The Digital Divide Deepens: How Michigan’s New Phone Ban Hurts Black Students

Once again, government officials have dug a hole for Black children that will be nearly impossible to climb out of—and the fault lies with adults, not students.

To the legislators who supported Michigan House Bill 4141 and Senate Bill 495, and to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for signing them into law: be ashamed. Your decision to restrict the use of cell phones in K–12 public schools during instructional time has not helped our children—it has harmed them.

You may have created a barrier so deep that too many Black students will never recover.

A Divide That Already Exists

Before this law, our students were already behind. Michigan’s own data shows that more than 70% of Black school-age children lack reliable access to the internet or a computer at home. Without broadband access, without devices, without digital resources, Black students in Detroit and across the state are cut off from 21st-century learning. Now you have widened that gap even further.

This is the digital divide—not some abstract concept but a lived reality that shapes educational opportunity, economic mobility, and life outcomes for thousands of children.

You Have Deepened the Opportunity Gap

Let’s be clear: the issue with cell phones in the classroom isn’t inherently about discipline or distraction. It’s about access to tools and the lack of instruction on how to use them effectively. Banning technology that students already use, that they carry everywhere, is not a solution. It is a regression.

In true American fashion, when we don’t master something, we shun it. We demonize it. But our children live in a world defined by digital connectivity—whether educators like it or not. Until our pedagogical methods evolve, Black students will continue to be educated by a system rooted in the past.

Education Must Catch Up With the Times

Education in many classrooms today remains didactic—unchanged since ancient Greek academies. But students today are not passive learners; they are active, digitally connected, and they thrive in environments that are hands-on, interactive, and technology-enabled.

There are proven tools—Learning Management Systems like Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, and others—that integrate cell phones and digital devices into teaching. Teachers can use students’ phones as instructional tools for research, collaboration, and real-time learning. Yet rather than harnessing technology, we choose to restrict it.

The New Educational Underclass

By banning phones without addressing access and digital literacy, we are creating a new educational underclass—led not by malicious actors, but by well-intentioned adults who are afraid to embrace innovation.

But responsibility doesn’t stop with legislators.

Other culprits include:

Academic schools of education (colleges and universities) that train teachers in outdated methods.
A public education system driven by middle-class professionals disconnected from the realities of urban Black children.
Community influencers and parents who aren’t grounded in the neighborhoods they claim to serve.
And most troubling, a system that ignores the voice of the very people it is supposed to uplift: Black children in Detroit.

A Call to Action

Governor Whitmer. Michigan state legislators. Suburban educators.

We can be intimidated by change — or we can lead it.

Let’s reverse this curse.

While children in suburban districts walk into classrooms equipped with tablets, laptops, iPads, and an ecosystem of technological support, more than 70% of Black children in Detroit come with nothing to augment or fully participate in this technological era. That is not a discipline issue. That is an equity issue.

We have a powerful opportunity before us: to reformulate classroom experiences into environments that are engaging, interactive, and relevant to the way today’s students actually learn.

Two years ago, we implemented Learning Management Systems (LMS) into our core curriculum. The results have been nothing short of transformational. Each day begins with a dynamic, interactive module reviewing the previous day’s lesson. Students are not passive listeners — they are active participants.

While we have not conducted a formal academic study, I am confident enough to suggest that student retention is at or above 90–95%. Students are not only recalling content — they are internalizing it. They talk about it. They apply it. They retain it.

Can you imagine a classroom environment where over 90% retention becomes the norm rather than the exception?

Instead of banning tools, let’s study how to effectively integrate innovative technology into classroom settings. Let’s listen to our children. Let’s collaborate with educators on the front lines. Let’s empower teachers with the training, resources, and tools required for the digital era. And most importantly, let’s address device access and connectivity not as luxuries — but as educational equity issues.

The future is not waiting for us to get comfortable. The future is demanding, now is the time, and I’m just saying.

Are Our Children Better Off? A Call to Unity and Action in Urban Youth Development: Time to Scale Up!

