In the past, when I’ve thought of Detroit, I definitely haven’t pictured open green spaces, vegetable gardens taking up whole property lots, and chicken coups and flower beds housed inside gutted buildings. Luckily for me though, I had the opportunity to see those things personally this past Friday, September 11, 2009. As part of my year-long service with AmeriCorps I take part in a member training meeting once a month. This month, with President Obama’s call to recognize this September 11th as the first National Day of Service and Remembrance, we used our AmeriCorps gathering to serve in a way that would benefit a small part of the community in the city of Detroit.
Some of our fellow AmeriCorps members serve with an organization called The Greening of Detroit. We were fortunate enough to be able to partner with this group and go down to Peacemakers Garden, just a short drive from the downtown area. Over the next few hours we uprooted old veggie plants and weeded the sizeable gardens, mixed up mounds of compost, picked up garbage and mowed grassy lots and actually got a start on replanting the beds with fresh seeds. And most fortunately for us, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful, sunny day during which to work.
I feel that we, as a group of AmeriCorps volunteers, have answered the President’s call to service. I’m proud to be a citizen of the United States, Michigan and the metro-Detroit area and take responsibility for the part I can play in helping Detroit realize its potential.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Angels in the Dust
Just watched a documentary that's worth checking out: Angels in the Dust. The film lets you see firsthand the ravages of HIV/AIDS on a generation of children in South Africa, and what one couple is doing to help those children.
You can also check out TakePart.com to find out more about the film and some opportunities to become involved in social action.
You can also check out TakePart.com to find out more about the film and some opportunities to become involved in social action.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Britz
No, not Britney Spears...
I was flipping through the channels the other night, which, I suppose, means that I had nothing really in mind to watch and probably could have been spening my time in a better way, like grading papers or finishing my final project...Anyway, while flipping I noticed that BBC America had a show called Britz playing. Now, if you've ever watched BBCA you know that they show some crazy shows. So I figured I'd give it a looksee. It turned out to be this really great mini-series that played for two nights. Basically, it tells the stories of two Muslim siblings, a brother and sister, who were raised in Britain, and take two very different paths. It's a great story. Not uplifting, but great. I was pulled in from the minute I turned it on. The acting was great (and after having recently seen Twilight, a movie in which the director seemed to encourage the most campy acting possible, I now have a deeper appreciation for good actors). The story was believable and because of the believability it was very saddening. It definitely leaves you with questions. Not unanswered questions because of the show, but questions about events that are going on in the world, and what our responsibilities are...
They're going to keep playing the episodes over the next week, but you can catch both parts back-to-back on the afternoon of December 7. Episode 1 plays at 1pm and episode 2 plays at 3:30pm (EST). Or you can check out their site for more info.
Here's kind of a trailer for the show, although it doesn't really do it any justice. You'll just have to take my word for it and give it your own looksee on Sunday.
I was flipping through the channels the other night, which, I suppose, means that I had nothing really in mind to watch and probably could have been spening my time in a better way, like grading papers or finishing my final project...Anyway, while flipping I noticed that BBC America had a show called Britz playing. Now, if you've ever watched BBCA you know that they show some crazy shows. So I figured I'd give it a looksee. It turned out to be this really great mini-series that played for two nights. Basically, it tells the stories of two Muslim siblings, a brother and sister, who were raised in Britain, and take two very different paths. It's a great story. Not uplifting, but great. I was pulled in from the minute I turned it on. The acting was great (and after having recently seen Twilight, a movie in which the director seemed to encourage the most campy acting possible, I now have a deeper appreciation for good actors). The story was believable and because of the believability it was very saddening. It definitely leaves you with questions. Not unanswered questions because of the show, but questions about events that are going on in the world, and what our responsibilities are...
They're going to keep playing the episodes over the next week, but you can catch both parts back-to-back on the afternoon of December 7. Episode 1 plays at 1pm and episode 2 plays at 3:30pm (EST). Or you can check out their site for more info.
Here's kind of a trailer for the show, although it doesn't really do it any justice. You'll just have to take my word for it and give it your own looksee on Sunday.
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