It has been more than two years since George Floyd’s murder sparked huge commitments from businesses and organizations to expand their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the workplace. Promises were made, but were they kept? American Black Journal takes a look at whether DEI efforts in the workplace have improved since calls for racial and social justice re-ignited across the nation.
When it comes to Michigan’s strengths as a state, education isn’t necessarily one of them. According to a U.S. News & World Report ranking, Michigan sits at 38th overall — 42nd in higher education, and 32nd in Pre-K-12 education — compared with the other 49 U.S. states. Teachers in Michigan were presented with more challenges and increased demands in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and school shootings, like the mass shooting at Oxford High School last November and at Uvalde Elementary School in Texas more recently.
Taking a look around Michigan’s major cities, design is everywhere. The creativity of designers can be seen throughout Michigan in the clothes we wear, the architecture of our cities and the cars we drive, but still, globally Detroit isn’t recognized for having a strong design industry. How can Michigan develop more design jobs across the state, and prepare young designers for future design jobs?
Placemaking — it’s the term often used to describe the process of increasing the quality of shared public spaces where business owners, workers and families can gather. When it comes to placemaking efforts, what has Michigan done and have those investments paid off today?
When it comes to fashion, not many people place Detroit among the cities where the design industry thrives. Detroiters may know it here, but one Detroit-based fashion brand, Deviate Fashion, started with the goal to put Detroit on the map as a fashion city around the world.
Taking a look around Michigan’s major cities, design is everywhere, though much of the design people see in their daily lives largely goes unnoticed. Whether it’s the clothing people wear, the designs and patterns that adorn walls, the architecture in downtown Detroit and other cities, or the websites they visit, chances are a designer is behind it. So, what really makes up the design industry and what efforts are underway in Michigan to develop and expand it?
In the national and global race for strong professional talent, how can Michigan get a leg up on the competition? How does the Great Lakes state become a top 10 state where families and young professionals want to live, work, grow and play? Some of Michigan’s top business leaders gathered together to answer these questions about making Michigan more competitive and how exactly the state should do it at the Detroit Regional Chambers 2022 Mackinac Policy Conference.
From Detroit’s Campus Martius and Riverwalk districts to vibrant developing downtown corridors in Detroit’s suburbs, like Clawson, urban planners, developers and city officials in Southeast Michigan have begun the placemaking process in an attempt to attract and retain workforce talent and provide residents with a greater quality of life, but have the state’s efforts paid off?
More than a century ago, Detroit’s entrepreneurial spirit put the Michigan auto industry on the map as the Motor City — the car capital of the world, but how will the state that has led the automotive industry for several decades stay competitive in the everchanging automotive environment of the 21st century?
For the past eight years, The LEE Group‘s President and CEO Mark S. Lee has put a focus on helping small businesses through the challenges of starting and sustaining a new venture. The past few years, however, COVID-19 has caused major disruptions to our economy and to the survival of small businesses. The LEE Group’s Small Business Workshop returns for its eighth year with a focus on business recovery and sustainability. ere severely impacted and are not showing the profitability that they had.
