Forgotten Harvest CEO Adrian Lewis, Reparations in Detroit and the U.S.

This Week on American Black Journal:

Adrian Lewis takes the helm at Forgotten Harvest, talks about increased demand for services

Forgotten Harvest has appointed Adrian Lewis as the new CEO of the Oak Park-based food rescue organization. Lewis succeeds former CEO Kirk Mayes, who stepped down from the position at the end of 2022.

Previously, Lewis served as market director for Meijer Inc., overseeing Detroit, Flint, and Cincinnati regions. In 2013, he spearheaded the launch of Meijer’s first supercenter in Detroit on Woodward and Eight Mile. He holds an executive MBA from Howard University.

Forgotten Harvest, founded in 1990, serves Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. The agency sources food from grocery stores, markets, restaurants, farmers, and wholesale distributors. The food is then distributed free of charge to emergency food providers across metro Detroit. The organization partners with 84 pantries in Detroit and serves approximately 750,000 people annually.

Lewis sat down with “American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson to discuss the increased demand for Forgotten Harvest’s services due to rising food costs and economic disparities. Plus, he highlights the organization’s summer feeding program for youth, its new facility, and a client choice market that allows individuals to select their food as they would in a grocery store.

Reparations the focus of the latest ‘American Black Journal,’ BridgeDetroit virtual town hall

The efforts of the Detroit Reparations Task Force, a voter-approved body charged with addressing the generational harms inflicted on the Black community, is the focus of a virtual town hall hosted by “American Black Journal” and BridgeDetroit. The virtual conversation delves into the issue of reparations for Black Detroiters.

“American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson talked with Detroit Reparations Task Force co-chairs Keith Williams and Cidney Calloway about the work of the task force and how Detroiters can get share their input.

Plus, Henderson talks with the University of Michigan’s Rita Chin, associate dean of the Rackham Graduate School. The University of Michigan has been instrumental in researching city government’s role in perpetuating discrimination. The findings will help the task force shape policy recommendations on wealth gaps, homeownership, environmental justice, education, and police misconduct.

BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett also shared perspectives from his reporting on reparations, highlighting the historical context and ongoing efforts in Detroit and other cities. The town hall continues a conversation “American Black Journal” and BridgeDetroit started in 2022. Watch the hour-long town hall “Making Amends: The Quest for Reparations” on-demand here.

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