Michelle E. Brown
May 29, 2008: The Audacity of Pride
As a queer, Black woman, artist and activist, I see my many intersectional communities making progress but still under attack.
Building Back, and Forward, Better Together
2020 was supposed to be the year we woke up from the horrible nightmare that began with the 2016 presidential election. It was supposed to be the year that our passionate cries for a return to civility, humanity and what was right about America were [...]
Living in the Shadow of COVID: Caring for Our Communities
I ended our Mother's Day FaceTime conversation with my son telling me to be careful and stay safe. As I sat in my solitude, I thought about the irony of him telling me to be careful and stay safe as that had been my mantra to him for years. I grew [...]
Living in the Shadow of COVID-19: Sowing Seeds for My New Normal
It wasn't until the governor's declaration that we had to stay home that I stayed home. I had been following the progression of the pandemic, but I had decided with social distancing, hand-washing and other recommended practices I would be OK. I [...]
A Dream Come True: Markita Moore Returns to Cass Tech as Band Director, Seeks to Fundraise for Band
Some believe you can't go home again because if you try to return to a place you remember from the past it won't be the same as it once was. That might be true, but after years of teaching and traveling to faraway places, Markita Moore returned to [...]
The Key to a Wild and Precious Life — LOVE!
It starts as a thread. Some little tidbit of information dangling out there that captures my attention. A conversation, a news article, radio interview, yes, even Facebook posts and the dance begins. I reach out and, remarkably, the answer is not [...]
What's Hotter Than July? Being Black, Gay and Proud of Both Every Day
Summertime is Pride time! And I'm saying it loud: I'm black, gay and proud! From DC Black Pride in May to Atlanta Black Pride in August and all the Pride celebrations everywhere inbetween, no matter which hat I wear, summertime is Pride time. This [...]
Get Your Pride On: Celebrating 50 Years Since Stonewall
It's June and pride is busting out all over! This year's celebrations are just a little brighter as we also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. It may have seemed like a spontaneous spark but there had been discontent and anger [...]
Another Day in LGBTQ History: Even in Victory Our Work Continues
Lori Lightfoot was elected Mayor of Chicago! Let that sink in – an African-American Lesbian was elected Mayor of the nation's third largest city. If that wasn't historic enough, on the same day Madison, Wisconsin, and Kansas City, Missouri, also [...]
Lessons in Change: Our Past, Our Present, Our Future
I am a Detroiter, born and raised. So was my mother. My father, although born in Kentucky, grew up in Chatham, Ontario, before settling in Detroit. I didn't know anything about the "Green Book" guide until I was an adult learning about the Civil [...]
Riding Our Queer Wave to Create Change
It's January 2019 and we haven't had our gay march yet! In 2017 we joined the women. We shared our outrage and fears from the results of the 2016 election of No. 45. It was the first women's march and that was OK. We were all traumatized. We all [...]
The Morning After: No Pill, Just Hard Work
One of the lasting lessons I learned from Detroit's legendary activist Jeff Montgomery was no matter what the outcome was of an election, we must prepare for the morning after. As I write this before knowing the results, I know that things could go [...]