A new podcast from the Community Enterprise Clinic (CEC) highlights work being done by the clinic’s clients as well as issues they and others face in community building. Called The Common Wealth, the podcast is produced and hosted by Professor Dana Thompson, ’99, the director of the CEC and an expert on community economic development and urban revitalization issues.
The clinic, which represents community organizations and small businesses in Detroit and other disinvested urban areas, is producing the podcast in partnership with the University of Michigan Detroit Center.
“Not a lot of people are talking about community development, the tools that are being used to improve communities, and whether those tools are working or not—and they’re incredibly important issues,” said Thompson, who is also director of the Transactional Law Clinics Program and founding director of the Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic. “Since we are doing the work and we have these relationships, I thought this would be a great idea for a podcast.”
The first episode launched on March 31, and additional episodes will be launched on the first Monday of each month. The podcast is produced in both video and audio. It’s available on YouTube, and an audio version is available on Simplecast and can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Each episode typically runs between 30 and 60 minutes.
The first episode features University of Michigan Regent Mark Bernstein.
“After conceiving this podcast, I wanted my inaugural guest to be someone with not only a deep understanding of the University’s impact but also its longstanding relationship with the city of Detroit and what it means for U-M in enhancing its vision,” said Thompson. “Nobody understands that important linkage more than Regent Bernstein, so I decided to invite him to be the first guest on the show. We had a great conversation about not only his career in public service but also about the University of Michigan, its presence in Detroit, and its impact on community development in Detroit, in particular the Center for Innovation.”
Upcoming episodes include a conversation with a Law School alum on the faculty at American University who focuses on working with entrepreneurs and communities; a feature on a longstanding clinic client, the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network, which recently opened the Detroit Food Commons, a major development in the North End of Detroit; and a discussion with community leaders, primarily in Southwest Detroit, about the new Gordie Howe International Bridge and its impact on small businesses and communities.
“The idea is to have conversations with a lot of different leaders in all sectors to explore these issues, and to see how community projects and activities could be enhanced to achieve more community impact,” Thompson said.
In line with the clinic’s educational mission, Thompson has deeply involved students in the development of the podcast. She specifically recognized 3L Tiffany Chiang, who is working as a research assistant; Esmeralda Suarez, ’24, who conceived the episode about the Gordie Howe International Bridge; and Akita Kotian, an undergraduate student who assisted in the endeavor last summer. “At some point, my vision is to have students serve as guest hosts and as guests on the podcast,” Thompson added.
“My primary goal for the podcast is to shed light on what’s happening in urban communities and to let people know about the instruments of change to improve the conditions of these communities, but that they’re not enough,” Thompson said. “If we want to find a real solution to what’s happening, we need to come up with more comprehensive, community-informed approaches.”
