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Detroit River Stories
People think they know the story of Detroit. But what other stories might we hear if the city and its water spoke for themselves? Tune in to the Detroit River Stories Podcast to find out. This podcast is just one small part of the University of Michigan’s Detroit River Story Lab, an interdisciplinary, grant-funded initiative that partners with regional organizations to reconnect communities with the river and its stories. Through collaborative research, education, and engagement projects, our partnerships amplify marginalized voices and foreground the role of the river and its shores as sites of connection, stewardship, and healing. For more information, visit https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/detroit-river-story-lab/.
Detroit River Stories
Rooted in the Riverbanks
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The Detroit River Story Lab
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Season 2
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Episode 3
Lissa MacVean is currently a researcher and lecturer at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, where she studies the physics of water in lakes, estuaries and marine coastal environments. But before she began her more formal studies of waterways, Lissa actually grew up along the Detroit riverfront in a commune based out of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah, which was dedicated to high-quality, affordable housing, “shared economic lifestyle,” and racial integration.
In this episode, we explore Lissa’s childhood in the commune, how this connects to her present work studying the physics of bodies of water, and the lasting impact of the now-dissolved Detroit riverfront commune.