About Us
Our Mission
The Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights trains movement lawyers, amplifies community voices through journalism, and cultivates the civic power and leadership needed to dismantle structural racism and build a multiracial democracy in Detroit.
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Our Vision
We envision a Detroit and a democracy, transformed: a multiracial, self-governing society where all people hold real power, communities determine their own futures, and the material conditions of life, housing, health, safety, clean air, and economic dignity are secured for everyone. We imagine a world where structural racism has been uprooted from our laws, institutions, and culture; where the natural environment is protected and thriving; and where the full promise of democracy is not merely written in law but lived in the streets, neighborhoods, and governing bodies of our city.
Our Founder
Damon J. Keith lived through segregation, survived a race riot in 1943, served in a segregated army, and came home to spend the rest of his life dismantling the very racialized systems that had tried to diminish him. He became one of the most consequential federal judges in American history. This center carries his name and his conviction that in order for democracy to be fully realized, we have to continuously struggle for it.
What This Vision Requires
Multiracial Democracy
Electoral and civic power held by all people, across race and class, free from suppression and structural exclusion.
Self-Determination
Communities, not distant institutions or corporations, govern their own land, resources, and futures.
Economic Justice
Everyone's basic needs are met. Economic dignity is not a privilege but a standard no one falls below.
Environmental Thriving
A living environment that is clean, protected, and regenerative.
Meet the Leadership
Our Guiding Values
At the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights…
