For Darell Brown laughter seemed to come naturally. Considered a class clown as far back as his days at Beecher High, he was an entertainer. Today he’s begun spreading his wings as a business owner, hoping to build his love of comedy and live and recorded productions into a Flint-based studio. Brown, 25, launched Brown […]
She’s young, gifted and ambitious. She’s also torn. Jia Ireland, a recent University of Michigan-Flint graduate and Flint native, says she wants to stay and build a professional life in the city that nurtured her. But when she looks around the community, she doesn’t see a surplus of opportunity. Like Ireland, 24, countless others in […]
When Jia Ireland visits detained teens at the Genesee Valley Regional Center (GVRC) she doesn’t see a bunch of juvenile delinquents. She views them as children who’ve been stereotyped as “bad kids,” but who are actually from broken homes or dysfunctional families. The teens often raised themselves or ran away to escape abuse or violence. […]