Karima Sorel’s life is as interesting as Benjamin Button or Forrest Gump. She’s the daughter of Charles & Teresa Kelly who ran and owned the Michigan Citizen Newspaper for over 30 years. A Parson’s Art School Fashion Design graduate from the 90’s. Her relationships with NYC during the boom in Hip-hop fashion introduced her to the guardians of NYC hip-hop culture that influences the world today (Mos Def is the Father of her second oldest Daughter). Today many people in Detroit connect with Karima because she’s the owner of LePetit Zinc Restaurant which re-opened in Midtown Detroit. The authentic French cuisine embraced most by a collection of crepes was made by her ex-husband Charles Sorel whose experience has led restaurants in Paris, Rio De Janeiro, New York City, and Munich. Karima joins me and discusses her healing through Cancer, owning a restaurant, and high fashion. This is a fun conversation and only a peek into the thoughts of Karima Sorel.

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Michele Oberholtzer is passionate and driven to apply her skills/ talents to advocate for people who don’t & won’t walk in the circles she does. Michele’s experience in engineering has refined her skills at analyzing problems technically & functionally. Closing 2017 Vice News on HBO ran a story (Vice has been doing a lot of Detroit coverage over the past 2 years) about how the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Sale has transitioned many homeowners to renters. The systems in place where buyers purchase homes (in bulk often) and charge rent to people who owned their homes has become a reality. Michele has been advocating for residents to keep their homes by providing monies to help pay taxes, the $250 & 2% late fees, water bills, and more. We discuss Michele’s campaign for Michigan State Representative (District 4), Race in Detroit, Detroit’s Home Foreclosure Crisis, and more. This was an informational discussion.

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Roderick Miller has lived a life that reads like a Hollywood script. Born in small-town South Carolina the son of a military engineer & Baptist Pastor who traveled the world at a time America feared the danger of the USSR. Miller’s education placed him in Historically Black Colleges and Harvard for a Master’s degree in Urban Development. Work in Phoenix developing the Economic Growth & Community Development, and work in New Orleans in post-Katrina revitalization while starting a family. Recently he left a post leading Detroit’s Economic Growth Corporation. Today he’s working in Puerto Rico and fighting for the resources needed there for Americans being treated unfairly. This podcast is unique in exploring race, poverty, accessibility, and resources. Click here to visit and listen to the Detroit is Different podcast interview with Roderick Miller.

Kwame Kenyatta’s journey connecting him to the discrimination of Black people in America began early as he was one of the original Black students in the state of Alabama to attend a formerly ‘White Only’ elementary school. There Kenyatta dealt with daily fist fights, rocks being tossed at him, and more. As he journey led him to Detroit he soon joined school walk-outs and rebellions throughout the 1970’s. Soon after Kenyatta was permanently expelled from all DPS schools for challenging the administration of Cooley HS for lacking African Centered education. His GED instruction was led by Mama Imani Humphrey (founder of Aisha Shule) and other teachers independently teaching students African Centered education (visit the Dan Aldridge & Njia Kai Detroit is Different interviews) and fundamental learning. Kenyatta later became a member of the Detroit Public School Board with the support of the Malcolm X Grassroots organizations and many others. In office Kenyatta led an initia […]