Who We Are

butterfly1

Soul Food from Somebody’s Mama

Through a veil of tears,
I see happiness, joy and peace divine;
these blessings be mine.

I see a new day coming in the light;
and oh, its brightness gives delight
to a woman woe ing in her soul.

I see a new day coming into the Night.
Oh so bright, so bright,
its brightness gives delight.
Your smiles illuminated, bearing open your soul
to a wo(e)man like me,
who’s seeking to be free of the woe ing tyranny.

Through a veil of tears I see you.
I see you seeing me, seeing
happiness, joy and peace divine;
these blessing are thine, as mine.

I see a new day coming in the Night.
And Oh, its brightness is a delight
to a wo(e)man like me; who covers you through a Holy mystery.
….
For I see through a veil of tears, even still,
my blessings
in you,
on you,
and through you.
My blessings abides With you,
even still, in your trek through the Night
Towards the light.
I see a new day coming into the Night; these blessings be mine.

Peace and blessings, Mama Sandra
The Hush House, Detroit, MI

In The End, It’s All About Love; Hope Is The Light

Detroit: Community of Hope Credo – or – The Soul Of Detroit: Community of Hope

3detroit_summer Detroit: Community of Hope is about the expectation of good in spite of extreme contradictions to hopefulness. Detroit has often, and for many reasons, appeared to be on the brink of death. Yet this city, and these people, have not died as many a commentator has predicted.

We are on the brink of life.
Detroit lives on because Detroit has faith; because Detroit, and those who love Detroit, still have hope. Such faith in the potentiality of Detroit springs from people with vision – particularly, and some would note peculiarly, like those who are part of Detroit: City of Hope.

Detroit: Community of Hope is an evolving communal vision that calls Detroit into a place where humanity lives with purpose and dignity. As a collaborative organism, Detroit: City of Hope makes opportunity to see, to participate, to invigorate, to create the ground of peace where people find ways to share their highest selves. We see Detroit with our hearts as well as with our eyes. It is through the shared intimacy of seeing hope and learning to walk together – beyond the constraints of deprivation, alienation, in-difference and distrust toward the place where hope lives and will not die, because we will not, can not, surrender – that we discover our connections as human beings. Through our collective experience we evolve our testimony of Detroit that becomes a record for others to bear witness to how diverse people can see past madness into hope and healing.

We initiated the Detroit: Community of Hope Campaign in 2007 when we commemorated the 40th anniversary of MLK’S speech: Break the Silence and the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Detroit Rebellion. Our goal is to create and support the emerging web of Activists, Artists, Architects, Community Gardeners, Poets, Organizers, Entrepreneurs, Block Clubs, Peace Makers, Workers and Thinkers – and all those seeking and creating solutions to the ills that have kept our communities in “cycles of broken down everything!” It has been said that our collective vision is the true stuff of madness – but such a wonderful audacity gives birth to systems of justice that can change the world.

Our Mission

dcohbkg Detroit: Community of Hope is an evolving communal vision that calls Detroit into a place where humanity lives with purpose and dignity. As a collaborative organism, Detroit: City of Hope makes opportunity to see, to participate, to invigorate, to create the ground of peace where people find ways to share their highest selves. We see Detroit with our hearts as well as with our eyes. It is through the shared intimacy

of seeing hope and learning to walk together – beyond the constraints of deprivation, alienation, in-difference and distrust toward the place where hope lives and will not die, because we will not, can not, surrender – that we discover our connections as human beings. Through our collective experience we evolve our testimony of Detroit that becomes a record for others to bear witness to how diverse people can see past madness into hope and healing.