Detroit is known as “Motor City” because of all the car companies that occupy its landscape. However, due to globalization and a disinterest in community investment, many of those factories have moved to areas overseas, and for years, Detroit was losing its population. Predictably, despite the constituents who remained and did their best to revitalize the city, outside investors began to view the city as the barren wasteland in need of saving. It is not unexpected that most of the remaining population was Black while most of the outside investors were White. Fortunately, the city launched a Black Restaurant Week, and its success has been a wake up call for all Detroit to recognize that the predominantly Black city has not been wanting for community interest.
Though many people wonder why such an initiative was launched, most of the new restaurants were White-owned, which means that even if there were Black people working in the food industry, they were not acquiring start up capital. By creating this promotion, outsiders are learning that there are many business owners obscured by emphasis on non-native Detroit residents, and that talent has been a constant presence. Chefs previously ignored had the potential to gain traction, and more investor capital.
Black people are also seen as a monolith, and when people view the communities — common in a segregated country — expectations are low. By highlighting the Black restauranteurs, the city is demonstrating that racial censorship hurts more of its local private entities. Consequently, more outside investors are offering further investments for such entrepreneurship, which will enhance the entire city instead of excluding the marginalized areas. Even though Motor City will not soon lose its primary draw, the local government is acting on the multifaceted nature of its citizens.
