My City January 2022

MYLOOKBACK

“Flint shaped all I know. I’ve lived in other cities and you can’t run away from it – it’s in you, not on you.”

August cont.

Rylie Dewley Miss Michigan’s Outstanding Teen She’s a standout! In June 2021, the Grand Blanc teen was selected Miss Michigan’s Outstanding Teen. e creator of Start Heart Smart (spreading awareness of heart disease) and a talented baton twirler, Rylie has dreamed of being crowned Miss America since she was a little girl. And she is well on her way to making that dream a reality. Competing since the age of ten, she has won pageants including Miss Sunset Coast Outstand- ing Teen, Miss Lake Erie Outstanding Teen and Miss Washtenaw County Outstanding Teen.

The Art and Philosophy of James Thigpen, Jr.

universal perspective. And each work holds a little bit of himself and his home city. “Every piece is a collage constructed from multiple images and each one re’ects a little of home,” he says. “Flint shaped all I know. I’ve lived in other cities and you can’t run away from it – it’s in you, not on you.”

Using a multitude of photographs, igpen designs each piece of art exactly how he sees it inside himself. His unique style, evolved throughout the course of his life, portrays the African-American experience from a

september

We Remember: 20th Anniversary of 9/11 In this special section, “We Re- member,”MCM shared the story of Eric Bennett, the only person from the Flint area to perish in the 9/11 attacks. Also featured were personal accounts of the experience working to rescue and recover victims at Ground Zero from former ™re™ght- ers, Joe Ludwig and Steve omson. Advertisers sponsored highlights of area ™re and law enforcement personnel to honor the brave ™rst responders who answer the call every day. Community members shared their memories about a day we won’t – and cannot – forget.

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