I have dedicated more than forty years of my life to the work of urban youth development. I walked away from a fairly successful career in communications because I believed—deeply and sincerely—that my life’s work should contribute to building a world where Black and Brown children could thrive, compete globally, and live with dignity, purpose, and hope.

Now, after four decades, I am forced to ask the most uncomfortable but necessary question: Are Black and Brown children and youth actually better off? Because in the end, that was my only objective.

Over the years, I have watched billions of dollars flow into systems, programs, institutions, and initiatives designed to “serve,” “fix,” and “support” Black children. I’ve also had to confront a sobering reality: while some progress has been made, in many ways our children are not better off—and in some cases, they may be worse off. This blog is not an exercise in rehearsing statistics or highlighting deficits; that story has been told repeatedly. My concern is deeper, more existential, and more moral.

As a believer, I was deeply troubled years ago while attending a conference hosted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. During a keynote address, Peter McPherson, then President of Michigan State University, stated—paraphrased—that we are raising the first generation in American history that will do less with more than any generation before it. Sitting next to me was the legendary Dr. Grace Lee Boggs. We were the only people of color in the room. We looked at one another, stunned. In her unmistakably direct and prophetic voice, Dr. Boggs leaned over and said, “He’s not talking about us.”

I walked away from that conference determined to prove that statement wrong as it related to Black children in Detroit and across the nation. I knew what we were doing on the ground was working—often without gimmicks, without excessive resources, and without national attention. As my former pastor used to say, we were making bricks with leftover straw. And yet, here we are. The community reality remains what it is. We must be honest enough to say that we have failed Black children.

Let me be clear: adults in many sectors have done better. Careers have flourished. Institutions have grown. Professional classes have expanded. I am not asserting that the struggles of Black children are caused by adult success—but the contrast is real and undeniable. Resources did not trickle down in any meaningful or sustained way, even as theory suggested they would. In urban youth development, far too little attention has been given to the true cost of professionalization, infrastructure, administrative overhead, and fragmented systems of service. Too often, the work became about sustaining organizations rather than transforming outcomes.

And yet, I am not without hope.

Across this country—and throughout the African diaspora—there are outstanding programs doing incredible work. Dedicated educators, mentors, faith leaders, coaches, artists, and advocates are showing up daily. The problem is not passion or talent. The problem is scale, coherence, and unity.

The question we must now ask is this: how do we take what works and scale it in ways that are replicable, adaptable, and sustainable across diverse Black communities?

I want to suggest that the time has come for the development of national mentoring models, workforce development frameworks, educational pathways, and character-based youth development systems that can be implemented in local contexts without losing fidelity to core principles. This cannot remain a collection of isolated best practices. It must become a shared architecture.

To that end, I believe it is time—past time—for a true national, and ultimately global, urban youth development convening. A gathering funded not just by institutions, but by Black philanthropists and what I’ll boldly call our modern-day Black superheroes: athletes, entertainers, executives, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders who have benefited enormously from the sacrifices of earlier generations. Men and women willing to say, for the next ten years, we will focus a significant portion of our attention, influence, and resources on Black children and youth.

Not for branding. Not for ego. Not for temporary impact.

But for the sole purpose of moving the needle toward excellence, achievement, character formation, spiritual grounding, and educational rigor.

This convening must do more than inspire. It must produce agreement around clear community values—values that can be affirmed by the majority and lived out consistently in streets, schools, hallways, homes, and faith institutions across the globe. Values that transcend ideology, denomination, class, and geography. Values that say, plainly: our children matter, and mediocrity is not an option.

Some may say this is naïve. Others may argue that consensus is impossible. I reject both claims.

I am crazy enough to believe that we have the intellectual capital, cultural wisdom, theological grounding, and lived experience to develop a comprehensive and inclusive strategy—one that honors every valuable entity in our communities while calling all of us to something higher. I believe we can set aside unchecked individualism and even lawful, well-meaning self-interest when the stakes are this high.

This is not a call to erase differences. It is a call to prioritize what matters most.

It is time to call the meeting.

A meeting that asks hard questions, names hard truths, and demands courageous commitments. A meeting that centers children rather than institutions, outcomes rather than optics, and unity rather than competition. A meeting grounded in love for our people and responsibility to future generations.

