Within shouting distance of the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, and about 150 yards off the Detroit RiverWalk, is a unique slice of landscape with historical and cultural significance.
Engraved on three plaques, comprising a total surface area of roughly 8 feet, is a compelling story about “The Black Presence In Detroit,” starting with the arrival of enslaved Africans who came with the French who settled Detroit, up to the monument's dedication in the 1980s.
On any day, regardless of the season, there is an opportunity for people from near and far to come across this monument because an organization thought the story of Black Detroiters should be shared with the world in a lasting way. That organization is The Links, Incorporated.
“The monument is educational and spiritual because it’s important for our community to have a sense of who we are” said Therese Peace Agboh, immediate past president of the Greater Wayne County chapter of The Links, which dedicated the monument in 1989. “When we educate ourselves, we elevate ourselves, and that’s how we change the trajectory of our community.”
As a member of The Links, Agboh is part of an organization that has more than 16,000 professional women of African descent in 292 chapters across the United States and abroad. Collectively, these professional women, including many industry and organizational leaders, are committed to performing more than 1 million documented hours of community service annually. Because of that sustained commitment, the late United States congressman John Lewis recognized The Links as a “distinguished organization of outstanding community service and influence” while characterizing the group’s work as “essential to bending the moral arc of the universe toward justice.” And today in Detroit, the type of “essential” community service that congressman Lewis lauded is being performed across the city by Links members representing multiple chapters of the organization.
“We have an understanding of the needs of our community and the opportunity and obligation to serve,” stated Agboh, whose chapter is celebrating its 40th anniversary by doubling down on its efforts to address what she defines as “economic, health, educational, technological and social” disparities in Detroit that have been further exposed during the pandemic. Just as quickly as Agboh defines community challenges, she provides examples of her chapter’s initiatives that have targeted youths, including a partnership with the TRiO Upward Bound program and the University of Detroit Mercy, which has allowed Links members to provide academic enrichment, career exposure and mental health support to potential first-generation college students; and the sponsorship of a leadership camp presented by Figure Skating in Detroit, an organization for girls of color that combines education with the artistic discipline of figure skating.
“I was amazed by how well we were able to pivot our programming during the pandemic to still be able to help our youth,” said Agboh, who is vice president of talent and culture for KIRCO, a commercial real estate development, construction and property management organization headquartered in Troy. “For our youth, the issue has always been exposure, and especially during the pandemic we must take charge now so that our youth aren’t left behind. … With the help of partners like the Motown Museum and the Michigan Opera Theatre, we are able to expose our youth to the arts and different career paths, which helps to expand their minds. We also had a police officer, an attorney and a judge speak to our young people about how to handle a traffic stop safely because we want to prevent our youth from becoming statistics. … It all shows the commitment of our members — including our charter and alumnae members — along with the commitment of our sponsors to our youth and community.”
Denise Brooks-Williams, president of the Detroit chapter of The Links, delivers a similar message.
“We see the vulnerability and instability in our community and we are committed to responding in a very deliberate and intentional way,” said Brooks-Williams, whose Links chapter is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
Brooks-Williams is senior vice president and CEO of the North Market for the Henry Ford Health System. Previously, she was president and CEO for Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital and she also was president and CEO of Bronson Healthcare in Battle Creek. It’s clear from Brooks-Williams’ resume that she is a high achiever to say the least, but she says her Links sisters inspire her to reach even higher when it comes to serving her community.
“I have always been drawn to civic engagement, but it was refreshing to see these professional, kind women who cared about our community,” said Brooks-Williams, who was initially invited to join The Links in 2009 when she was working in western Michigan. “I think the commitment to our community is our foundation.”
Brooks-Williams, who joined the Detroit Links in 2013, said her chapter’s 70th anniversary has provided an opportunity for reflection and cheer, including a champagne toast by members. Then it was on to continuing programs and initiatives that address critical community needs. Examples include a partnership with Detroit International Academy, which has produced programs and events addressing academic, cultural and civic needs for an all-girls student body at the K-12 school; supporting STEAM events for middle school students; providing financial support to institutions that are essential to the continuation of African American culture, including HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; and providing a new computer system and supportive programming for women and children living at the YWCA Interim House.
