Never Surrender ‘Tude

The A&E History Channel Special, Detroit Comeback City airs, Sunday, 1 July, at 9/8c.

When I first arrived in Detroit, courtesy of Eaton Corporation in the mid-1970s, the first structure I saw was the derelict Michigan Central Station -  the Detroit train station. Next, I made a wrong turn and drove around the Masonic Temple area and down the burned-out Cass corridor. To my naive eyes, all of it seemed to be still smoldering from the 1967 riots.

O.K. I must admit it. It was a foggy day. I couldn’t see the Renaissance Center towers and satellite navigation was a military secret. Still, I was shocked, frightened, even, to see that whole area was not yet rebuilt… still totally destroyed. So, I found a phone (no cell phones then) called my boss and said, “I can’t live in this desolated, God forsaken place. I quit. I’m heading back home to Ohio.

Somehow, she talked me out of resigning and going home. I stayed and built a fantastic life and career in Metro Detroit. Thank you, Detroit. You won me over.

It’s taken a while, but, Detroit is nothing like the one I discovered back then. Detroit has overcome the odds and the naysayers.

When people refer to “Detroit Tough”, well, I know that is a true Badge of Honor. It’s a never surrender ‘tude, earned through very tough times by the diverse, multi-national, black, brown, yellow, red and white Detroiters; sparked and led by a critical few wealthy believers; and teamed with civic and municipal leadership that makes Detroit the Comeback City.

Today… Detroit, Metro Detroit, is the right place to be. The A&E History Channel Special, Detroit Comeback City brings you up-to-date. It airs, Sunday, 1 July, at 9/8c. Please go here for a preview.

Freeway Of Love (The Pink Cadillac) - Aretha Franklin - 1984