A long-time Detroit journalist who parlayed a barrier-breaking career in the news industry into decades of uplifting Detroit neighborhoods is being remembered for his vibrant contributions to the city.

Luther Keith, a trailblazing journalist who was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame for his decades-long career at The Detroit News, died Wednesday, close friends of Keith and his family said. He was 74. After retiring from the paper in 2005, he founded ARISE Detroit, a nonprofit coalition of more than 400 community organizations that promotes volunteerism and activism. 

Keith was also well-known in Detroit’s music scene, following a later-in-life passion as a blues musician under the name Luther “Badman” Keith. 

Veteran journalist Felecia Henderson worked with Keith at The News for several years and the pair went on to maintain a 35-year friendship. She kickstarted her career in Detroit due to Keith, who asked if she wanted to join the paper during a conference for the National Association of Black Journalists in 1985. 

“It’s really interesting how our lives came together in such an unexpected way,” Henderson told BridgeDetroit. “Meeting him very casually (at NABJ), I didn’t even really stop to get his name. And when I saw him in the newsroom, I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s the same guy I saw.’ I just think that in some cosmic way, the universe said, ‘Yeah, you two are going to work together.’ I’m really blessed for it.” 

The last time Henderson talked to Keith was in November when his band played at the “Show the Love” fundraiser for the Detroit chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. The annual event raises funds for out of work journalists. When she talked to him, Keith was thinking about retiring. However, Henderson found out Wednesday that emails went out for ARISE Detroit’s Neighborhoods Day event that takes place every summer. 

“He loved this work, it was part of his lifeblood uplifting the city of Detroit,” she said. “He died doing what he loved and that was being a champion for the city of Detroit and loving his blues music.” 

Keith’s last act was a performance at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge earlier Wednesday night. 

“I was told he said it was the best performance of his life,” said Vickie Thomas, a former long-time reporter for WWJ-AM (950) and the current communications director for Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. 

Breaking barriers

After graduating with a degree in journalism from the University of Detroit, Keith began his career at the News in 1972. His more than 30 years at the paper came with many “firsts.” In 1973, Keith became the first Black sports reporter at a major Detroit daily. Six years later, he was the first Black reporter to cover the state capitol and, in 1982, he became the first Black editor at The News. 

In 1985, Keith took a leave of absence from the News to create the Journalism Institute for Minorities at Wayne State University, which recruited and trained college students for careers in the industry. The program is now known as the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity. 

Thomas said Keith was a major influence and advisor in her career.

“When I enrolled into Wayne State University, I already had a scholarship, but Luther Keith was the first director of JIM. He took me under his wings. I was already driven, already coachable, but he gave me all the tools I needed to really soar,” Thomas said, adding Keith was a mentor and friend for over 40 years. 

In the 1990s, Keith spearheaded a section in The News called “On Detroit,” that focused on the city’s neighborhoods, churches, businesses and schools. 

He tapped Henderson to become an editor for the section. While she initially had an interest in page design, Henderson was grateful that Keith gave her a chance to become an editor and have an impact on the coverage of Detroiters. The section, she said, served as a prototype for today’s community-centered journalism.

“That came at a time when there had been a lot of negative media coverage on the city and he really wanted to make sure that people, not even outside of the state of Michigan, but for people just outside of the city of Detroit, to understand all the good things that were happening in the neighborhoods,” Henderson said. “We worked together on ‘On Detroit’ for six years.” 

Keith was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame in 1995 and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Detroit chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists last May.

In one of Thomas’ last conversations with Keith, he noted that the pair was the only student-advisor combination to become hall of fame inductees. Thomas’ honor came in 2019. 

‘A true newsman’ 

Thomas, a decades-long member of the Detroit Chapter of the NABJ, said Keith was “a true newsman” and had a lot to give to young journalists. 

Although Keith’s passion for journalism was notable, it was far from his only strength.