As the Detroit Links chapter serves and “enthusiastically invests” in the local community during its 70th anniversary year, the current membership continues to make its own history. During 2021, Detroit Links member, Dr. Sonia Eden, became the first Black woman to lead the adult sector of the neurosurgery department with the Detroit Medical Center and Detroit Links member Roshunda Price was recognized as a “2021 Notable Non Profit Board Member” by Crain’s Detroit Business. And for every career or service achievement made by a current Detroit Links’ member, Brooks-Williams said a profound and intimate connection to earlier members is always present, which adds to the membership’s sense of duty to their community.
“Our 70th anniversary, it’s huge, which gave our archive’s committee a chance to go through our history, and during Women’s History Month we were able to highlight and celebrate our own members that contributed so much to our community,” said Brooks-Williams, who noted that Katie Fuller, the aunt of Detroit Links member Dr. Jennifer Fuller, was a charter member of the Detroit chapter, and that another early chapter member, Dr. Jeanette Wheatley, was the principal of Cass Technical High School when Brooks-Williams attended. “To be connected and bonded in civic engagement and activity since 1951 is something to be celebrated — to me it’s precious.”
The opportunity to be a part of greatness in a giving sense also spoke to Dr. Nutrena Tate, who received an invitation to join The Links in 2015 and is immediate past president of the Great Lakes chapter.
“It wasn’t just the mission of the organization, but the caliber of the women that wanted to give back to the community that has given so much to them,” said Tate, who is the associate dean of the College of Health Professions and McAuley School of Nursing at the University of Detroit Mercy. “I felt a huge sense of honor when I was invited to join.”
For Tate, serving her community through The Links goes deeper than providing resources and support to people who may be less fortunate in a material sense.
“With so many of the events that have happened during the pandemic, it’s been hurtful to us as a people, and so damaging to the spirit of our community,” Tate explained. “So to be able to help our community heal, and eventually, not just come back from the pandemic, but to thrive and be better than ever before, that’s our goal.”
The desire to positively impact the lives of Detroiters has led Tate’s chapter to provide support on multiple levels to a host of organizations and agencies. These “partners” include Covenant House Michigan, Alternative For Girls, Gleaners Community Food Bank, AARP, Triumph Church, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and Cass Technical High School.
Tate pointed out that her Great Lakes chapter, founded in 1993, is the youngest of the metro Detroit Links chapters. But as the chapter's immediate past president, Tate is able to benefit from the knowledge and wisdom of Links members in older local chapters with the help of quarterly leadership meetings — including representatives from the Detroit, Renaissance, Greater Wayne County, Great Lakes, Oakland County and Ann Arbor chapters — which often lead the chapters to collaborate on initiatives.
“Detroit is unique in ‘Linkdom’ because we have this cluster of chapters that helps us to have a greater impact,” said Linda Little, president of the Renaissance chapter of The Links.
Little has firsthand knowledge of the multitude of issues and challenges that confront many Detroiters on a grassroots level as president and CEO of Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO), which provides critical services, outreach and assistance to children, youths, adults and families. When talking about her work guiding NSO and her community service through The Links, Little conveys the same level of passion, with the only difference being that what she shares about The Links focuses on her chapter’s present commitment to Detroit’s District 2. The service provided by the Renaissance Links in the chapter’s targeted Detroit service area has included providing COVID-19 education, health kits and testing; food distribution; supporting students at the Jalen Rose Academy; and more.
“We’re very committed to service in the community and advancing the African American community,” said Little, who describes her chapter’s efforts to provide and make residents more aware of vital resources as providing a “booster shot” of “love and support” to the community, particularly to people who may feel alone during these challenging times.
Little also had a special message to share about the power of friendship and sisterhood across all chapters of The Links.
“We’re like-minded, professional African American women with the heart to serve; that’s the glue of our organization,” said Little, who met her best friend, Dara Munson, at their Links orientation meeting 11 years ago. "And our service strengthens our bonds —there’s not anything we would not do to support each other.”