New Detroit is a coalition of leaders working to achieve racial understanding and racial equity in Metropolitan Detroit.

New Detroit works to dismantle racism in the Metro Detroit region by moving hearts and minds and changing policies and systems. Our work includes education, trainings, services, research, and programs to fight racism at the personal, institutional, and systemic levels.

New Detroit’s Just Lead: Advancing Racial
Equity Conference

2023 registration and more information is coming soon!
Last year, we had 387 attendees, 43 speakers, 1 ½ days of engaging activity, and lots of positive feedback.
Watch a video of conference highlights here, some interviews by Detroit is Different here.
See the digital program book here.

Take a look below at more highlights from last year’s conference.

Contact Jodee Raines for sponsor opportunities.

New Detroit’s Just Lead: Advancing Racial Equity Conference

2023 registration and more information is coming soon!
Last year, we had 387 attendees, 43 speakers, 1 ½ days of engaging activity, and lots of positive feedback.
Watch a video of conference highlights here, some interviews by Detroit is Different here.
See the digital program book here.

Take a look below at more highlights from last year’s conference.

Contact Jodee Raines for sponsor opportunities.

New Detroit’s Just Institute is a comprehensive suite of certificated trainings and customized consulting.

Our trainings and services provide interactive pedagogical learnings and personalized action plans to provide participants tools and strategies to create racially equitable policies and practices grounded in a deep understanding of racialized systems.

New Detroit’s Just Institute is a comprehensive suite of certificated trainings and customized consulting.

Our trainings and services provide interactive pedagogical learnings and personalized action plans to provide participants tools and strategies to create racially equitable policies and practices grounded in a deep understanding of racialized systems.

New Detroit’s Rebecca Irby facilitated a session at the United Nations 2023 Financing For Development Forum (FfD Forum) on April 18.

The session was designed to ensure the UN hears from diverse constituencies in making decisions on how to finance the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). New Detroit invited Gibran D. Washington, EcoWorks, to speak on the panel and Andrew Kaplowitz, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice.

Thank you DBusiness Daily for highlighting this important discussion.

We are proud of Rebecca Irby, our Director of Programs & Services, for her stunning presentation at the United Nations on racial equity and climate finance.

In this video, watch Rebecca talk about Climate Financing for Adaptation and the SDGs: shifting from the failed equality model of using GDP to determine funding and moving to an equity based system where money is directed and flows into the hands of those actually doing the work on the ground. We encourage your reactions and comments.

Just Place™: Exploring the Intersectionality of Race & Accessibility in Detroit’s Urban Green Spaces

In partnership with The Downtown Detroit Partnership, New Detroit, Detroit Parks Coalition and Michigan Disability Rights Coalition

Saturday, May 20th from 11am to 2p.m. at Beacon Park

  • This critical conversation session will focus on accessibility in urban green spaces, facilitated by a panel of local thought leaders and community-based advocates.
  • The event will also showcase curated outdoor art exhibition, featuring artwork, painting, photography, prints, and other unique art forms that will be available for sale.

Thank you to the Michigan Chronicle for this article about the event.

Just Place™: Exploring the Intersectionality of Race & Accessibility in Detroit’s Urban Green Spaces

In partnership with The Downtown Detroit Partnership, New Detroit, Detroit Parks Coalition and Michigan Disability Rights Coalition

Saturday, May 20th from 11am to 2p.m. at Beacon Park

  • This critical conversation session will focus on accessibility in urban green spaces, facilitated by a panel of local thought leaders and community-based advocates.
  • The event will also showcase curated outdoor art exhibition, featuring artwork, painting, photography, prints, and other unique art forms that will be available for sale.

Our History

New Detroit was formed in response to civil unrest in 1967 that uncovered a host of entrenched social and community ills. At the request of then Michigan Governor George Romney and Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, business executive Joseph L. Hudson, Jr. convened a unique coalition—the nation’s first—to identify what went wrong in July 1967, what needed to change, and how to make that change happen.

Since then, New Detroit, Inc. has been a unique and valuable arena where leaders of Detroit’s business, civic, grassroots, and religious communities have come together to plan cooperative strategies and to demonstrate their commitment to the city and its environs.

On July 6, 2020, in response to the dual pandemic of COVID-19 and racial injustice (which had come to a head with the murder of George Floyd on May 25), standing alongside 30 of Detroit’s most prominent business, political and philanthropical leaders in front of the “United We Stand” sculpture at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, New Detroit declared War on Racism.

New Detroit will dismantle racism through systems change and by moving hearts and minds. We do this as an institutional thought leader, an advocate for policy change, and as a catalyst for collective action. Our work is organized around these three strategies, and includes trainings, education, research, advocacy, and partnerships to fight racism at the personal, institutional, and systemic levels.

New Detroit Founders: Joseph L. Hudson, Jr.,Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, and Governor George Romney
The original New Detroit committee

New Detroit’s leaders and community members commemorate the organization’s history and talk about their roles and involvement in the racial justice work with the coalition throughout 5 decades. Recorded in 2017.

New Detroit has earned a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency on GuideStar!

New Detroit’s work is made possible with the generous support of the following funders:

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cffsm
dte
enterprise
5-3
ford300
white300
hudson-webber
huntington
kresge
ralph-wilson
skillman300
taubman