If we cannot unify around wanting more for our children—then we must be honest enough to admit that the problem is not a lack of resources, but a lack of will.

Are Our Children Better Off? A Call to Unity and Action in Urban Youth Development:

Time to Scale Up!

I still believe. I still hope. And I still believe that together, we can do better—because our children deserve nothing less. I’m Just Saying…

I’m Just Saying: It’s Time to Take Back Public Education

Somehow, the people who lead our governmental, philanthropic, and corporate sectors have decided that urban public education should be shaped and guided by corporate executives. Let me say this plainly: that decision is one of the greatest educational atrocities of our time. It may very well be the reason our children continue to be failed by the very systems meant to uplift them.

What troubles me even more is that we, as a society, don’t seem to recognize how deeply capitalism—unchecked, unchallenged, and unexamined—has damaged the world we live in. And before anyone starts labeling me a communist or socialist, let me be clear: I am a follower of Christ. Through a Christian lens, I view this conversation about education, human dignity, and communal responsibility.

Recently, I attended the screening of a new documentary produced by Mr. Quan Neloms. In it, a community activist said something that struck me with the force of a thunderbolt:
“Our students are not failing; our system is failing our students.”
That statement alone is worth a hundred billion dollars—especially since we’ve begun evaluating everything through the lens of dollars and cents.

For more than twenty years, I have watched our public educational institutions shift from being grounded in urban pedagogical wisdom to being transformed into corporate training centers. The focus is no longer on children, families, or community. Instead, the agenda is shaped by corporate profitability and workforce preparation. We have displaced parents from the center of their children’s educational journey and handed that authority to corporate and philanthropic executives—many of whom have never taught, never lived in our communities, and never raised a Black or Brown child.

And the justification seems to be rooted in a dangerous, unspoken theory:
that urban parents lack the love, care, or competence to know what is best for their own children.

What’s even more alarming is that far too many faith-based institutions have bought into the same narrative. Churches—historically the backbone of Black educational empowerment—are now echoing corporate talking points rather than community wisdom. Our system has shifted from prioritizing the public good to prioritizing profit. From nurturing critical thinkers to mass-producing compliant workers.

I often wonder what Horace Mann, the father of American public education, would think about the direction in which we’ve drifted. He fought for an education system that served everyone, but he was not confronted with the realities of race and diversity as we are today. Would he be shocked? Or would he say that the inequities we see are intentional design?

And that’s the question I wrestle with:
Are those in high places truly committed to giving Black and Brown children a quality education—one that would make them competitive with the privileged?

Back in 1973, my dear friend Judge Longworth Quinn Jr., who served on the Detroit Public Schools Board, said something I’ll never forget:
“The only hope for educational reform would be to blow it up and redesign it.”
More than 50 years later, he might very well have been an educational prophet.

We cannot allow our system to be reimagined by people whose primary interests are reform metrics, funding streams, and political agendas—not the dignity and destiny of our children. As my friend and retired educator William Batchelor often reminds me,
“We know how to educate our children.”
And my response today is: Let’s move the systems out of the way and let the educators do what they were called to do.

Beginning this February, Be-Moor Radio and the Be-Moor Radio Institute will launch an educational podcast series titled “Class Is in Session.” This platform will feature students, educators, retired educators, parents, community leaders—and yes, we want you to be part of it. Our goal is to build a real, authentic grassroots movement that transforms education with tangible, measurable results.

We hope to uplift the legacy of champions like Helen Moore, Judge Longworth Quinn Jr., Fannie Jackson Coppin, Benjamin Banneker, Mary McLeod Bethune, and my aunt Katie E.M. Mallett—a proud Jackson State graduate who, as a young girl in Kosciusko, Mississippi, taught all her siblings before moving to Detroit and serving the Highland Park School System. These are the giants whose shoulders we stand on. And they are joined by thousands of unnamed educators who have carried the torch of Black educational excellence quietly and faithfully.

It is time—past time—to reclaim public education for our Black and Brown children. Time to rewrite our academic agenda based on our history, our values, our culture, and our vision.

So I ask you—
What say you?