“He was passionate about it, but here’s the thing about Luther, he was passionate about everything,” Thomas said. “He lived his life to the fullest.”

Thomas lauded Keith for his work to stand up and lead ARISE Detroit and its Neighborhoods Day, which encouraged communities throughout the city to celebrate their strengths and identity with giveaways, clean up projects and events. 

When Keith started Neighborhoods Day in 2007, he never thought it would become the large event it is today, he told BridgeDetroit in 2023. He said it’s a testament to the people in the neighborhood and how much they want to improve their city.

“Creating Neighborhoods Day was a way to visibly show people what the people in the neighborhoods are doing,” he said. “And then to remind people, ‘Don’t just think about the neighborhoods on one day. Come back the next day and the next day because these people are working all year long.”

Keith’s legacy is also marked by his love for his wife, Jacqueline, daughter, Erin, and brother, Terrance Keith, a Wayne County Probate Court judge.

“When you think about all the different things that he did, you have to wonder how one person can really master each part of that particular focus of his life – from family life, to his career as a journalist, to musician to Detroit booster through ARISE Detroit – he just never stopped,” Thomas said.

Detroiter and community developer Lauren Hood knew Keith for more than a decade. She said she was shocked to learn of the death of the “super vibrant and healthy” community elder. 

Hood said Keith would often invite her to community summits at the Wayne County Community College District. 

“So he would often invite me to speak at that, and there was a Knight Foundation partnership that he initiated with the Michigan Chronicle. He wanted there to be positive coverage of stories in the neighborhood, so he asked me if I would be the writer to cover the northwest side.”

Hood said she will miss Keith’s work with ARISE Detroit and how he was an advocate for the city’s untold stories about the Black community. 

“He’s a tall guy with a boisterous laugh, he just had a big presence,” she said. “Even if you didn’t know anything about him, you knew there was something to him.” 

The soul of the community

Elected leaders, community and news organizations also took time Thursday to reflect on Keith’s impacts. 

Duggan said Keith was one of the city’s “tireless champions” and whether it was his journalism, community commitment or music, “everything Luther did came from his soul.” 

“That’s why he is so beloved in Detroit – and why he will be so deeply missed by so many.” 

Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington echoed Duggan, saying that the loss has “stunned” his office alongside the rest of metro Detroit. 

“His (Keith’s) love of community manifested in multiple ways over the decades,” Washington wrote on Facebook. 

“Keith was an award-winning columnist for the Detroit News, whose byline was always a must-read,” Washington wrote. “His love of music had him pick up a guitar late in life and pursue what would become his grand passion: the blues. Nobody who had the chance to listen to Luther “Badman” Keith will ever forget it.”

Detroit News Publisher Gary Miles also paid tribute to Keith on Facebook, calling him a groundbreaking journalist and advocate for the community. 

“He was unfailingly positive, helpful and resilient and loved Detroit,” Miles wrote. 

Detroit NABJ issued a statement noting Keith’s invaluable decades of contributions and “indelible impact on all of the lives he touched and influenced.”

The Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation, which funds journalism internships for Detroit high schoolers, shared condolences for Keith, a foundation trustee. 

“Luther was the soul of our board and, remarkably, of so many other informal and formal gatherings of people. Such an extremely kind man, who walked the talk when it came to true, deep dive service for our community,” board president James Rosenfeld said in a statement. 

The Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) stressed that Keith’s death represents a loss for the city of “a true champion” and “fearless leader.”

As executive director of ARISE Detroit!, Keith “dedicated his life to uplifting our communities, empowering our neighborhoods, and ensuring that Detroit’s story was one of resilience, unity, and hope,” it notes.

Keith’s vision mobilized thousands to take pride in the city and transform communities with volunteer work, advocacy and action. 

“His voice—whether through activism or his powerful gift as a musician —amplified the struggles and triumphs of Detroiters,” it adds. “His legacy will live on in every block cleaned, every child mentored, and every community strengthened by the seeds he planted.”