A Michigan activist who’s made a big difference in her community will be among the guest speakers at the 2025 Michigan Black Summit in Benton Harbor in February.
Neighbors Organizing Against Racism Director Trenton Bowens tells us the Black Summit will feature leaders from all over the state, and Mama Shu of Highland Park will tell the crowd all about how she helped transform her neighborhood.
“Mama Shu is an activist in Highland Park, Michigan, that has turned grief into action,” Bowens said. “She doesn’t talk about change, she implements change, and she’s transformative at change.”
Bowens says Mama Shu began working to improve her neighborhood after the death of her 2-year-old son in 2007.
“She bought the house right across the street and she revitalized it for the neighborhood, such as developing homework houses, small business incubators, job training in that neighborhood.”
Shu has been nominated for a CNN Hero Award and has been named by The Detroit News as the “Michiganian of the Year.”
The Michigan Black Summit will be February 7 and 8 at the Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College. Shu will speak on the 7th.
Bowens says registrations for the summit have been steady and the speaker list is growing as the theme this year is focused on the Black dollar, the Black vote, and Black leadership. Some of the guests will be high-profile, but Bowens can’t announce them yet.