Calling All Cass Technical High School Alumni: A Century of Excellence Worth Celebrating

This month marks a remarkable milestone — the 100th Anniversary of the Cass Technical High School Harp and Vocal Program. In a time when we so often hear what’s wrong with public schools, especially within the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), it’s important to pause and celebrate what’s right. Hidden within DPSCD is a shining jewel — the Cass Tech Harp and Vocal Program — led by the incomparable Ms. Lydia Cleaver.

Ms. Cleaver, a devoted educator and faithful member of my church, embodies what it means to serve with excellence and love. Day after day, she stands in the classroom as a steady force, doing the sacred work of teaching amid the chaos and challenges our community brings to her through its children. No matter their circumstances, Ms. Cleaver finds ways to lift, inspire, and prepare her students to rise beyond what many could ever imagine.

Think about it: teaching the harp — one of the world’s most delicate and expensive instruments — to Detroit’s young people, many of whom rely on public transportation just to get to school and benefit from free and reduced lunch programs. Yet when you encounter Ms. Cleaver’s students, you feel as if you’re standing in the presence of royalty. Their poise, grace, and confidence radiate urban sophistication and class.

Ms. Cleaver doesn’t seek recognition. She’s too busy molding the next generation of classical musicians. But her impact deserves to be acknowledged. Over the years, she has taken her students to Carnegie Hall in New York, to Europe, and to national and international competitions — all on what she calls a “McDonald’s hamburger budget.” Through sheer faith, creativity, and sacrifice, she has found ways to make the impossible possible.

It’s time we — the Cass Tech alumni community — rise to honor her and this program that has produced legends such as Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, and nurtured the same caliber of artistry that once surrounded Diana Ross. Ms. Cleaver herself is a proud Cass alumna and a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music. She continues to campaign tirelessly to place harps in the hands of her students so they can practice and perfect their craft beyond school hours.

A hundred years of excellence is no small feat. It’s a living testimony that greatness still flows from the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Ms. Cleaver represents hundreds of dedicated teachers — past, present, and retired — who pour out their hearts and lives so our children can succeed, even in the most challenging circumstances.

To all Cass Tech alumni, and to all who love Detroit — this is our moment to say thank you. Let’s show our gratitude by showing up, giving back, and celebrating what is still beautiful and powerful about our schools.

🎶 Cass Tech Harp Program: A Centennial Celebration
100 Years: 1925 – 2025
📅 Thursday, October 24th, 7:00 PM
📍 Wayne State University’s Saint Andrew’s Memorial Episcopal Church
5105 Anthony Wayne Drive, Detroit, MI 48202

🎵 Master Class with Patricia Terry-Ross
📅 Friday, October 25th
📍 Old Main, Wayne State University
4841 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI

Thank you, Ms. Lydia Cleaver, and thank you to every teacher who has ever sacrificed, inspired, and believed in our children. We may not say it enough, but today, from the bottom of our hearts — we are grateful.

Understanding the Anointing: A Practical Reflection from A Black Christian Perspective

By Dennis Talbert

There’s been a lot of talk in my circles lately about the anointing. For some, it’s become synonymous with a euphoric experience—a moment of intense feeling during worship or preaching. But I want to suggest a deeper, more biblical, and practical view. I don’t claim to be a scholar or an expert in all things Christian, but I do come with lived experience and a desire to see transformation in our churches and in the global Black community. So, I offer this brief, working definition of the anointing:

The anointing is God’s empowerment through the Holy Spirit for a divine purpose.

In the Old Testament, it was symbolized by the pouring of oil. In the New Testament, it is internal and spiritual, given freely to all in Christ. It equips us for service, for proclaiming truth, and for participating in transformation.

Imagine what our communities could look like if we lived in tune with our divine assignments—our North Star. Imagine a society shaped by community values that not only uplift our neighborhoods locally and nationally, but also globally. I write primarily to Black Christians, not just churchgoers. Men and women of faith who are sincerely striving to walk in their anointing and use it to bring healing, justice, and restoration to Black lives everywhere.

We can still do better, be more, and champion a Christ-centered value system rooted in our identity and relevant to the broader world. Our anointing should not isolate us, but instead inspire us to integrate and influence.

