HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. – It was a couple of months ago we got the press release Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris was one of the finalists for a CNN Hero’s Award. Now, I have covered the accomplishments of Mama Shu and what she has done at Avalon Village for 10 years. So when that press release hit my inbox, I thought, I want to tell this story -- but I want to tell it differently.
How about telling the story of Mama Shu through the eyes of the people who live in Highland Park and attend her summer camps, use the tutors at the Homework House, play basketball on the donated court, or benefit from the solar lights that have been installed on Avalon Street?
Read: Avalon Village continues to transform Highland Park for the better
Then I thought, let’s not just do a quick visit -- let’s spend an entire 24 hours with the families to see how their lives have changed, and to also highlight what else needs to be done in Highland Park.
We talked to our reporting partners at the Michigan Chronicle and they loved the idea, helping us branch out our idea from Avalon Village to the entire city of Highland Park. There are folks moving in, businesses opening up, residential development is growing, crime is down, and there is a new mayor. There is a lot of good news to share.
There are also issues that need to be addressed like the water bills, and the need for more lights.
Typically you see the finished story online or on air, but this time you get to see the story gathering from behind the scenes as we talk to folks, shoot our video, and really get a feel for this community.
By spending 24 hours, we get a better grasp of the city, then take those stories to develop an hour special. We’ll highlight the people and their concerns, and then follow that special with an actual town hall.
The town hall can be filled with lawmakers, residents, nonprofits and more who are willing to help. Whatever we discover and learn from our time, we can talk about and then make a plan. How can we best help Highland Park and Avalon Village?
We are not sure how it will all turn out -- but when have you ever had a chance to see behind the scenes like this? We are doing 24 live shots every hour for 24 hours. We have positioned live streaming cameras so you can see what is going on in the neighborhood of Avalon Village. We also took a deep dive into the history of the city (it was the birthplace of Ford’s first assembly plant) and we look forward to what is next.
There is this song Darius Rucker sings and says, “when is the last time you did something for the first time?” I LOVE THAT LINE! So, this is it. I have never reported for 24 hours straight, and never taken such a deep dive into a community. I’m excited to see what we learn, what we can celebrate, and how we can help.
It all starts at 6 a.m. Monday, June 3 online here and on Local 4+. We will be streaming all 24 hours. You can follow us on ClickOnDetroit.com, as well as follow the Michigan Chronicle.
Meet the families
Ferguson family
My family has been here since 97. My parents live on McLean . My grandmother was working as a nanny to the family that lived in my mom’s current house and the family sold it to my parents when they moved away.
She also is a tailor opened up Backstitch on Woodward Avenue.
Brent family
Anthony and Aziza Brent are homeschooling two out of five children. We are urban farmers and we are residents of Avalon Village. We are currently building a giving farm for the Avalon Village and its residents. Our children are 20, 14, 13, 8 and 3 years old. ALL BOYS.
Aziza is a chef and her husband Anthony is in agriculture and carpentry.
Spears family
We are an artistic family that was drawn to Highland Park for its beauty and history. We decided become a part of the community years ago, when we chose to go on a photography adventure (we just didn’t know it yet). Our family is blended in many ways, which helps us open our hearts and efforts to many communities and others that are struggling.
We home school our three kiddos in various ways, some in classroom settings like the homework house in Avalon Village, or at the store learning about sales taxes and such. We believe the public education system focused on 1 plus 1 is 2, but didn’t teach us how to do taxes or buy a house.
Zobel family
Francis (aka “Mike”) and Patty have lived in Highland Park since 1965 and bought their home on Farrand Park in 1970. Patty passed away from cancer in 2021. Their only child, Anne, has lived in HP her entire life.
Growing up in the city and seeing the effects of economic disinvestment and structural racism influenced Anne’s world view and inspired her interest in community and economic development -- a field that she has served in since the early 1990′s. She purchased and restored an abandoned home on McLean in 1995.
Anne serves as the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors for One Detroit Credit Union -- the only financial institution with a presence in HP. Until recently, she served as the Chairwoman of the Highland Park Historic District Commission. In addition to her consulting business, Anne is a full-time caregiver for her father and resides with him in her childhood home on Farrand Park.
Jackson-Dyer family
Kevin is a 14-year-old freshman at Renaissance High School. He lives in Detroit with his mom Tameka, stepdad Jeffery, and two older sisters Makayla and Takara.
He joined SunBoy Music Camp in 2021, where he met and started private drum and piano lessons with Mike Monford. Kevin became a junior camp counselor in 2023. He is in the junior varsity drumline and band at Renaissance, as well as on the debate team.
His mom gifted him an LLC for his birthday, “Kevin on the Keyz,” so he could start making money with his gift. Kevin is now focused on learning the bass guitar that his PaPa left him. I’m looking forward to his fourth summer at Avalon Village.