The Coalition Series
The Coalition Series unites Black and/or Jewish Detroiters thru a shared love of food, art, and music. By bridging cultures, we aim to solidify a foundation of trust and understanding amongst the next generation of movers and shakers in Detroit and beyond.
This project couldn’t happen without our amazing team and the consistent, generous support of The Coalition for Black & Jewish Unity, The Well, and JCRC / AJC.
Media Coverage
02/28/23 - CBS Mornings: Friends start "The Coalition Series" to bring Black and Jewish Americans together in Detroit
03/30/23 - Detroit Free Press: Dinners foster understanding between Detroit's Black and Jewish communities
06/05/22 - Detroit Jewish News: Meet Jacob Smith Who’s Working to Connect Detroit’s Black and Jewish Communities
The Coalition Series was featured on PulseBeat with Greg Dunmore in Nov 2023
Past Events
06/23/24 - Juneteenth Freedom Party @ Private Backyard
04/19/24 - Passover Freedom Party @ Onyx (One Mike) Detroit
02/23/24 - Black History Month Shabbat @ Norwest Gallery
02/09/24 - Shabbat Dinner with Mezuzah Detroit
10/01/23 - Sukkot Sounds @ Foxglove Detroit
06/25/23 - Juneteenth Freedom Party @ Private Backyard
03/31/23 - Passover Freedom Party @ The Jam Handy
02/03/23 - Black History Month Shabbat @ Detroit Historical Museum
06/22/22 - Freedom Party (Juneteenth Brunch) @ West Village Biergarten
09/19/21 - Sukkot Sounds (The Well x Coalition Series) @ The Jam Handy
04/03/20 - Ethiopian Shabbat w.s.g. Waga Brok (Virtual)
01/12/20 - An Evening w.s.g Michael Twitty @ Repair the World Detroit
11/22/19 - Ooo, That’s Hot! Shabbat @ YumVillage
06/09/19 - Freedom Party Pt. 2 (Juneteenth) @ Spread Art
04/26/19 - Freedom Party Pt. 1 (Passover) @ Repair the World Detroit
02/22/19 - Afro-Caribbean Shabbat @ YumVillage
11/02/18 - Tony Rave Shabbat @ Detroit City Club Apartments
09/21/18 - Liberian Shabbat Pt. 2 @ Detroit City Club Apartments
05/15/18 - Liberian Shabbat Pt. 1 @ Private Loft
04/13/18 - Afro-Caribbean Shabbat @ Private Loft
06/23/24 - Juneteenth Freedom Party
We held our 4th Annual "Juneteenth Freedom Party” at a private backyard in Detroit, reflecting on the struggles and triumphs of our ancestors while reaffirming our commitment to building a more just and equitable society.
SHOUTOUTS:
Team: Brandon Colvin, Jacob Evan Smith, Marisa Meyerson, Erica Meyers, Becca Steinman-DeGroot, and Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh
Sponsors: The Well, Coalition for Black & Jewish Unity, Jewish Federation of Metro-Detroit, and Repair the World for their generous support!
Food: Maria French (french.maria@ymail.com) for cooking up the delicious vegan BBQ!
Venue: Private backyard. Thank to Spencer Lucker for the bounce house!
Photos: Rio Watkins for capturing the moments below!
Video: Myron Watkins for flexing his street journalism skills. Shout out to everyone who hopped on camera to share why you vote!
Music: Efe Bes on the African drums + DJ Bernan Bush on the 1’s & 2’s!
04/19/24 - Passover Freedom Party
We held our 3rd Annual "Passover Freedom Party” at Onyx / One Mike in Detroit, celebrating the timeless tradition of Passover while reflecting on freedom in America. In a pivotal election year, we explored the significance of freedom in an American context and the enduring legacy of those who fought (and continue to fight) for it.
SHOUTOUTS:
Team: Brandon Colvin, Jacob Evan Smith, Marisa Meyerson, Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh, Erica Meyers, and Joanna Loney
Sponsors: The Well, Coalition for Black & Jewish Unity, JCRC / AJC, and The Detroit Association of Black Organizations for generous financial support
Venue: Kim Moore & team at One Mike, not only for hosting and feeding us, but for securing an extra sponsor to cover the venue cost!
Photos: Morgan McDonald for the glamorous photos below!
Music: DJ Bernan Bush for setting the mood with tasty tunes!
02/23/24 - Black History Month Shabbat
We held our 2nd Annual "Black History Month Shabbat” at Norwest Gallery in Detroit, celebrating the cultural and historic contributions of African Americans while honoring the legacy of Black/Jewish collaboration in Detroit.
