Detroit

I didn't watch the Super Bowl because I couldn't possibly care less about professional sports. But I'm happy that through friends on Facebook I saw this commercial.




Detroit is part of my heritage. My mother and father are both from Detroit. Their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents? They came to America through Detroit. From Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, and Canada, they came and Detroit was the welcome mat for everyone. Through the fabulous resources on Ancestry.com I've seen scanned copies of the passenger lists that name my ancestors as they crossed the river. They came and served the US as soldiers. They came and built cars. They came and became part of the fabric of that city.

Detroit has been beleagured for decades. It has been in decline for my entire life. And it has been hit particularly hard in the last ten years. It has become a byword, a case study in greed, corruption, and broken dreams. Much of the city is in ruins and the fleeing tax base makes it seem impossible to fix.

But Detroit will come back. Because the spirit you see in that Chrysler commercial isn't just for show. It's really how Detroiters are.

Want to help? Not just Detroit, but our country as a whole? Next time you're looking for a new car, don't buy Japan. Don't buy Germany. Buy Detroit.

Be part of America's solution.