The “universal good medicine” of Flint artist Pauly M. Everett
By Jeffery L Carey, Jr. In Flint artist Pauly Everett’s work, a mixed media mash-up of pop culture icons and comic book details are delivered in exuberant primary colors and a hip-hop street art flavor. He calls his signature style “city psychedelic art,” and from his crowded, bright studio, Everett, 29, has established himself not just as a maker of vivid canvases but also as a community-spirited benefactor of...
Resist “siren call of sameness,” attract internationals to help Flint thrive, experts say
By Jeffery L. Carey Jr. For Flint to thrive, the city needs to become a diverse international community, economic experts told a lively crowd of about 60 at The Ferris Wheel downtown May 7. In fact, one speaker asserted, creating an ethnically diverse team produces provably better results than just one person, and urged the audience to steer clear of “the siren call of sameness.” The event, “Going Global,” was co-sponsored by...
Review: Extraordinary NatGeo issue upends what we think we know about race
By Robert R. Thomas Marcia and Millie Biggs grace the cover of National Geographic’s April 2018 special issue titled “Black and White.” They are fraternal twin sisters, daughters of a bi-racial couple. As the subtitle indicates, “These twin sisters make us rethink everything we know about race.” The key factor, Marcia points out, is “People are made how they are.” Her mother adds, “It’s genes.” The real story in black and white is not...
Analysis: Fifty years later, Flint’s fair housing campaign still reverberates in nation’s racial divides
by Harold C. Ford It’s been 50 years since Flint became the first municipality in the nation to adopt an open housing ordinance. Led by then-Flint Mayor Floyd McCree, the Flint City Commission adopted the ordinance by a 5-4 vote on Oct. 30, 1967. Four months later, on Feb. 20, 1968. it survived a referendum initiative by a mere 30 votes of the 40,000+ that were cast by the Flint electorate. The dramatic events of those few...
Village Life: in Flint, there’s always more than one story; there’s always more to come
By Jan Worth-Nelson Some time in the middle of February – by far the longest, the damnedest, the cussedest month of the year in these parts–I got a severe attack of cabin fever. I’d been sick half the winter and between stink bugs, porn stars, scabs of snow everywhere, a terminally ill friend, threats of bottled water cutoffs, several bouts of existential dread in the middle of the night—well, let me just say that my tiny...