Edythe Ford is a lifelong community servant and advocate. She began her advocacy starting at the young age of 5 supporting our civil rights movement. While she continues to fight for racial injustices, she has grown into the role of community organizer. In our 48214 zip code in Detroit, Edythe works to bring resources to the community where blight is rampant and poverty rates are high. "I started with small wins such as sending volunteers to help elderly neighbors or connecting with local officers to call them directly with reports on crimes." Edythe is the Director of Community Engagement at Mack Avenue Community Church Development Corporation where she brings local officials, business communities, and residents together to deliver the change we need.
Edythe led a massive outreach to deliver resources and information to 1,671 homeowners and renters in 48214. "Our neighbor-to-neighbor canvassing helped save residents from foreclosure and eviction, delivering housing justice to residents. This is just one example of how I teach others how they can speak up for themselves and advocate to have their voices heard by local officials and organizations."
Service is being present when others call you to lead and be their voice for change. Some get called to serve in our armed services or as elected officials, while Edythe gets called to service from our residents. "Sometimes I will get 20 of these calls at once, but I believe delivering change block by block is how we can restore our communities and build a better Michigan.