Personally, I anchor my understanding of my anointing in two scriptures:

Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”
Luke 4:18 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor…”

My Resume, My Anointing

Secured permanent housing for 41 homeless or housing-insecure families, many of whom went on to obtain college degrees and stable careers.
Participated in global missions to Kenya, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Zimbabwe, the Bahamas, Mississippi, and Detroit.
Served as U.S. Coordinator for Operation Sunrise, sharing the Gospel with 68 million Africans in 23 countries over 50 days.
Facilitated Michigan’s first faith-based school adoption program.
Honored by three U.S. Presidents—George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
Established the first data-based reading tracking system in Detroit Public Schools.
Operated a daily abstinence and health education program at Redford High School.
Co-created a unique Sunday School curriculum for Rosedale youth, written by parents and members.
Partnered with Detroit World Outreach for citywide prayer at public schools, including Vetal and Redford.
The Harambee Movement and Conference was founded, engaging hundreds of Black boys and men across the U.S.
Launched the SISTAS Conference and school-based clubs for middle school girls.
Created an annual Hip-Hop Worship Service, one of Rosedale’s most significant gatherings.
Shared the Gospel with thousands in nontraditional spaces: schools, clinics, concerts, rallies, and the streets of Detroit.
Led weekly street-by-street prayer walks.
Hosted citywide Five-Day Backyard Bible Clubs, empowering Rosedale members to reach their neighborhoods.
Conducted annual best-practice tours to study innovative urban ministry models across the country.
Served as Executive Producer of the redemptive movie Heart of Stone, starring Clifton Davis, and directed by Richard J. Polite;
Oversaw what became the world’s most extensive urban church-based youth outreach, employing 12 whole- and part-time staff.
Created the Senior Reads program with Rosedale senior citizens mentoring young readers.
Developed a mentoring program for adjudicated youth in Brightmoor.
From 1994 to 2007, 85 percent or more of the students we served in Brightmoor graduated from high school and either entered college or a professional trade school; Public, Private Ventures, and the U.S. Department of Justice
Helped establish Detroit as the official site of the National 10 Point Coalition.
Secured Ford Foundation funding for a church-based mentoring program for high-risk youth—R.I.S.E. (Reintegrating, Integrity, Success through Empowerment).
Supported the rise of Christian Hip-Hop, working with artists like The Yuinon, The Cross Movement, Corey Red, and The Mad Prophets.
Created nationally recognized mentoring programs, praised by the U.S. Department of Justice and Education.
Developed Super KIDS, a tutoring program for students with GPAs below 1.0, many of whom are now college graduates.
Advocated against juvenile life sentences in the Roper v. Simmons case.
Built a replicable abstinence-based health outreach in partnership with Henry Ford Health System.
Designed a six-week summer program for social service-dependent mothers, helping many find employment or launch businesses.
Co-founded the Brightmoor Alliance and Brightmoor Pastors Alliance.
Helped lead a two-year drop in violent crime in the Brightmoor community.
Co-developed L.U.C.Y. (Learning Under City Youth) with the University of Michigan—a precursor to an urban teacher college.
Represented the University of Michigan nationally as chairman of L.U.C.Y. and as a board member of the American College and Universities.
Launched a global pricing campaign that led Nike to reduce the retail price of Jordan sneakers internationally in 2002.
Founded Be-Moor Radio and Institute in 2016, which is now heard in 100+ countries, and is training over 300 emerging influencers and broadcasters.

The following is not a boast. It is simply evidence of what God can do through an ordinary servant who has made himself available. My journey is not about acclaim—it’s about calling. This is how I’ve lived out my anointing:

Finally, the thousands of young men and women that I have mentored, encouraged in Detroit, nationally, or within the African diaspora;
Finally, participated as a leader in many national organizational projects and Christian outreaches;

In Closing

My life is a testimony to the truth of John 14:12:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

The anointing isn’t a feeling—it’s a calling. And when we respond to that calling with humility, faith, and action, we can indeed do greater things.

Let’s walk in our anointing. I’m Just Saying….

