A Small Percentage of Heart: D-Week 6: Incubation

This has been one of the most impactful weeks of my life. I feel like the whole time I've been in Detroit has been an incubation period for my mental, social, spiritual, and emotional development.

Saturday, Jen and I had the greatest honor and privelege to see the first screening in Detoit of American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs. Wow. We didn't walk in realizing how much of an honor and privelege it was to be in Detroit for this event, but we walked out speechless, confused, and so desparate to synthesize all the thoughts and emotions swirling around in our tiny little heads. Grace Lee Boggs is an incredible woman who is a true revolutionary, and watching the film challenges me in the ways I see, experience, promote, and fight social justice. I think Jen and my feeling about this summer was summed up by the very first line in the movie. Grace Lee Boggs, who is 98, is crawling with her walker slowly past the abandoned, blighted, dwarfing Packard Plant in East Detroit and after about 30 seconds of watching her walk she so blunty states "I feel so sorry for people who are not living in Detroit."

A few weeks ago, when we were walking through the Eastern Market, I had a moment where I realized how much I would miss Detroit at the end of the summer. Saturday, fresh off the documentary, we were helping our friend who was farm-sitting near our hostel to round all the chickens up in their coop for the night, and as I was carrying one of the chickens I had a moment where I realized I really just don't even want to leave Detroit at all. I don't know what this moment means for my life. I'm abstaining from making any conclusions until the end of the summer, but I will say I am so happy I'll be here for a few more weeks. I can't speak to all the ways I'm growing and learning and becoming aware of myself and the world around me. I just wish everyone could spend time in Detroit like I have and I'm sure they would see.

Other than the movie, Jen and I have been so busy doing fun things. Saturday we got to see Passalacqua, a local hip hop group, and they were so fun because they talk about ice cream hurls. Then we saw Tunde Olanarian - WOW. Please listen and watch his video! We also saw the fireworks on Monday, which I think were a duel celebration for Fourth of July and Canada Day? They were "choreographed" by the same guy who did the winter Olympics in Vancuver so they were supposed to be some of the best in America. We watched them with about 300 other slow roll bikers in the shadow of the Michigan Central Station so even though I wish we were closer, it was a true Detroit experience. Thursday we went to a meeting of about 30 people in the basement of the Central United Methodist Church for "true revolutionaries" and had the great honor to talk about Detroit Petcoke scandals, the emergency financial manager, the Freedom Walk, and other Detroit social issues with the incredible General Baker and Dr. Charles Simmons, both of whom were involved in the civil rights movement here in Detroit. Also on Thursday I went to Blight Busters with some people staying at the hostel and I really loved the mission there to get the community involved with making their neighborhood better. But then I stepped on a rusty nail and that was that.

Ugh there were so many other things but I'll just sum it up with these photos and such!