Detroit: A Phoenix Bird!

The other night I was watching the NFL Draft which is not really my thing. But when I heard that it was taking place in Detroit, Michigan, I decided to tune in. You see, Detroit had such a bad image for many decades. It had fallen into a deep decline and was once deemed The Murder Capital of the World.

After the drug and crack epidemics and the continuous scandals that rocked the local government, it was a place that most people avoided going to or even visiting because of the dangers there. After the car industry was downsized and Motown pulled out and moved to California, there was little left to attract the outside world.

Why do I care? I was born there. My parents, both from different birth states, met there, married there and had us four children there. Though we left Detroit when I was about five years old, I was always proud to say that I was born in Detroit, Michigan when we had relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. It is on my birth certificate, so Detroit and I are forever linked.

It is named after the Detroit River which connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie. Thus, in French, detroit means strait according to good ole’ Wikipedia. However, Detroit, Michigan’s path has been anything but straight. Most fled as it became an embarrassment and few wanted to be associated with the city, except for Aretha Franklin. She stuck and stayed with a few hiatuses, until the end of her days. She even helped the people in distress during the nearby Flint water crisis. She was a die-hard Detroiter.

I went back once for a weekend in the early 70’s and I returned in one piece. I purposely chose a flight layover through Detroit in 2014 as I flew from Chicago to Boston. I wanted to feel some connection to my place of birth. The airport was really nice, and I bought a pink Detroit sweatshirt that I wore until the letters were washed away.

So, when I saw the city hosting the NFL’s Drafts, I felt I had to check in and see what I thought. I expected to soon turn it off, but I relished each moment. I kept it on until the program went off the air. The city has risen from the ashes, quite like the Phoenix bird. I am certain that each pocket of the city has not been fixed but at least the NFL fans obviously felt safe.

I am so happy that  Detroit is being showcased on the world stage. I can close by repeating the words of Native American Writer, Marilou Awiakta and say, “Out of ashes, peace will rise.”  She demonstrated this at a University of Memphis workshop and had us all stand and repeat this as we turned north, south, east and west.  Again, “Out of ashes, peace will rise.”  Keep healing Detroit!

Lynn M.
April 27, 2024