Dear Detroit’s Candidates for Mayor: Don’t Forget the Children and Youth

Detroit is at a crossroads.

As the city prepares to elect its next mayor, much of the political conversation revolves around affordable housing, job creation, and economic development. Important? Absolutely. But if Detroit is genuinely going to rise—not just in buildings, but in spirit—it must begin with its children and youth.

This blog is a direct message to every candidate running for mayor in 2025:
We expect a bold, comprehensive youth development strategy to be a prominent part of your platform.

For far too long, young people in Detroit have been treated as the “future” when, in reality, they are the now. Too many urban policies are adult-centered, leaving children and teens to navigate broken schools, unsafe neighborhoods, and a digital world with little guidance and fewer opportunities.

Jobs Matter—But Our Youth Need More Than Employment. They Need Empowerment.

We acknowledge and appreciate the work of the former Youth Development Commission and the Skillman Foundation, whose early investments in youth employment were ultimately expanded under Mayor Duggan. That foundation matters.

But our young people need more than jobs—they need joy.

Empowerment means reducing childhood poverty and food insecurity, improving access to safe recreational spaces, investing in robust, year-round youth employment and entrepreneurship programs, and funding arts, sports, and cultural experiences in every neighborhood—not just downtown.

Reimagine Public Safety—Start With Public Healing

Perhaps it’s time to rename the Detroit Police Department to the Detroit Public Safety Department, with a central mission of protecting and healing our communities—starting with children and youth.

Let’s be honest: The word “police” is not neutral. For many Black children, it is traumatic—intertwined with a long history of systemic harm. As noted in The New Yorker, the roots of modern policing in the South trace back to slave patrols: organized forces designed to capture and control enslaved people. That legacy matters. It shapes how our youth see law enforcement today.

The new Public Safety Department must include:

Comprehensive trauma counseling
Violence intervention and prevention
Restorative justice programs
Community-based mentoring
Let’s stop saying just “public safety.” Say public healing.

Urban Youth Deserve Policy, Not Pity

Detroit’s children are not problems to manage—they’re people to invest in.

They deserve a mayor who will:

Build a Detroit Children’s and Youth Cabinet that includes actual young people and grassroots leaders
Establish a Citywide Youth Development Fund to support the real work being done in the neighborhoods

The next mayor must be bold enough to declare:

🗣 “We will not rebuild Detroit on the backs of abandoned youth.”

What We Need: A Real Urban Youth Strategy

Detroit doesn’t need more seasonal after-school programs or summer job fairs. We need a strategy—rooted in equity, creativity, and long-term investment. Here’s where to start:

1. Create a Department of Youth Wellbeing and Leadership

Not just a youth liaison or a few programs under Parks & Rec. We need a cabinet-level department solely focused on the mental health, education, safety, and leadership development of young people—especially in historically under-resourced neighborhoods.

2. Fund Neighborhood-Based Youth Hubs

Reimagine vacant buildings and underused city properties. Let’s turn them into youth centers equipped with mentorship programs, digital media labs, tutoring spaces, and safe recreation zones.
Think libraries-meet-startup-labs-meet-counseling-havens.

3. Prioritize Early Childhood Development

Affordable childcare and quality early education should not be luxuries. The next mayor must champion:

Early learning centers across every district
Trauma-informed training for everyone who works with children—from bus drivers to daycare providers

4. Invest in a Youth-Led Civic Agenda

Listen to our young people. Build a citywide Youth Council with real decision-making power—one that works alongside city departments and Detroit Public Schools to shape budgets, policies, and community design.

Nothing about them without them.

I’m reminded of the words in my sacred text, Matthew 6:21:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The city’s budget is a moral document. Show us where your heart is.

Detroit Can’t Wait.

If we don’t center kids in Detroit’s transformation, we will repeat the same cycles:
Development for the few. Displacement for the many. Disillusionment for the next generation.

Detroit’s children are not collateral damage—they are co-builders of our city’s future.

Let’s build a Detroit where kids don’t just survive—they thrive. Just some thoughts from who a brother who has devoted his life to Urban Youth Development, I’m Just Saying… What say you?