Day Four: "A Change is Gonna Come"

Every great adventure starts with a monumental foundation. Today, ours started with the car ride to Earthworks. As we were listening to the radio, the quintessential sound of the piano in Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” took over the car in a group-led car concert. Doug told us the story of how the song came to be— 8 months in the making, the song started when Steve Perry asked his father for gas money to travel back home, but instead received a check for $3,000 with the simple memo - “don’t stop believing.” Journey’s story of resilience rings true in relation to the struggles Detroit also faces and how the community is overcoming it.

Josh, Alesha, Sidney, and Aidan working on compost at the hoop house

Once we got to Earthworks, we met with Patrick, Wendy, Tyler, and Darryld. As we were recounting our previous night, Patrick, the farming manager, mentioned that the ice cream place we went to last night was located in the wealthier suburb of Grosse Pointe. Historically, Grosse Pointe is known for having houses with covenants in their housing deeds that forbid blacks, Jews, or Catholics from buying those houses. While not legally binding anymore, this is one of the examples of racial injustice that continues to prevail in Detroit. 

 

Here is the group seeding

After our discussion, we started the day’s work. In the morning, we went to the Gleaner’s composting area. Here we used giant sifters, shovels, and wheelbarrows to separate bigger debris from the finer compost. Compost is made of decomposing food scraps made of mostly pre-consumed vegetable scraps along with leaves, grass, and wood chips. We learned that cooked food and animal products can’t be used in compost because it attracts rats. Compost is used as a soil amendment but above 20% it can be harmful to the soil as a whole. 

Chloe and Alesha seeding

While we were working, we struck up a conversation with Darryld. He has been volunteering at Earthworks since its start in 1997. He then took a full-time position as Risk Management Officer in 2010. He runs the bike shop at Earthworks, where he does repairs bicycles every Wednesday. 

 

Doug and Ellen "singing" in the studio

After a morning full of shoveling compost, we went to lunch at the soup kitchen located at Earthworks. During lunch, we all sat with community members and were able to talk with them about their experiences living in Detroit.

With a full stomach, we then went to the greenhouse with Patrick and Tyler. In the greenhouse we were taught how to properly plant seedling by Patrick. The seedlings we planted would then be used for Keep Growing Detroit, which gives plants to those who want to have gardens in Detroit. The seedlings we planted included parsley, eggplant, and cayenne pepper. While the rest of the group planted seedlings, three of us sifted soil and made soil blocks for seeding.

 

Outside the Motown Museum

After planting and making soul blocks for a few hours, we left Earthworks to travel to the Motown Museum. The Motown Museum was the original birthplace of Motown Records, created by Berry Gordy. Some of the recording artists include the Jackson Five, the Supremes, Marvin Gay, Stevie Wonder, and many more. Berry Gordy was a trailblazer in the community as far as racial integration and musical creativity. Gordy brought Detroit together in a way that changed America.

            “Motown was about music for all people, white and black, blue and green, cops and robbers. I was reluctant to have our music alienate anyone.” -Berry Gordy   

 

Here is the group in the world famous "Studio A". So many of the most famous Motown  artists recored in this studio

The goal of Motown was to create an all-inclusive group that inspired others with their messages of shared love and heartache. It was a beautiful reminder of the flourishing history that took place in Detroit and the promising possibilities it still holds. As we ended the night with reflection, we listened to the song “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cook. The hopeful message that change is going to come even in the midst of troublesome situations is something that resonated with all of us. The point of the Detroit trip is to learn about racial inequality and urban farming, and although it can be easy to be weighed down by the issues we experience, it is important to remember that tough times won’t last forever.

-       Ellen Madden, Sophomore Biology Major

-       Chloe Forbes, Junior Journalism Major