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

National and local speakers offered participants compelling perspectives on racial equity, racial justice, and tangible ways of taking action and getting involved. Participants learned paths designed for varying knowledge levels and experiences. This conference provided leaders with up-to-date information on key issues related to racial equity and equip them with motivation, tools, and support to advance racial equity individually and collectively. This was a collaborative space to address today’s critical issues with the goal of sprouting a collective vision for creating a region, nation, and world free of racism.

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 In-Person Multicultural Leadership Series

ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN!

Now more than ever leaders recognize they need to be change agents around diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. Join New Detroit and local leaders from our diverse racial and cultural community for a six-part in-person professional development program and become a positive catalyst for change in transforming your business or community organization. Learn more about the series.

New Detroit’s Virtual Leadership Series on R.A.C.E.

ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN!

Racial Understanding | Anti-Racism | Cultural Competency | Equity in Practice

Now more than ever leaders recognize they need to be change agents around diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. Join New Detroit and local leaders from our diverse racial and cultural community for a six-part virual professional development program and become a positive catalyst for change in transforming your business or community organization. Learn more about the series.

New Detroit’s In-Person Multicultural Leadership Series

ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN!

Now more than ever leaders recognize they need to be change agents around diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. Join New Detroit and local leaders from our diverse racial and cultural community for a six-part in-person professional development program and become a positive catalyst for change in transforming your business or community organization. Learn more about the series.

New Detroit’s Virtual Leadership Series on R.A.C.E.

ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN!

Racial Understanding | Anti-Racism | Cultural Competency | Equity in Practice

Now more than ever leaders recognize they need to be change agents around diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. Join New Detroit and local leaders from our diverse racial and cultural community for a six-part virual professional development program and become a positive catalyst for change in transforming your business or community organization. Learn more about the series.

New Detroit CEO, Michael Rafferty, Honored at Corp! Magazine’s Michigan Salute to Diversity Awards and Conference 2023

Corp! Magazine’s Salute to Diversity is an educational event and awards celebration that features networking and insightful speakers who share best practices on ways to move the needle on diversity, equity, and inclusion in business. The efforts and achievements of the honorees celebrated are demonstrated through specific work with individuals, groups or through a specific product, initiative, innovative program or activity that has a visible, tangible, or measurable impact on the perception of, attitude toward, and respect for a truly inclusive environment, where individuals are valued for their talent and ability to reach their full potential. New Detroit truly appreciates receiving this honor.

Rebecca Irby, Director of Transformational Change for New Detroit Delivers Keynote for Corp! Magazine’s Michigan Salute to Diversity Awards and Conference 2023

Topic DEI and ESG: Partners In Positively Impacting Your Bottom Line

Rebecca is a 2017 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. In her keynote, she discussed using a multi-pronged approach to addressing the three levels of transformational change to help groups transform themselves, their relationships, and policies to move their businesses and institutions forward.

View this link to see the conference highlights and recap of Rebecca’s presentation at the Corp! Event.

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
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ford300
white300
hudson-webber
huntington
kresge
ralph-wilson
skillman300
taubman