Power of Community Hands - Mini Grant Recipient #4

Hakeem Weatherspoon, aka The People’s Poet, is a spoken word artist, community activist and innovator that graduated from Michigan State University as a journalism major. Before college, he was born and raised in the East side of Detroit, and has gravitated back there after he left MSU. 

In 2018, Hakeem started teaching at Detroit Horse Power, an organization aimed to provide solutions for two of the city’s most persistent problems: to provide opportunities for metro Detroit’s vulnerable populations (especially kids) and to provide a use for some of the abundance of vacant land. By building stables and a riding facility, Detroit Horse Power has created a safe and enriching space for people to learn valuable skills that set them up for future success all by riding and caring for their horses.

While Hakeem was teaching, he also learned to ride horses himself, showing up early and leaving late to absorb key ways to teach others. Ever since, he’s felt a connection to the horses, and has since become the center’s Community Engagement Representative for Hope Village, a neighborhood on the west side of the city. The role has also lead him to why he applied for a Let’s Choose Love Mini-Grant.

Hakeem’s Project

As an Americorps VISTA member, Hakeem has to do a community focused project, and he’s dedicated his time and energy to Detroit Horse Power. The organization aims to establish another location in the Linwood and Fenkell neighborhood in Detroit’s west side in 2023. To bring awareness and build community Hakeem is planning to build a collaborative billboard in the community of Hope Village. It will be hand-made by the people within the neighborhood, and will use the talents of a Hope Village artist.

“I hope to create a strong bond with the residents and leaders of Hope Village created by working hard together, bridging the gaps between the youth and the community seniors, and experienced and novice builders.” 

Why is it important to you?

“I believe this project has the potential to prove that the city of Detroit has a strong community. In order to show a strong community, we have to have strong communication and unity. This human-centered design project enables the community to actually play a positive role in the development of the neighborhoods they live in. From past experiences, often in the city of Detroit organizations usually come to neighborhoods where there is the most need and hope to change, but residents find themselves being left out of the development. Most communities that experience this don't even get a chance to express themselves in what they want to be implemented in their own community. Instead, residents have to deal with what is being built around them and just get with the program.

Instead of bombarding the community with 24 stables, Detroit Horse Power would like to exemplify what a good neighbor truly looks like by doing something different; by allowing the community to truly have a voice, and utilizing their own hands to get the word out that the power of horses are coming to Hope Village.”

What impact do you expect this project to have?

“The impact of building a billboard will bring excitement to the neighborhood of Hope Village. Building this collaborative billboard will allow community residents and leaders to be a part of development in their own neighborhood. As we continue to involve the neighborhood in helping the betterment of their neighborhood, it will keep us all looking forward to the future.

We plan to keep community residents and youth involved as we make sure that the community benefits from new developments that are happening around them. This way of collaborative building enables residents to trust developers and know that their sense of community is being valued. Working in a collaborative way also builds more community support for any other DHP project, bringing us closer to expanding opportunities for Detroit’s kids and communities through the power of horses.”

The Billboard will be finished soon, and we’ll share an update when we get it!