Detroit’s westside is home to a rich tapestry of neighborhoods, parks, and dedicated residents.
Here the story of how Westsiders reinvented business districts and recentered community as
white flight and suburbanization shuttered businesses and hollowed out neighborhoods. Listen to
community elder A Nzere Kwabena, executive director of LGBT Detroit, Nezaa Bandele of the
Live6 Alliance, and ceramist M. Kay Willingham, owner of Art in Motion share the story of how
the westside has changed since the 1960s and where it is going today.

A Nzere Kwabena is the executive director of LGBT Detroit, a nonprofit, and founder of Hotter
Than July. Through his position, Kwabena has not only sought to improve the lives of queer
Detroiters, but also to help build up the community.

For more information on LGBT Detroit, click here.

Nezaa Bandele is the small business resource manager for the Live6 Alliance, a nonprofit
development organization. Bandele is also the owner of Paradise Natural Foods, a healthy food
catering company.

For more information on the Live6 Alliance, click here.

For more information on Paradise Natural Foods, click here.

M. Kay Willingham is a ceramist and owner of Art in Motion, a gallery and workshop on the
Avenue of Fashion.

To learn more about Art in Motion, click here.

Episode 4 of 5.