Shoutouts:
Our Sponsors: The Well, Coalition for Black & Jewish Unity, and JCRC / AJC. Extra special thanks to Rabbi Jeff, Marisa, Erica, and Joanna from The Well for all of their incredible support in planning, setting up, and co-hosting the event
Photographer Morgan McDonald for the beautiful photos below.
Chef Sunflower (aka Lucky Pistil) & Team for a delicious vegan soul food feast
Asia Hamilton of Norwest Gallery for graciously hosting us and providing such a beautiful backdrop with their “Heavy Melanin” exhibit
02/09/24 - Shabbat Dinner with Mezuzah Detroit
We were very excited to partner with Mezuzah Detroit, an organization helping to revitalize Detroit’s NW Goldberg neighborhood while honoring its history of Black/Jewish cohabitation and collaboration. They are working alongside a phenomenal community development organization called NW Goldberg Cares to ensure new residents are fully emersed in and committed to the prodominantly Black community. We held a lovely Shabbat dinner at the founders’ home, learning about the area’s history and how we can support their noble mission.
10/01/23 - Sukkot Sounds x Coalition Series
For the 3rd consecutive year, we teamed up with The Well for their annual Sukkot Sounds community music festival! We brought an awesome crew to the brand-new venue Foxglove Detroit for a magical, musical evening honoring the ancient Jewish tradition of Sukkot.
Huge thank you’s:
Our sponsors for the evening, who allow us to keep these events affordable via generous donors! The Well, Coalition for Black & Jewish Unity, JCRC/AJC, Repair the World, and Michael & Elaine Serling!
The Well team for sponsoring, coordinating logistics, and dreaming up this crazy idea called Sukkot Sounds! Y'all, their team started setting up in the early afternoon and was cleaning up until 11 PM. Thank you Marisa Meyerson (the true hero behind the scenes), Erica Meyers, Joanna Loney, Stephanie Belsky, & of course, Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh!
All the performers: Rebecca Goldberg, Doc Illingswoth, & Rufio Jones, and James Gardin + the sound man Alex Peters. Please follow them on social media and wherever you stream music!
Erika & her Foxglove crew for providing such an enchantingly lovely setting for the evening!
Repair the World for their support alongside The Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities, providing a Jewish perspective on crucially valuable Narcan training!
Sprout House in Grosse Pointe Park for the delectable eats!
06/25/23 - Juneteenth Freedom Party
We fired up the grills for a big backyard BBQ in honor of Juneteenth in Detroit’s Indian Village. Entertainment included DJ Bernan Bush on the 1’s and 2’s, live African drums from Efe Bes, and a pop-up “Boundless” interactive graffiti installation. This was our first event with kids included, and it was a hit—the bounce house certainly helped!
03/31/23 - Passover Freedom Party 2023
We hosted 75 guests, including retired Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, at The Jam Handy for a "Passover Freedom Party" where we shared a kosher Shabbat meal, explored four introspective questions about freedom and co-liberation, and danced the night away to the groovy sounds of DJ Bernan Bush.
02/03/23 - Black History Month Shabbat 2023
We hosted 50+ Detroiters at Detroit Historical Museum in celebration of Black History Month and Shabbat! Vegan (kosher) soul food was on the menu. CBS Mornings ran a BHM feature leading up to this event—watch our CBS feature!
09/19/21 - Sukkot Sounds (The Well x Coalition Series)
Partnering with The Well’s “Sukkot Sounds” concert series, we welcomed in the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot at a gorgeous backyard in Detroit (s/o Aubrey Agee!) with vegan gumbo (s/o Chef Buddha!) and incredible performances from Doc Illingsworth, Rufio Jones, & Brent "Blak" Smith.
Sukkot Sounds x Coalition Series featured incredible performances from Doc Illingsworth, Rufio Jones, and Brent ‘Blak’ Smith at a private venue in Detroit.
4/3/20 - Ethiopian Shabbat w.s.g. Waga Brok (Virtual)
Waga Brok joined Coalition Series to share her experience growing up as an Ethiopian-Israeli in Israel, exploring the intersection of race and Jewish identity after coming to the U.S. for an exchange program, and more!
1/12/20 - An Evening w.s.g Michael Twitty @ Repair the World
Coalition Series teamed up with nationally-renowned, James Beard award-winning food historian & author Michael Twitty, who somehow dropped multiple lifetimes worth of wisdom in less than 20 minutes of speaking. Shout out to Chef Phil Jones for the delicious food and Repair the World for hosting!
Jacob Evan Smith and Chef Godwin Ihentuge address the group at YumVillage on November 22, 2019.
