- [Presenter] Coming up on "One Detroit," we'll have details on the US debut of the global music, art and culture festival known as AfroFuture, taking place in Detroit this weekend.

Plus, we'll learn how a local organization is preserving the legacy of Detroit's African American artists.

Also ahead, from our "Destination Detroit" series, a local woman reflects on the musical opportunities her family found when they moved here.

Plus, we'll run down some of the events happening around town this weekend.

And we'll end the show with the sounds of Don Was and Thornetta Davis.

It's all coming up next on "One Detroit."

- [Announcer] From Delta faucets to Behr paint.

Masco Corporation is proud to deliver products that enhance the way consumers all over the world experience and enjoy their living spaces.

Masco, serving Michigan communities since 1929.

Support also provided by the Cynthia & Edsel Ford Fund for Journalism at Detroit PBS.

- [Announcer] The DTE Foundation is a proud sponsor of Detroit PBS.

Through our giving, we are committed to meeting the needs of the communities we serve statewide to help ensure a bright and thriving future for all.

Learn more at dtefoundation.com.

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(upbeat music) - [Presenter] Just ahead on "One Detroit," we'll talk about the Black artist archive and how it will help preserve African American art.

Plus, our "Destination Detroit" project introduces us to a Detroit woman whose family made a name for themselves in the city's music scene.

Also coming up, we'll give you some ideas on how to spend this weekend in Metro Detroit.

And we'll close with a performance by the Don Was All-Star Revue featuring Thornetta Davis from this year's Concert of Colors.

But first up, AfroFuture Detroit takes place this weekend at Bedrock's Douglass Site in the heart of the city.

The two-day festival presented by Bedrock is a celebration of the music, art, food and culture of the African diaspora.

It's the first time the global event will take place in the United States.

"One Detroit's" Chris Jordan learned more about the festival from Bedrock Detroit's director of business development and talked with the local artist who designed the event's official t-shirt.

(upbeat music) - The AfroFuture Festival has been going on in Ghana since 2017.

And now this is its first year happening in the US, and they have chosen Detroit for AfroFuture Detroit Festival happening this weekend.

Tell me a bit about what the festival is and why they chose Detroit for the US debut.

- AfroFuture is something unique to this world, right?

It is truly a festival that combinates the culture in so many different ways.

It's less of a concert and more of an experience, for those who love music, those who love fashion, those who love film, art, food, so much in one festival that truly combinates like the African diaspora in such a unique way.

- How did Bedrock come to be involved?

- For us, it's all about bridging the community.

So for Detroit, we truly just like to do things that speak to the DNA of the city, make sure that we have intentional programming, you know, whether it be through Parker's Alley or whether it be through other festivals or concerts and conferences that we've had here, right?

- And we're here on the festival grounds.

- Yes, we are.

- Tell me a bit about this place and what's happening here.

- Well, the Douglass Site is a very special site.

This is, I would say, almost like a birth of creation through music, right?

You know, this is where we had the Brewster-Douglass Projects, we had Diana Ross live here, we had Smokey Robinson live here, right?

Some of the most iconic names a part of this landscape.

And now we get to relive it through a festival that speaks to a global narrative.

And so it's really special to be here on this site.

It's special to have it here and I think the artists are gonna feel that same energy as well.

- And now you mentioned the artists, of course tell me a bit about who the artists are.

- Oh, I'm really excited about that.

- Who they're gonna be.

- So we have show-stomping talent.

We have Asake.

We have Davido.

We have Ludmilla hailing from Brazil.

That's like the Beyonce of Brazil.

And so we're really excited to help bring that presence here as well.

We have Kaytranada coming representing for Toronto, but also just he's the summer god.

And so we're excited to have him here this summer on the site.

- And I assume there's gonna be a lot of Detroit talent highlighted as well?

- Absolutely, we have a Tee Grizzly, that's gonna be on the site, but we also have a number of DJs.

This is a DJ city.

So we have Donavan Glover, Ethereal, we have Jasmine Jeanine, we have Blakito, right?

And also Mo Beatz, which is Big Sean's DJ as well.

So we're really excited to showcase Detroit talent on this main stage, and also on our culture stage, there'll be two stages.

For our culture stage, that's essentially our party stage.

Our party stage is a host of different party promoters, not only in the Midwest, but also throughout the nation as well, coming from the West Coast, New York, and really kind of highlight and amplify all the creative energy that's here already.

But we're also gonna have a lot more Amapiano and Guam music that will be on that stage.

And for our main stage, that's where we'll host our big lead-up acts, but also our headlining acts as well.

So it's something for everyone, everybody could get a beautiful sound, beautiful energy, and just capture the energetic vibe that's in this city, but also on this site.

