Edition No. 53
Community and Family
In the spirit of the season, and back by popular demand, 760 WJR brings to you a rendition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Arts and Culture
Legendary Detroit artist and educator Shirley Woodson’s Shield of the Nile Reflections now at The Detroit Institute of Arts.
American Democracy
A collaboration between two nonprofit media organizations, BridgeDetroit and Grist based in Seattle, has now taken a deeper dive into the specific Detroit project being put forward for that federal funding – the I-375 Improvement Project.
In the eleven dream-like paintings selected for Shirley Woodson: Shield of the Nile Reflections, Woodson emphasizes the Nile as a metaphor for Africa by combining figuration and expressionism to symbolize the metamorphic, historical, spiritual, and cultural significance of this ancient body of water. The series began in 1984 and has been presenting Black bathers in rivers, a reference to the diasporic myth that the Nile River holds transformative and nurturing benefits for people of African descent.
Painting in vibrant hues, humans appear alongside fragments or detailed renderings of shields, horses, fish, shells, stars, chariot wheels, pyramids, birds—the distinctive visual vocabulary for this theme.
Woodson received the 2021 Kresge Eminent Artist award acknowledging her dedication to her career as a fine artist; her influence on the Detroit art scene as an educator of artists, teachers, and collectors; and her advocacy for artists She is the 13th metro Detroit artist to receive this award.
A Christmas Carol
In the spirit of the season, and back by popular demand, 760 WJR brings to you a rendition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
WJR (NewsTalk 760) is streaming yet another highly anticipated presentation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The live event will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 19.
A Christmas Carol recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who receives an unexpected visit by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge transformed into a kinder, gentler man.
Join WJR personalities and special guests as they bring to life the classic Christmas tale. Viewers can tune in to the presentation on the WJR Facebook page or on the WJR YouTube channel at the link below.
“A freeway ripped the heart out of Black life in Detroit. Now Michigan wants to tear it down.”
— BridgeDetroit & Grist, December 1, 2021
Image Source: Bloomberg CityLab
Inspired Thoughts #49 (November 17) highlighted a piece from Bloomberg CityLab on the Biden Administration’s interest in using funding from the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to redress some of the harm caused when communities of color were displaced or torn asunder by 1940-1960s federally funded highway construction. The CityLab article included looks at the impact of freeway construction on Detroit and several other cities.
“Highway removal is the easy part. Making reparations is where it gets complicated.”
A collaboration between two nonprofit media organizations, BridgeDetroit and Grist based in Seattle, has now taken a deeper dive into the specific Detroit project being put forward for that federal funding – the I-375 Improvement Project. The construction of I-375, which connected I-75 to Jefferson and Gratiot, almost entirely erased Hastings Street that had been the commercial center and cultural heart of Detroit’s pre-1960 black community. The I-375 Improvement Project would bring the roadway back up to the surface, slow traffic, and potentially begin redevelopment along part of the one-time route of Hastings Street.
Inspired Thoughts is a collection of highly curated content that embraces the spirit and purpose of The War Memorial: arts and culture, community enrichment, leadership, and patriotism.
Derived from the notion that learning from others is the key to success, Inspired Thoughts is meant to shine a light on those making a difference in the world around them. This collection features artists, poets, writers, architects, and every thought leader in-between. Inspired Thoughts is the strongest reflection of what The War Memorial stands for, and what we aim to be.
The content featured on Inspired Thoughts is curated by War Memorial leadership — we also look forward to featuring special guest curators in the near future. If you are interested in providing content for Inspired Thoughts, please email our Communications team at dmurphy@warmemorial.org.