joined hands with Detroit Public Schools, businesses like General Motors and universities like my alma mater, the University of Michigan, to work toward a common purpose: to expose the children of today to the skills of tomorrow, regardless of their zip code. The writing opportunities. The friendships. The science projects. The math challenges. DAPCEP transformed these subjects from intimidating and mysterious to accessible and fun. They gave me educational experiences that empowered me to choose my destiny with confidence.
The future of Detroit will be built upon initiatives like DAPCEP. They will combine the best thinking from the city’s people, government, educational, cultural, business and philanthropic communities to overcome our shared challenges. The entire Detroit community will come together to mold the Detroit we dream of.
This city produces hard-working people with brilliant minds. Many of us went to other places in search of careers and opportunities. We may have left Detroit, but Detroit certainly has not left us. Detroit’s diaspora is full of sons and daughters who are hungry to participate in the city’s renaissance. We’re ready to contribute our talents to the home that made us who we are.
DAPCEP and similar programs built human capital in Detroit. We have an opportunity to supplement the human capital investments that are being made today by reclaiming people who benefited from past investments. So let’s invest in the entire Detroit community. Let’s invest in the relationships upon which our future will be built.
I will return home to be part of Detroit’s bright future and give to the city that has given me so much. There are thousands of others who are ready to do the same.
Filed under: Community, Issues and Politics Tagged: Detroit - Jan 03, 11
Here I am. Send me.
Isaiah 6:8Dear 2011,
I’m thankful that you’re here. I pray you are a happy and healthy year for every person and every family.
I enjoyed your younger brother 2010, which brought me many blessings including my fist anniversary, a new house and 28th birthday. He also gave me many new friends, acquaintances and contacts to whom I hope to prove valuable.
That same year, however, there were challenges of all scales imaginable. Devastating earthquakes carrying famine and disease in their wake. Selfish, reckless politics that saw ugliness, derision and greed show their faces at all levels of government.
I can only imagine what you hold in store for us this year.
I’m thinking big as I look into your eyes this first Monday. Instead of big, scary, hairy problems I see huge, wide open opportunities to grow personally, professionally and communally. To put it succinctly, I’m still here. I’m here for you 2011.
I’m not alone. We’re all still here. Working hard. Fighting for what we believe in. Marching into our future.
Detroit is still here. Despite hopeless headlines, political division and census data, the resilient spirit that built my great city still breathes breaths of hope throughout its streets. The flip-side of blight is bright.
The social justice movement is still here. Despite electoral setbacks, there is more hunger than ever for a clearly stated vision of public institutions that are clean, functional and responsive to people’s needs. Progressive activists, organizers and politicians must realize this opportunity and seize it.
The opportunities for personal growth and fulfillment are still here. The best investments are the ones made in people. I’m thankful for all those that invested in me in 2010. My debt to them is not only to exceed their expectations and those of my own, but to pay them back by investing my own time, talent and treasure in others this coming year.
Yes, the people who hate, detract and obstruct are still here too. All I have to say to them is that to say only negative things, to only point out what’s wrong with an idea rather than find out what’s right, to criticize with the intent to paralyze is the highest form of intellectual bankruptcy. Do so at your own peril.
Here I am 2011. Let’s go.
One Love. One II.
Garlin II
Filed under: Issues and Politics
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At the HarvardXDesign conference — a great event for the B-School— I was on a panel that did a crit on two teams from across Harvard that were the best of 9 teams competing in the challenge of How Would You Redesign Education in America. Kickstarter’s Charles Adler, IIt Institute of Design’s…
Here’s what I can’t figure out: when do they charge their cell phones? They’re always on them! Always! …Never plugged into anything! Not even in the car! And it’s always, like, full bars! DC, Beirut, Baghdad — great reception! Makes the whole thing kinda unbelievable.
STEPHEN COLBERT, looking at Homeland’s biggest plot hole, on The Colbert Report (via inothernews)Lying is both a failure of understanding and an unwillingness to be understood.
Anatomy of lying by neuroscientist Sam Harris. (via explore-blog)What to do when you’re stopped and frisked. Reblog the hell out of this people…
The Wheel of Intense Emotions – Jessica Hagy revises Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions to include the vital missing part.
“The six rules about creativity come down to the one rule about creativity, which is that there are no rules about creativity. The problem with the conversation around creativity, as it is often put forward in this country, is that if you can find someone who’s creative, and if you can get them to describe what they do…and then you emulate it, then you too will be creative…
The conversation about creativity goes off the rails when we assume it’s a thing. What creativity is is valuable novelty; it’s the ability to produce valuable novelty. And the question of what’s valuable and the question of what’s novel are always up for grabs. They’re always up for renegotiation.”
Clay Shirky shares six insights on creativity derived from his years of watching and teaching creatives.
Rare Photos Of Iconic Celebrities Hanging Out Together
Alex Wain, sobadsogood.comSome of them are sadly no longer with us, but they were all unquestionably icons and legends in their respective fields.
We’ve unearthed some previously rare and unseen photographs of the world’s most loved and influential celebrities…
Directed by Ice-T, Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap is a documentary about the birth and evolution of rap and hip hop music.
Ice-T takes us on an intimate journey into the heart and soul of hip-hop with the legends of rap music. This performance documentary goes beyond the…