- And now speaking of Detroit artists- - There you go.

(laughing) - you won the design contest for the official t-shirt for the festival.

Tell me a bit about that contest and, you know, how you came to be a part of this.

- So I was reached out to through Pensole Lewis College, which is a first HBCU here in Michigan.

And it focuses on design elements, from footwear, fashion design, within apparel and accessories and beyond.

I was a student there earlier this year, I did a program with accessories, and then I'm returning later on this fall.

My design background is really all my life.

I've always liked to paint, do fashion design.

So really when I received this email to participate, I wanted to really captivate all of what Detroit is, as well as what Ghana is.

- All right, so, Veronica, can you show us the t-shirt design?

- Yes, I'm very excited to show you the design.

The design being called "Rhythm Runs Through Us."

I wanted to really captivate that.

So I really highlighted like Africa and I went through some research, a lot of research actually, to really highlight all the different kente cloths, which are really prominent in each country in Africa.

So we have ankara and more that are included.

And then I also highlighted the prominent areas in Detroit, some of our artifacts here.

So we have the spirit of Detroit, the Joe Louis fist and everything like that.

And then I have some threads going around the globe to really show how we're threaded together and that the rhythm is really running from the motherland to Motown.

And then when I switch to the back, we can really see all of the artists and all of the participants, from hosts and DJs, really being included on that as well.

And this is paying homage to Motown as well with the vinyl record player.

- Absolutely.

- And then one more thing.

With the bling, I wanted to highlight the bling.

In Africa, we love the bling.

In Detroit, we love our bling.

So that was just another connection.

And what I really wanted to encapsulate in the design was really all of the diaspora together.

So when somebody looks at the shirt and wears the shirt, I want them to be able to feel themselves like included in the design.

- Now, for people who might be, you know, traveling to Detroit from other parts of the country or other parts of the world, since this is such a global festival, what are you hoping people who aren't from here, you know, see about Detroit, learn about Detroit, take away about this city after this weekend?

- I really do want people to walk away with a piece of the city and capture like the DNA of what Detroit actually is, not what the perception of the world may perceive it to be.

This is one of the most hospitable cities with real love here, real culinary tastes.

Like you can service my appetite through music and food, you got me sold.

And that's all Detroit, it's truly just an inspiring city, and anything that you can make happen, you can make happen here.

So we really wanna highlight that.

When you're at this festival, you're getting Detroit at every corner.

(upbeat music) - [Presenter] For information on tickets, go to detroit.afrofuture.com.

Up next, the Black Artists Archive was launched to preserve and celebrate Black art history and visual culture.

The nonprofit organization is building digital and physical repositories to document, collect and safeguard the legacies of Black artists from Detroit and other parts of the Midwest.

"One Detroit" contributor and "American Black Journal" host, Stephen Henderson, sat down with the archive's founding executive director and CEO, Dr. Kelli Morgan.

(upbeat music) - What a wonderful idea.

Tell us where you came up with this.

- So it's been brewing for about, really and truly, my entire career, to be honest.

(laughing) - Yeah.

(laughing) - Yeah, and I've worked, you know, at various museums, you know, over the last 11 years.

I came home in '23, primarily because my mother and my aunt are aging and need handlers, right?

- A lot of that going on, right?

(Kelli laughing) Yeah.

- And I worked at the Wright for about six or seven months.

And while there doing oral histories of so many of the older artists in the city, and, you know, having those conversations.

You know, it would come up all the time.

"Kelli, can you help me catalog?"

or, "Do you know anybody that can help me digitize?"

So by the time, you know, five, six people ask, I was like, "Huh."

- (laughing) There's an unmet need here, right?

- Right, you know, you know, there's something here.

And I said, "I have a wide-enough network nationally, I said, "I think I can get it off the ground."

And so I went to Neil and I was like, "I love you dearly, right?"

(both laughing) "But I'm gonna."

- Neil at the museum, right?

- Yeah, I said, "I'm gonna try to do this."

And he was just like, "Okay."

And so we are a little under, you know, a year old.

And it's tough, you know, but we're trudging along.

- And the idea of course is not just to archive, but I would imagine to commemorate and celebrate in some way all of this material that, you know, we've created here.

I mean, there's something about Detroit and our history that I think distinguishes us in some ways- - Very much so.

- from other places in terms of the people who are here and what they've done.

- Yeah, very much so.

You know, I call it like a professional genealogy.

(Stephen laughing) You know, so the way people like Dr. Cleve Taylor or, you know, Marian Stevens went into the schools, you know, and just created this demographic, like this critical mass of people who were also doing really well, in the arts, you know, across the different mediums.

