20/20 is used to describe perfect vision.  The year 2020 certainly did not live up to the 20/20 associated with vision and with a slant between the ‘20s. It has been characterized by a worldwide pandemic, overt social injustice, upside-down politics, and more. The cracks in the country’s various systems grew larger while some arguably failed.  The economic, healthcare, housing, and other systems are proving inadequate to care for its citizens. It’s been a wacky year. Very little in this year was clear.

Community Connections would have loved for things to be different and/or better. The truth, however, is that we are used to working with and for those that routinely live with a lack of clarity, honesty, and support. The program provides grant support and capacity building to groups and leaders surviving broken systems, challenging those systems, and creating alternate systems that serve the needs of the most vulnerable more adequately.

We are clear on the following:

• •Racism, classism, and other isms create tremendous burdens for people of color in majority-black Detroit.
• •Community groups, leaders, and others work hard, despite limited resources to support community.
• •Direct grant and capacity-building support to disenfranchised communities yields positive results and
• •Deep trusting authentic relationships, representation, and voice in addition to investment are required to identify and solve lasting challenges in community.

Covid-19 further exposed more of the same problems that plague communities.  There are more cliffs ahead.

Our talks here will showcase our proven approach to supporting community and the voices, commitment, and genius of community leaders, groups, and entities, in their words about the burdens and lifts occurring daily right under our noses.

Take good care of yourself and those around you.

-Lisa Leverette, Executive Director and Chief Change Orchestrator (CCO)

Community Connections Grant Program