One Detroit – Detroit Riverfront Greenway, Flooding Aid, Summer Jobs Program, Music for Ukraine

This Week on One Detroit:

New Multi-Million Detroit Greenway to Connect City’s Southwest Side to Riverfront

The city of Detroit broke ground recently on a new $8-million Detroit greenway project that promises to stretch from the city’s southwest side to its riverfront, a major destination for tourists and locals alike, and include everything in the city’s central district in between. The construction of the nearly one-mile pathway is being led by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, which said it expects the Detroit greenway project to be completed by the fall. 

One Detroit contributor AJ Walker takes viewers to the groundbreaking of the long-awaited greenway project to hear how the new pathway will benefit the city’s residents and visitors.

Last Year’s Flooding Damage Leaves Some Detroiters Still Waiting for Federal Aid, Repairs

Rainy weather has returned once again to Michigan, but some Detroit homeowners are still trying to clean up the damage to their homes from last year’s major flooding events, and they’re still waiting for financial assistance. Many of the residents affected by Southeast Michigan’s major flooding last year have paid out of their own pockets to repair the damage left behind.

According to a report by the Detroit Free Press, nearly 39,000 Detroit households have received federal aid for repairs, but thousands more are still waiting to hear if their claims will be accepted or already have been denied. One Detroit contributors Stephen Henderson of “American Black Journal” and Nolan Finley of The Detroit News connect for a discussion about the relief, or lack thereof, for flood victims, the current state of the city’s infrastructure and the risks of heavy rain we may see in the future.

Grow Detroit’s Young Talent Summer Jobs Program Benefits Youth, Employers and the City

The City of Detroit’s summer jobs program for youth ages 14-24 years old, ‘Grow Detroit’s Young Talent,’ is back for another season of hard work and learning. The program, which employed more than 8,000 local youth last year, hopes to achieve the same heights again this year. Grow Detroit’s Young Talent offers youth employment and training in a variety of jobs including community cleanups, event planning, accounting, retail, junior police or fire cadets, and more. 

Host Stephen Henderson sits down with three representatives close to the GDYT program — Stephanie Nixon from Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, Shuna Hayward of Connect Detroit, and high school student Joslyn Caron — to discuss the benefits of the program for both the youth and employers involved. Plus, they share the impact GDYT has on the city.

Make Music Not War: Russia, Ukraine Students Perform ‘The Great Gate of Kyiv’ For Ukraine Benefit Show

After reading gruesome news headlines of the Russia-Ukraine war overseas, University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance masters student Valentin Kovalev was inspired to foster hope and find a way to help Ukrainians.  Kovalev, a Russian saxophonist, immediately called his Ukrainian friend, and pianist, Alexander Polyakov.  In a sign of solidarity, the two came together to perform one of composer Modest Mussorgsky’s most famous works, “The Great Gate of Kyiv.” 

“I think I really changed my mind about how I feel about this music after the 24th of February,” Kovalev said, “I see this music completely in a different way as it is a sign of hope for me and lots of other people.” The saxophone/piano arrangement played by Kovalev and Plyakov was created by Japanese composer Jun Nagao. One Detroit’s Bill Kubota caught up with Kovalev to hear how he hoped the music would make a difference.

Watch Now:

This week, One Detroit takes viewers to the groundbreaking of an $8-million greenway project that will connect Detroit’s southwest side with the city’s riverfront. Then, One Detroit contributors Stephen and Nolan discuss flooding relief for the city’s residents. Plus, Detroit’s summer jobs program, Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, is back, and two University of Michigan students show support for Ukraine through their music.
Read Now at One Detroit.