by Yodit Mesfin Johnson | May 4, 2021 | Blog
Growing up in Detroit – a “Chocolate City,” with a history of labor organizing, human rights activism, and Black excellence – left an indelible impression on me. I felt connected to the shop owners, Eddie the neighborhood mechanic, and our school’s...
by Yodit Mesfin Johnson | Feb 2, 2021 | Uncategorized
Photo credit: Moremi Akinde Last month, the world watched as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris became America’s new chief executives. The ritual of Inauguration Day is an American rite of passage. It’s the day we honor those charged by God and country to uphold the...
by Yodit Mesfin Johnson | Nov 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare,” – Audre Lorde, A Burst of Light (1988). (Lorde was a Black lesbian feminist essayist, poet, and activist) One of my self-preserving acts is...
by Yodit Mesfin Johnson | Aug 5, 2020 | Uncategorized
Almost three years ago, we started discussing how NEW could address the racial leadership gap in Washtenaw County. As we start receiving applications for the next Champions for Change cohorts, it feels important to resurface the ‘why’ behind this work. Why...
