Friday, January 22, 2016

THE FLINT I KNOW

With tear filled eyes I write this blog, in hopes that it will penetrate someone’s soul with love. I am writing from a place of love and passion, so I entitle this: THE FLINT I KNOW.

Before the #FlintWaterCrisis, Flint was just a town full of hardworking, resilient and proud folk. And guess what? When the #FlintWaterCrisis hashtag is no longer a trending topic and the Kardashians do something like save a bumble bee, Flint will still be a town full of hardworking, resilient and proud folk.

The Flint I know is more than a statistic stating how General Motors screwed us. The Flint I know is filled with my friends and their parents who were “shop” workers or retired “shop” workers and proud of it. The Flint I know is more than a violent city. The Flint I know is filled with extremely, talented folks trying to make a difference in their community and the world-at-large. The Flint I know is not full of despair. The Flint I know is full of hope. The Flint I know is not all about slow singing and flower bringing. The Flint I know is full of energy from that party DJ’d by Hype. 
Photo Courtesy of Anthony "Hype" Carter via Facebook 
The Flint I know is not unhealthy and lazy. The Flint I know is full of CRIM trainers and CRIM runners.

Photo Credit: Flint Crim Foundation 
The Flint I know is not tacky. The Flint I know is styled by Fannie Lucille and Tiffany Cole, and is as fashionable as a New York runway. 

The Flint I know is not starved by the lack of adequate grocery stores. The Flint I know is fed by Woods, the Flint Farmer’s Market, Big Al, Beverly, The Red Wagon and Vehicle City Tacos.

The Flint I know is not filled with losers. The Flint I know breeds Champions like Mateen, Charlie and Mo, Claressa Shields, The Dirrell brothers, Mark Ingram and so many more. 

The Flint I know isn’t going to back down like some punk. The Flint I know changed history with sit-down strikes and birthed unions! 
Photo Credit: www.workers.org 

The Flint I know is not filled with teen pregnancies. The Flint I know was filled with teen parties hosted by Foxy productions, DonQuay, Stacey Williams, DJ Scribble, and the General; at venues like the Genesee Towers, Northwest Bowling Alley, The Genesis, Haskell, and Berston. 


The Flint I know was better than the NBA playoffs. The Flint I know had double headers at the I.M.A. that would put the NBA All-Star weekend to shame. 
I.M.A. Sports Arena 

The Flint I know was better than the Oscars Red Carpet Pre-Show. The Flint I know hosted proms at the University Center and that walk around the circle had you feeling like you were about to accept an award. 
Photo Credit: Bill Bamberger

The Flint I know doesn’t lack faith, churches, or church leaders. The Flint I know has some of the best preachers and community leaders this side of heaven including: The late Bishop Floyd, Pastor Kenneth Stewart, Urundi Knox, Rev. Alfred Harris, Rev. Kim D. Yarber, Rev. Lewis Randolph, Rev. Flowers and the list goes on...

Photo Credit: mlive.com 

The Flint I know will not accept your arsenic. The Flint I know will not go down without an all-out fight. The Flint I know is the toughest town around since 1855!


The Flint I know is “The Valley”
The Flint I know is The Courtland
The Flint I know is Atwood
The Flint I know is Angelos
The Flint I know is Beans & Leaves
The Flint I know is Meijer on Pierson Road
The Flint I know is Kessel’s on Pierson Road
The Flint I know is CLC
The Flint I know is the Beavers, JB’s and the Palm Tree
The Flint I know is Autoworld

The Flint I know is family

What's the Flint that you know? 

12 comments:

  1. Nice.. I know this Flint too, and we could go on and on, not to mention we'll are a part of the best of it..

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  2. I totally agree Ian. We the people are the best part of Flint.

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  3. Dope blog! That's the Flint I remember

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  4. Every childhood memory that I've ever experienced, was told in this piece. Thank you! ����������������

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  5. Powerful blog!!! Now that's the Flint I know! And that's the Flint that will overcome the water crisis and energe stringer, wiser, better!

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  6. That's my hometown! We will make it through this, because we are strong and tough. It's in our DNA, it's how they make us in Flint. Great blog!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. We will definitely make it through.

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  7. Wow, beautiful article Tynee. Great job girl!

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