GIC 2018. In Review: Tonya Allen and Detroit’s Civic Muscle
Once every so often you have the pleasure of hearing someone present in such a powerful and eloquent way that you know it is going to be a talk that you will remember for years to come. Tonya Allen delivering the Opening Plenary at this year’s Global Internship Conference was one of those moments.
Welcomed onto stage with an equally memorable, heart-felt and genuine introduction, Tonya proceeded to welcome us into her hometown of Detroit and also provide contemporary context of the city in an effort to set the record straight on people’s perception of the historically infamous Motor Town.
I couldn’t tell you how long Tonya was talking for because I was so captivated by everything she was saying that I wasn’t checking my watch in anticipation of the food and drink I knew would follow. Every other sentence contained a quote that could rival the top most-liked #mondaymotivation post on instagram. Below are just a few of my favourite quotes and concepts from her talk…
- “Are the children ok?”
Perhaps the most powerful of all of her messages. Tonya asked us this question in reference to how people measure the development and progress of a city. Rather than focus on pure economic factors such as investment, Tonya was encouraging us all to think much closer to home. In her view, unless a city or community is able to answer the question ‘Are the children ok?’ with a positive response, then any other improvements being made are not worth it. Such a seemingly simple question and yet the more I reflect on it, the more powerful it becomes.
2. ‘Our setback became the setup to our comeback’
With refreshing optimism and humility, Tonya explained to the audience that in her eyes, the down fall of Detroit and then hardship that the city and its communities have had to endure have, in hindsight, laid the foundations for the city’s revival. History shows a pattern of cities experiencing cycles of prosperity and hardship but Tonya believes that Detroit’s grit underlies the growth that it’s communities have been nurturing at local, grassroots level. That leads onto the next highlight from her talk…
3. Civic Muscle
This was the first time I (and I think many of the audience) had heard this phrase and having heard Tonya use it when talking about Detroit, it almost feels as though the concept was created for the city, in lieu of anything else that does justice to the power of the people who call Motor Town home. Civic Muscle as it suggests on the tin, refers to the strength exhibited by the citizens of Detroit in taking true ownership and pride over the redevelopment of the city. It goes beyond people talking about change and instead is used to describe the people making change through real, visible initiatives.
4. ‘None of us are smarter than all of us’
A tongue-in-cheek story preceded this quote with Tonya telling us that she learnt this from one of the wisest and most philosophical women in history who also happened to be her Grandmother, Francis Paige) [apologies for any spelling mistakes Francis]. The perfect way of describing two of the most powerful tools of change; humility and collaboration.
5. ‘Diversity is when you count the people. Inclusion is when the people count.’
To me this touched upon people at the top of the system appearing be considering local communities but when Tonya made this statement it made me realise that ‘diversity’ is actually a very static concept. Diversity implies no action and no accountability. Inclusion on the other hand is a work in progress, it is real and it makes impact at both an individual and societal level.
This really is just a fraction of the notes that I made while Tonya was talking. Part of me wanted to just sit and listen but the other part of me just couldn’t bear the idea of forgetting all the incredible things she had to say.
Thank you to the GIC Team for arranging for such a remarkable and inspirational women to deliver the Opening Plenary and to Tonya for sharing her story, home and wisdom with us.
Keep you eyes peeled for next week’s ‘GIC 2018: In Review’ story which will be featuring the fantastic GICSoup Pitching Event!
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briony@corkscrew.io :)
