Creating hope, pathways and inclusion

MICHIGAN

Dozens of nonprofit partners in Detroit are working together to build systems that better serve the city’s young children and families through the initiative Hope Starts Here. The nonprofits are aligned around six areas of focus, called imperatives, that seek to provide support directly to children and families. They also work to strengthen every part of the systems that serve them, from providing better access to health-promoting resources to stronger, higher-quality early care and education programs and facilities.  

Automation Workz, a Detroit-based company, is partnering with WKKF in Battle Creek to help create pathways to well-paying careers in the tech sector for the city’s Black residents. A new report, “West Michigan Titanium Triangle: Shifting African Americans Into High-Tech Drive,” shows that Black people make up 12% of the nation’s workforce but only 8% of employees in tech careers. This gap is expected to widen in the decade ahead. The new report evaluates the current tech career landscape and potential future opportunities across West Michigan. A group of stakeholders called the West Michigan African American Tech Readiness Collaborative is working to put the report’s findings into action. 

MISSISSIPPI

The Mississippi Free Press highlights their innovative journalism efforts through the Youth Media Project, which actively involves students in election coverage and investigative reporting. In the article, Editor and WKKF Fellow Donna Ladd reflects on her journey from Columbia Journalism School to empowering young journalists in Mississippi. The project emphasizes systemic journalism, collaborative learning and challenging the status quo to create impactful media coverage. The ultimate goal is fostering an inclusive and engaged journalism community dedicated to addressing and solving societal issues.

RACIAL EQUITY

Would it surprise you that the earliest and largest consumers of digital assets like cryptocurrency are communities of color, the working class and young people? The Crypto Council for Innovation’s recent research highlights the need for equity in Web3 technologies. Web3 transfers control of the internet from big companies to individuals via blockchain and cryptocurrency. The report, “Building a More Inclusive Web3,” supported by WKKF, captures diverse entrepreneurs’ insights for scaling this technology and removing access barriers. Ninety percent of study participants entered Web3 to address their communities’ unmet needs. Full participation of historically underrepresented developers in Web3 is crucial for ensuring that all communities benefit from future technological advancements.