And I kept getting conversations, or not conversations, questions, you know, requests.

You know, Dr. Morgan, you know, I'm looking up, you know, this particular artist who was working in Detroit, you know, in 1957.

And either the Wright had a very small file, right, or no file at all.

Nothing at the Bentley, nothing at DIA.

And then the more I talked to Ms. Woodson and the more I talked to other artists, I was like, "Oh, the work or the archives, like the evidence, primary sources, (laughing) right, are in these storage units, you know, are in people's homes," which would make sense, you know, 'cause people are still alive.

And so I said, "Well, how can, you know, I create something that actually like delineates that out, you know, where people can actually trace these professional ancestors?"

- Sure, right.

What do you imagine is the end product here?

- Sure.

- Where does it live and is it something that just ordinary people will be able to access?

- Yes, yes.

So we're in the process of building a very robust website that will actually integrate the database.

So anybody.

- So you'll just be able to look online?

- Yes, we'll be able to search it.

We do want a building, (laughing) you know?

- Yeah?

(laughing) - Yeah, we're thinking of doing a capital campaign next year, 'cause I have my eye on a couple of buildings around the city.

- That might work.

- Yeah.

You know, 'cause right now, what we're doing is really taking our skillset and the framework, you know, to people with archives.

When we are contacted with people who have archives that aren't necessarily, you know, in the proper storage space, you know, then I just kind of direct them to the right places that they can get it stored.

But hopefully, you know, it will be, you know, a physical repository where people can actually come, you know, and see the materials themselves.

- Yeah, yeah.

I'm really curious about the interactions with the artists, to try to help them organize these things, or maybe in some cases they are organized, I guess.

But just that moment of discovery of the value and the importance of what they have, I think, has gotta be really cool.

- Yeah, they know.

(Kelli laughing) - Yeah, they already know, right?

(laughing) - They super knew, Stephen.

They already know.

A really good example I can use is I see our partner Ali Wheeler and Alima Wheeler Trapp.

They're the stewards of the Black Canon.

And they are the children of James Wheeler, you know, who was a, you know, very well known activist, historian.

And it's so interesting because they're totally aware, you know, again, of how important the collection is.

But there are certain things that, you know, their dad had that they're just like, "That's just junk."

(Stephen laughing) And I'm like, "Don't throw that away."

- "No, no, no, no, no."

- Right?

(laughing) (Stephen laughing) You know, 'cause they're trying to refine it so that their kids, you know, aren't kind of overwhelmed with it.

They're like, "We gotta get this stuff in order."

And I was like, "Don't throw that away."

So there was like this old tobacco can, right, for instance.

And Alima was just like, "That's Dad's old, you know, that doesn't," and I was like, "No, it gives people a sense, you know, of like who he was."

And she was just like, "Whatever, Kelli."

(both laughing) And so it's so interesting to have those kinds of conversations, you know, in the Black Canon case, with descendants, you know?

But then there's, you know, we've been in conversation with Shirley Woodson and Senghor Reid, you know, about some of Mrs. Woodson's archive.

And actually we were talking just yesterday, you know, and Senghor was like, "I got four boxes, you know, just of photographs, you know?"

And I said, "We can digitize them."

- Yeah, no, right, right.

- (laughing) Yeah.

And I said, "And we can, you know, name it, you know, in honor of his father, you know, Edsel Reid, and people can just look through," 'cause a lot of times you see, like in the Black Canon collection, the candid photography, which has been really cool.

Mr. Wheeler was an actor in Concept East.

So they're, you know, again, candid photographs of some of the performances, with Dr. Wright's Mobile Museum, you know, right there.

- Oh, you're kidding?

- Yeah, it's like, it's so amazing.

- Wow.

Wow.

- Yeah.

And so Alima and I, I mean, it's been slow, 'cause we have other things, but we're gonna work on a show of that photography, you know, to really explain, to your point earlier, you know, how often Detroit artists were working, you know, across genre, across medium.

- And with each other, right?

(Kelli laughing) - Yes, in neighborhoods, yeah.

- Yeah.

All of this came out of a community, not just individuals.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- [Presenter] Now let's turn to our "Destination Detroit" series, which explores the region's rich history and the people who helped shape it.

Today, we meet Detroiter, LaRae Starr.

She talks about the importance of music to her family and how they found opportunities in Detroit's music scene.

- Sometimes communication went through song, and doors were open because of the music.

(inquisitive music) My family, the Jordans, the Cunninghams, the peoples, they were all people who sang through whatever they worked through at that time.

And we're talking about sharecropping in the fields in the South, Mississippi, Arkansas, Monroe, Louisiana, Bastrop, Louisiana.

