“It’s Time for a Quality of Life Commission to Strengthen Black Families and Close the Poverty Gap”

Too many of our children are being buried before they’ve even had a chance to live. Too many families are barely holding on. Too many neighborhoods are in survival mode. We cannot keep responding to crisis after crisis without addressing the root causes of poverty, instability, and violence in our communities.

We don’t just need more programs—we need a plan. That’s why I am calling for the creation of a Quality of Life Commission dedicated to closing the poverty gap and strengthening Black families in Detroit and beyond.

For years, we have focused resources on the symptoms—crime, hunger, blight—without tackling the core issue: the breakdown of family stability and opportunity. Education should capture our children’s imagination, not the streets. Work should build wealth, not just pay bills. Strong families should be the backbone of strong neighborhoods.

As Chairman of Courageous Inc. and a lifelong community leader, I’ve seen what works. Through youth sports and mentorship, I’ve helped thousands of kids stay out of trouble, stay in school, and focus on their futures. At my Courageous Games and High School Invitational, we’ve brought together over 2,000 student-athletes without one act of violence—because purpose, structure, and discipline work.

But here’s the truth: one size does not fit all. We can’t keep pouring every dollar into crisis response while overlooking kids and families who are already doing the right thing. We need balance:

• Family Stability Programs: Marriage support, parenting education, and fatherhood initiatives.

• Economic Empowerment: Job training, skilled trades pipelines, and homeownership pathways.

• Youth Development: After-school tutoring, sports, arts programs, and mentorship.

• Health & Wellness: Access to mental health care, healthy food, and community fitness programs.

• Public Safety & Accountability: Target violent offenders while investing in prevention.

This is the work of the Quality of Life Commission: to unite educators, clergy, business owners, nonprofit leaders, parents, and young people in one coordinated effort to rebuild the foundation of our communities.

I commend the Mayor’s support of Community Violence Intervention programs, but we must go further. Violence prevention alone is not enough. We must invest in prevention and advancement—lifting up the good kids, stabilizing families, and creating economic pathways so poverty no longer feels inevitable.

When I was a Wayne County Commissioner, I fought to fund small nonprofits doing this work. I saw firsthand how local leaders like Darnell and Karen Hall, Thomas Wilcher, Randy Williams, and countless others use their own resources to make an impact. But these groups have been overlooked for far too long.

We can’t keep chasing short-term fixes. If we truly want safer streets, better schools, and stronger families, we need a Quality of Life Commission that addresses poverty at its roots and restores the values and opportunities that make neighborhoods thrive.

The question is not whether we can afford to do this—the question is whether we can afford not to.

I’m ready to lead this effort. I invite faith leaders, parents, educators, business owners, and every Detroiter who wants real change to join me. Together, we can strengthen our families, close the poverty gap, and reclaim the future of our communities.