We the People of Detroit

Mission: To be dedicated to community coalition building and to providing resources that inform, train, and mobilize the citizens of Detroit and beyond to improve their quality of life.

In 2008, We The People of Detroit (WPD) was co-founded by Chris Griffith, Aurora Harris, Monica Lewis-Patrick, Cecily McClellan, and Debra Taylor in response to Emergency Management over the city of Detroit and Detroit Public Schools. As a community-based grassroots organization, WPD aims to inform, educate, and empower Detroit residents on imperative issues surrounding civil rights, land, water, education, and the democratic process.

In collaboration with community activists, academics, researchers, and designers, the WPD Community Research Collective (CRC) utilizes research in order to serve the sustainability of the Detroit community. The WPD CRC uses data to visually show the socio-economic consequences of austerity policies in Detroit, which have worked toward the dismantling of Black and Brown Detroit neighborhoods. By presenting a critical counter narrative, WPD CRC uses knowledge as a tool to empower Detroit citizens as they fight for an equitable and beloved community.