OZY and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have partnered to bring you an inside look at how entrepreneurs and their good businesses are helping the communities around them. Enjoy the rest of our special series here. This article was adapted from an earlier interview with National Geographic Editor-in-Chief Susan Goldberg.
It’s fair to say that I am a daughter of Detroit. My grandparents immigrated to Motor City from Eastern Europe in the 1920s and my parents grew up there. I was raised in nearby Ann Arbor and have a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
Long before my current job as editor in chief of National Geographic, one of my earliest journalism beats was as a reporter and editor at the Detroit Free Press. I know these streets well, and I have seen the city go through many different phases. When National Geographic trained its lens on exploring the world’s cities, Detroit was among the first in line. Up until that point, I found most of the coverage about Detroit to be overly simplistic, either too optimistic or too pessimistic. It lacked an understanding of the historical forces that brought the city to the brink, or it failed to reflect the spirit of the people who live here.
The city is coming back with renewed spirit buoyed by both internal and external forces.
I was confident that the National Geographic brand of storytelling could bring more accurate and narrative exploration of what has happened to one of America’s most important cities. The result was a story that is a deeper and richer exploration of the city, no matter how much you have read about Detroit. The gist of what I feel about my native Detroit is captured in the National Geographic article “Taking Back Detroit.” I decided to write about the city in my Editor’s Note that time because this story means so much to me personally. It was a tough visit in some ways to realize how much has changed and been lost.
But I left with an overwhelming sense of optimism. The takeaway message is exactly that: The people are taking back Detroit. The city is coming back with renewed spirit buoyed by both internal and external forces. Companies like JPMorgan Chase are believing in the city’s future and pouring much-needed dollars back into the city. JPMorgan Chase has been doing business in Detroit for more than 80 years and is looking to invest $ 150 million in the city by 2019.
I am an optimist. I have seen changes in journalism over the span of my career — from the typewriter and glue pot to the age of instant, digital information — but believe more than ever that now is a thrilling time to provide exceptional content to both traditional and new audiences. My faith in the continued relevance of journalism lead me to fund the Susan Goldberg Scholarship at my alma mater’s journalism school in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. The future is filled with promise as our readers embrace our work across new storytelling platforms.
Above all, I am optimistic about Detroit. Why? Because the people I met in those neighborhoods gave me cause for hope. They believe in the city’s future. Their spirit and determination are infectious. Detroit is indeed being taken back. The city is an unstoppable force. As a daughter of Detroit, I could not be happier to celebrate its resurgence.
Susan Goldberg is editor in chief of National Geographic magazine.
