Detroit Journalism

COOPERATIVE

t• For Detroit

Ethnic and Minority
Newspapers Explore
Detroit Bankruptcy, Recovery

The rare collaboration among five minority weeklies aims
to open dialogue and perspective during the city's financial
crisis and recovery.

By Christy Arboscello, NMM

F

ive ethnic and minority publications that are deeply tied to
Detroit are joining forces for the first time to explore the
city's financial crisis in a series that will run over the next
several months.
The Michigan Citizen, The Jewish News, The Michigan
Korean Weekly, The Arab American News and Latino Press aim
to delve beyond mainstream media reports to highlight the
economic effects on their respective communities and open
dialogue for inclusion, partnership and regional success. The
collaboration, a part of the Detroit Journalism Cooperative,
is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,
Renaissance Journalism's Michigan Reporting Initiative and the
Ford Foundation.
The minority papers are members of New Michigan Media
(NMM), formed by Wayne State University professor Hayg
Oshagan, to promote editorial community among different eth-
nic and minority groups.
"This is a unique collaboration of ethnic and minority news-
papers, working together to advance issues of the diverse
communities that make up the Detroit area. And minorities
are going to be a key factor in the rebirth and revitalization of
this region. They have always been, and are now, a powerful
resource in the economic growth of Michigan," Oshagan, NMM
Director, said.

African Americans will 'bear the huge brunt'
of bankruptcy

For African American residents, who comprise a majority of the
Detroit population, the city's bankruptcy is significant.
"It is an unprecedented municipal bankruptcy," The Michigan
Citizen Publisher Catherine Kelly said of the size and scope of
the financial crisis. "African Americans are going to bear the
huge brunt of this."
Kelly says helping struggling Detroiters means improving
essential city services, such as the heavily relied upon busing
system. Additionally, she calls for demonstrable regional coop-
eration and close inspection of Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr's
decisions.

Arab Americans invested 'money'
and 'lives' in Detroit

A large portion of the approximate 400,000-member Arab
American community in southeastern Michigan lives in Wayne
County, with many highly vested in Detroit, said The Arab
American News Publisher Osama Siblani.
"A lot of Arab Americans and Chaldeans have businesses in
Detroit and they started their businesses when everyone desert-
ed Detroit...They invested not only their money" but sometimes
"their lives," Siblani said, referring to a March 14 article in his
publication of slain Arab American and Chaldean proprietors.
These small businesses, such as gas stations and party
stores, need to be supported during the bankruptcy and not
bogged down by petty code enforcement or overlooked in favor
of larger organizations, he said.

Re-imagined Detroit could lure young
Jewish generation back home

Although about 80 percent of the approximately 72,000 Jewish
residents in the region live in Oakland County, a majority of the
population has close ties to the city of Detroit, The Jewish News
Publisher Arthur Horwitz said.
"For those families that achieved the American Dream here,
many became philanthropists, investing in the city's institutions,
such as Wayne State University," Horwitz said. "Others have
invested their time and energy volunteering at the grassroots
level. A more vibrant and modem city and region will lure young-
er Jewish professionals back here, he said.
"More and more young people from the Jewish community
see 8 Mile as something associated with Eminem, rather than
with Coleman Young, and that's also a sign of the changing
times."

Despite perception Asian Americans are role
players in city's economy

For years, Asian Americans have invested in the city of Detroit
and the region but are often overlooked for their contributions,
The Michigan Korean Weekly Publisher Tack-Yong Kim said.
"They have never been recognized as a key role player for
this region," he said.
Despite the perception, the roughly 200,000 Asian Americans
in southeastern Michigan often contribute to the local economy
as business owners in a variety of industries. Among 16,000
Asian American small businesses in the state, there are hun-
dreds of Korean-owned beauty supplies within the city of Detroit,
he said.
These relationships are critical in the emergence of a stron-
ger, more robust economy in the city and beyond. And, many
Asian Americans are closely watching the bankruptcy and its
implications for them, he said.

Latinos need opportunity, change in Detroit

Latinos in Detroit are closely affected by the city's financial crisis
as a core group of residents creating business, raising families
and staying in the city. Those estimated 80,000 people face daily
obstacles like discrimination, poor city services and frustration
with a city that has a history of political corruption, Latino Press
Publisher Elias Gutierrez.
"Today, Latinos still are being discriminated and abused for
being undocumented immigrants because they speak English
poorly and because they are willing to work even with low pay,"
Gutierrez said.
Many Latinos have left Detroit for nearby cities--with about
200,000 Latinos living in the region--while others remain hope-
ful the city will change. That type of transformation could be
offered in the form of tax reductions and subsidizing home or
business purchases through grants incentives and creating a
more open government that thrives on technology and skills, he
said.

Check back in following weeks for more stories in this series, focus-
ing in greater depth on each of our communities.

Immigration proposal draws praise,
caution among minority communities

By Christy Arboscello, NMM

Gov. Rick Synder's proposal to jump start Detroit's economy by
M bringing 50,000 immigrants to the city on work visas over the next five
years was met with praise and caution by ethnic and minority publishers. They
welcomed a more diverse Detroit, but stressed city services and safety must
improve and immigrants must not face discrimination.

M

• "Immigration should be part of this region's agenda for rebuilding and needs
State support, but it also needs city and municipal support. We need a compre-
hensive plan that includes work visas, but also local government and community
engagement to make our region welcoming to immigration and investment."
Hayg Oshagan of New Michigan Media
• "Any effort to attract new talent is great, but you also have to build capacity
within the city for the people here." -Catherine Kelly of The Michigan Citizen
• "I am very excited about this project but I am very realistic, too...We desire
to have more immigrants and we are ready to issue visas for them but, at the
same time, we continue to harass them at the border and spy on them." - Osama
Siblani of The Arab American News
• "Michigan is putting out the welcome mat for immigrants, but it needs to be
broad rather than narrow and with no asterisks."-Arthur Horwitz of The Jewish
News
• "We all need each other, every color of people for the city and state." - Tack-
Yong Kim of The Michigan Korean Weekly
• "(The) governor is doing the right thing, but should expand the plan" to pro-
vide opportunities "for undocumented immigrants who are already here so that
they can buy properties in Detroit, live in them and maintain them" among other
efforts.- Elias Gutierrez of Latino Press.

About this series

Five minority media outlets with a combined estimated circulation of 120,000
weekly--Latino Press, The Michigan Citizen, The Jewish News, The Michigan
Korean Weekly, The Arab American News—are part of New Michigan Media and
are taking part in The Detroit Journalism Cooperative (DJC). Funded by the John
S. and James L Knight Foundation, Renaissance Journalism's Michigan Reporting
Initiative and the Ford Foundation, the DJC aims to report about and create com-
munity engagement opportunities pertaining to the Detroit bankruptcy and recov-
ery. Each article in the series will appear in all the NMM member newspapers.
The DJC is a unique collaboration between important media outlets of the region,
and includes The Center for Michigan's Bridge Magazine, Detroit Public Television,
Michigan Public Radio, WDET and New Michigan Media. The Detroit Free Press is
also participating in the DJC effort.