And those songs stuck, and they're in the family.

They did a lot of quartet gospel, a lot of acapella gospel, yes, and jazz, and jazz.

My granddad also learned to play the drums once he (laughing) moved up to Detroit.

So he played with a few jazz combos.

And my father went on to sing with the Rod Lumpkin Trio.

His name is Leslie Cunningham.

And so he had a extensive jazz background right here in Detroit, singing at like the legendary Baker's Keyboard Lounge, some of the other venues, the 20 Grand, the West Grand.

When you talk about the opportunities that came from Black Bottom and from Baker's Keyboard Lounge, you gotta understand, that was maverick time.

They were paving the way.

This was a time when African Americans, there was a struggle in place, but there was also a strong community.

And so sometimes communication went through song and doors were opened because of the music.

And because music is universal for all, everybody hears you, and sometimes you can get your message across while you're on stage performing.

(inquisitive music) - Better pictures.

- [Presenter] For more "Destination Detroit" stories, go to onedetroitpbs.org/destinationde.

There are plenty of events taking place over the weekend in Metro Detroit.

You can take in some music, dance, classic cars, and much more.

Here's Haley Taylor from 90.9 WRCJ with today's "One Detroit Weekend."

- Hey, there, I'm Haley Taylor from 90.9 WRCJ, with a lineup of events that mix small-town charm with big-city energy.

First up, the Howell Melon Festival continues through August 17th in Downtown Howell.

Enjoy sweet melon treats, family activities, live music, and even a melon rolling race.

In Detroit, the Pop Out and Jit showcase happens August 15th at the Northwest Activity Center.

Come celebrate the city's unique street dance style, featuring performances and dance battles.

AfroFuture Detroit takes over Bedrock's Douglass Site August 16th and 17th.

It's a two-day festival, fusing music, art and forward-thinking culture.

The Woodward Dream Cruise rolls through on August 16th, featuring classic cars, custom rides, creating miles of automotive history along Metro Detroit's most famous road for cruising.

Also on the 16th, the Arabian Nights Festival takes over the 242 Community Center in Ann Arbor.

The event promises to transport you to an Arabian evening market with traditional design, food, music, dance, spices, family-friendly activities and more.

And, you know, there's always more happening around town, so stick around and see what else is on the calendar.

(upbeat music) - [Presenter] That'll do it for this week's "One Detroit."

Thanks for watching.

We leave you now with a performance from this year's Concert of Colors in Detroit, which features music from around the globe.

Here's the Don Was All-Star Revue with Detroit's queen of the blues, Thornetta Davis.

- I want you to meet me with your black draws on.

(audience laughing) Come on.

(upbeat music) Now, I'm gonna need y'all help with this one too.

♪ Yeah Come on, I got mine on.

Listen.

♪ Woke up this morning ♪ And reached for the telephone ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ I woke up this morning, baby ♪ Reaching for the telephone ♪ Mm, mm ♪ You know I got your message, baby ♪ ♪ To meet you with my black drawers on ♪ ♪ Know I love you ♪ I'll never leave y'all hanging on, no ♪ ♪ You know I love you, baby ♪ I'll never leave you hanging on ♪ ♪ No, I won't ♪ All you gotta do is ask ♪ I'll meet you with my Black drawers on ♪ ♪ Show 'em your drawers, y'all, come on ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ Okay Now, you know James got heels on.

Don't hurt 'em Come on, Louie, give 'em some, baby (audience cheering and clapping) ♪ Ow That's Louie Resto now.

Come on, Roscoe.

He's got his on, for sure.

Come on, Davey.

♪ Whoo ♪ Yeah Give it up for Dave McMurray, y'all.

♪ Whoo (audience clapping) I forgot to tell y'all, David introduced me to the Chisel Brothers, okay?

So it's his fault.

Mm-hmm.

Now, on this next part, I'm gonna need y'all to sing this with me loud and strong.

All right?

Are you with me tonight?

(audience cheering) ♪ Then say baby ♪ Meet me with your black drawers on ♪ - [Announcer] From Delta faucets to Behr paint, Masco Corporation is proud to deliver products that enhance the way consumers all over the world experience and enjoy their living spaces.

Masco, serving Michigan communities since 1929.

Support also provided by the Cynthia & Edsel Ford Fund for Journalism at Detroit PBS.

- [Announcer] The DTE Foundation is a proud sponsor of Detroit PBS.

Through our giving, we are committed to meeting the needs of the communities we serve statewide to help ensure a bright and thriving future for all.

Learn more at dtefoundation.com.

- [Announcer] Nissan Foundation, Michigan Central, and viewers like you.

(upbeat music) (bright music)