Dear KIP:D+ Team,

Thank you for the consideration and the thoughtful reviewer feedback regarding not being selected for this round. Detroit is Different and KIP:D+ have traveled almost parallel timelines since 2014, and over those years it has been one of the great honors of my life to welcome hundreds of Detroiters and people carrying Detroit stories into the Hope Village neighborhood to sit down, have a conversation, and leave part of their Detroit story with us. That is why this particular decision was difficult for my team who invested themselves in the application. Storytelling, oral history, preserving community memory, activating community space, strengthening belonging, and centering community voice aren’t ideas Detroit is Different is proposing to begin—they describe work we have been living. Our archive now holds thousands of hours of conversations and a history of bringing people together through podcasts, films, events, screenings, neighborhood discussions, and cultural programming. We have worked to make Detroit is Different a place where Detroit can recognize itself and in particular Legacy Black Detroit can speak for itself, question itself, laugh with itself, and leave something behind for the people coming next. So while I understand that grantmaking is competitive and subjective—and appreciate an average reviewer score of 17.3 out of 20—I would be dishonest if I said that not advancing was not deflating. Especially when one reviewer offered perhaps the greatest compliment possible: “the project feels like home.”

At the same time, this experience helped reaffirm something about my own creative process. I have never had much enthusiasm for repeatedly translating Detroit is Different into grant language hoping that a selection committee will recognize its value. Creativity is subjective. A musician can be brilliant and still play for a room that isn’t their audience. The answer isn’t always to change the music; sometimes it is to find, nurture, and appreciate the people who already hear it. Detroit is Different is not built around chasing online trends or bending conversations toward whatever content arc is popular that week. We explore Detroit—community, life, business, society, history, and creativity—through conversation grounded in thought and lived experience. And people are listening. Our recent content over the last 30 days (July 18 – August 16, 2026) has now reached 206,892 total views: 103,459 on Facebook, 55,624 on TikTok, 33,258 on Instagram, and 14,551 on YouTube. I know much of that reach comes through short-form video, but I am grateful that those shorter pieces are becoming doors into deeper conversations. More importantly, audiences inside and outside Detroit continue finding value in stories rooted specifically in this city and its people. That reminds me that cultural work doesn’t always need to become more like the internet to matter; sometimes the internet needs more opportunities to encounter work grounded in culture, memory, place, and real human thought.

My team understands more clearly now why I believe our strongest opportunities often come from people who already see the value in what we are building

So I sincerely thank KIP:D+ for something I didn’t expect to receive from this process: greater alignment within my own team around where Detroit is Different should place its energy. My team understands more clearly now why I believe our strongest opportunities often come from people who already see the value in what we are building—the collaborators, neighbors, institutions, audiences, guests, and supporters who recognize Detroit is Different before we have to explain why it matters. That isn’t bitterness toward the grant process; it is clarity about creative dignity. We will continue welcoming people into Hope Village. We will continue documenting the stories that may never become headlines. We will continue building an archive of Detroit thought, memory, creativity, struggle, humor, business, family, and possibility. And we will continue doing it in our own voice. Thank you for the feedback, for the affirmation contained within it, and for helping us recognize that sometimes a “no” doesn’t have to make you question the work—it can help you better recognize the people who have been saying YES to it all along.

With appreciation,

Khary Frazier
Detroit is Different

“Honestly, I am blessed. What up Doe?” That joyful introduction sets the tone for an unforgettable conversation with AJ Williams, a journalist and storyteller whose words have helped shape Black culture while remaining grounded in the lessons of family, migration, and Detroit. From reflecting on being “used to asking the questions” to tracing her roots from Newark to Chicago and ultimately Detroit, AJ reminds us that every journey carries a deeper community story. She shares how her grandmother and mother built new beginnings, how Black cities remain connected through shared experiences, and why Detroit became part of her family’s legacy. Along the way, the conversation celebrates everything from hoodies and summer style to the significance behind a simple Detroit greeting of “What up though?” while uncovering the deeper meaning of identity, belonging, and home. This episode explores how personal history becomes cultural history, showing that the people who document our stories are shaped by stories of their own. AJ’s reflections connect the Great Migration, Black journalism, and today’s evolving media landscape, reminding listeners that preserving our voices is essential to building our future. If we understand where our families have traveled, struggled, and flourished, we become better equipped to tell the stories that strengthen our communities for generations to come.

“We hung in there, man. We got some of the best clients that I could ever ask for.” That powerful reflection from Pierre Roberson captures the heart of a conversation about vision, resilience, and the courage to build something bigger than yourself. In this Detroit is Different episode, Pierre shares the journey from growing up in Detroit to becoming an accomplished architect before taking the leap into entrepreneurship with Framework E. He opens up about walking away from the security of a career, surviving months without pay, exhausting his savings, and trusting that faith, preparation, and consistency would carry him through. “We were already setting all that groundwork of being very reliable,” he explains, revealing how reputation is built long before opportunity arrives. Pierre also reflects on balancing business ownership with family life, establishing boundaries with clients, and designing spaces that strengthen communities instead of simply filling them. The conversation closes by connecting his personal journey to Detroit’s larger legacy of Black entrepreneurship, inspired by leaders like Coleman A. Young who expanded opportunities for others. “Whatever is in us, we should be trying to break down whatever barriers for as many people as we can.” This episode is a blueprint for anyone determined to build a lasting business while creating opportunities that shape the future of Detroit.

“Everything I know is Detroit.” That powerful declaration from Dafina Brown sets the tone for a conversation that explores why our roots matter just as much as our innovation. Growing up in Highland Park after her parents made Detroit home, Dafina explains how the city’s culture became the lens through which she sees the world, insisting, “When I go to Ohio… it’s not us. Go to Chicago, it’s not us.” From reconnecting with Khary Frazier years after they worked together to leading conversations around artificial intelligence, technology, and digital equity, Dafina shares why Black Detroit cannot afford to be spectators in the AI revolution. This episode journeys through family history, neighborhood identity, Detroit pride, and the responsibility to ensure emerging technology reflects the voices and experiences of our community. Filled with stories of Highland Park, TechTown, African World Festival, and the relationships that continue to shape Detroit’s future, this discussion reminds listeners that innovation without culture is incomplete. As Detroit has always transformed industry, music, and movements for justice, the next chapter demands that we also shape artificial intelligence with the wisdom of our ancestors and the imagination of future generations. If we do not help build the future, someone else will build it for us—and Detroit has always been a city that leads rather than follows.