In times of economic recession and political failure, it is up to the citizenry to alter the course of history, as we must all be the change we wish to see in the world. Those who rise to the occasion are the “sheepdogs” of society, guiding the sheep through the meadows and biting back at the wolves of corruption and bureaucracy.
Donyetta Hill, a Detroit activist and philanthropist, is one of the sheepdogs. She began her activist lifestyle by advocating for a higher living wage in Michigan. Progress Michigan, a news agency, put on an event in Lansing at The Avenue Café, inviting people to discuss the need for a raised minimum wage. It was here that Donyetta risked, and eventually lost, her job by saying that what her employer paid her was not enough to feed her three children, let alone pay her bills.
Just a few months ago, Progress Michigan revealed yet another action of Hill’s – the saving of the Brewster-Wheeler Center, which had been scheduled for demolition. This recreation center was the local place in the community for people to come together, and it is where she spent much of her childhood.
According to Progress Michigan, Donyetta hosted her own events, received more than $50 million in investments and gathered 6,000 signatures in her fight to save the Brewster-Wheeler Center. She will also be assigning 51 percent of the jobs created at the renewed recreation center to Detroiters.
It isn’t necessary to be a politician, an economist or a journalist to change the world. All you have to do is go out and be the sheepdog, like Donyetta Hill. Be the change you want to see.
