Detroit's reputation extends across the nation. "The Motor City" evokes a very specific response from the people who aren't from here. They are convinced that Detroit is rampant with violence and crime, that the city has degraded into an irreparable disaster. Those of us from Detroit and the metropolitan area can only smile at their fallacy. We know, as perfectly stated in Chrysler's 2011 Imported from Detroit Superbowl commercial, that our story is "probably not the one you're reading in papers, the one being written by folks who've never even been here."
Detroit's story transcends the recycled news reports. Detroit's story is represented through the struggle of its people and their uncanny ability to adapt and persevere. There isn't another city in the United States that can boast the same kind of substantial backbone carried by the people of Detroit.
The toughness and resolve of Detroit is reflected in the faces of each citizen. People who know where they're from and have pride in their city. People like Dan Gilbert, who employs over 12,000 people in Detroit. Eminem, whose love for his city is second to none. People like the those in single-parent households that account for 74.3% of the total. People who work so unimaginably hard to provide for their families.
It is a privilege and an honor to have been born not only in the United States, but in Detroit. Detroit Metro is the 11th most populous area in the United States and simultaneously boasts one of the nation's most prosperous economies, harboring seventeen Fortune 500 companies. Being born within the Detroit Metro area and growing up surrounded by the legacies of giants has forced me to appreciate "The D."
I have defended my city on numerous occasions. Always to the people who haven't been here, the people who don't know what the city looks like, or how so many people have endured through the economic struggle. People who have never been to 2100 Woodward Ave. and stopped for a moment and felt the city as fans by the thousands pour into Comerica Park. Always in solidarity with fellow Detroiters who know that the only person who is allowed to say anything negative about Detroit is someone who lives here.
The Detroit mindset is unique. It is different from the temperamental attitudes of the East Coast, or the creativity displayed out west. Detroit natives grow up with a chip on their shoulder. Exhibiting a general know-how that isn't easily found anywhere else. Respect for their roots that is passed down through the generations. I won't ever forget my dad telling me, "the Big Three built this city." Detroit is still a great city. It's up to us to see how far it can go.
