For five dollars, Harrison, told me what it would take to come back from hard times.

Little did I know, on that muggy summer afternoon, standing at the old train station in Detroit, that I would soon be facing my own decline and some of the hardest times I had known.

I went to Detroit to learn about grit and now a year later, I’ve discovered how much I need my own. I’ve been caught in a storm of stagnance, loss and doubt.

So, what did Harrison tell me for that five American dollars? He told me that you need faith and people, but more importantly, he told me that the people of Detroit need to stand up and tell ya’ll what they want and need  instead of being told what they want and need.  And somehow scrambling over my interviews, notes, memories, searching for some hope through my difficult time, i could finally hear. I needed to stand up and and be my own voice again.

This project was always meant to be a visual journal of my journey and letting you into the process of a project. Sometimes, there are setbacks. Nevertheless, there is more to this story and I am ready to stand up and tell it. I’m coming back from hard times and with the help from the beautiful people I met in Detroit and the community that has held me up, I am ready to find my own grit and share it with you.

Thank you, Harrison. Thank you, Mom.

There’s more to come…..