Priorities
Detroit has seen some encouraging progress. Last summer, the Detroit Summer Jobs program provided jobs to 5,800 youth. This summer it will be 8,000. I know from personal experience that those programs can literally turn around a life and put it on a path to future success. Our city has a bright future, to be sure, but there is much work to do. We must ensure that trade apprentice programs are successful in reaching Detroiters whose access to transportation and basic skills training is often limited. We must also work with employers and community organizations like the ACLU to ensure fair access to employment opportunities for returning citizens and the chronically unemployed.
I support:
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A $15 minimum wage.
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Unions and the right to organize.
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Hiring public workers to improve city services.
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Partnering with companies to increase job prospects for Detroiters.
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Creating opportunities for Black entrepreneurs.
Jobs & Economic Opportunity
If the revitalization of Detroit does not work to include all of our citizens who want to find meaningful and sustainable employment, then our promise of “rebirth” is hollow and we have failed. Our economic development must be within a framework of inclusion for all Detroiters. We must reform the bid and contracting process so that Detroit-based and minority businesses that employ have a competitive advantage.