When I think of authenticity, I think of one’s ability to express their true inner self. It takes guts to be authentic. A lot of what society values tend to manipulate and twist people’s authentic natures. So while it’s difficult to be authentic, it’s also difficult to perceive true authenticity. This is the case with my Detroit experience. Being in the heart of Midtown, it’s easy to lose sight of Detroit’s true culture. Midtown receives much more attention and capital of investors and the government than other areas, which blindsides us from some of Detroit’s defining characteristics. I remember one of the first times I rode the QLine one of the workers was telling our group to visit different parts of Detroit to get a real feel for the culture. While I didn’t think much of that statement then and was pretty content with exploring Midtown, I got a taste of a starkly different area when I went to Motor City Street Dance Academy for the first time last week to get try out the dance culture. The area was radically different than what I was used to, and it wasn’t nearly as nice or developed as Midtown, but it gave me invaluable insight into Detroit’s culture. Sure, it’s amazing to see how well Detroit has developed since it’s economic pitfalls, but it’s also important to understand and experience the areas of Detroit that are still struggling.
But this experience didn’t just expose me to a different area of Detroit. It opened my eyes to the fact that Detroit seamlessly blends different cultures. Whether I am passing murals of different backgrounds, walking through Mexican town, or even witnessing and learning about the Detroit’s hip-hop culture, it was amazing to realize being in Detroit is also being immersed in many different cultures. Even in the struggling areas of Southwest Detroit, I noticed there was no lack of the culture that the rest of Detroit brings to the table from the unique restaurants, such as an El Salvadoran restaurant, to the different dance styles and studios all sharing the same building.
The way Detroit blends different diversities is truly unique. I can’t help but notice while biking down a few blocks the variety of backgrounds people in this community bring forward, whether that be a cultural business or studio. It’s interesting how one small trip to a different part of Detroit fundamentally changed my current perception of Detroit. Sure, I might’ve been a little uncomfortable going to a different part of town by myself, but I also learned how stepping outside of your comfort zone and refusing to be complacent empowers you to peer through a different lens and gain a better sense of something’s true identity, whether that be for the better or for the worse.
But this experience didn’t just expose me to a different area of Detroit. It opened my eyes to the fact that Detroit seamlessly blends different cultures. Whether I am passing murals of different backgrounds, walking through Mexican town, or even witnessing and learning about the Detroit’s hip-hop culture, it was amazing to realize being in Detroit is also being immersed in many different cultures. Even in the struggling areas of Southwest Detroit, I noticed there was no lack of the culture that the rest of Detroit brings to the table from the unique restaurants, such as an El Salvadoran restaurant, to the different dance styles and studios all sharing the same building.
The way Detroit blends different diversities is truly unique. I can’t help but notice while biking down a few blocks the variety of backgrounds people in this community bring forward, whether that be a cultural business or studio. It’s interesting how one small trip to a different part of Detroit fundamentally changed my current perception of Detroit. Sure, I might’ve been a little uncomfortable going to a different part of town by myself, but I also learned how stepping outside of your comfort zone and refusing to be complacent empowers you to peer through a different lens and gain a better sense of something’s true identity, whether that be for the better or for the worse.
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