Listen to a song from their upcoming performance 'Yellow Brick Ballads'

We can all agree that spaces of creativity are great to allow children to learn and grow, and one local ensemble, Mosaic Youth Theatre, is doing just that.

More often than not, the arts are the first thing cut, but one program in Detroit has solved that budget problem. The Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit on Antietam Avenue has educated an estimated 10,000 young people since it was founded. National philanthropic organization The Lewis Prize for Music awarded three grants in 2021 to support the arts for young people. Competing against hundreds of programs across the country, the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit earned a $500,000 grant spread over the next three years. More information on the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit can be found on its official website here.

“I’m inspired when I see the number of young Blacks and Whites who are part of the Black Lives Matter movement,” Rev. DeLashea Strawder, director of Detroit’s Mosaic Youth Theater, believes there has been progress. “There’s nothing wrong with that -- nothing wrong with good, strong, healthy debate.”“Of course, we’re not going to always agree, and that’s OK,” Strawder said. “My dream would be for everybody to be just equal,” said Makiah Quinn, a Mosaic Youth Theater member. “I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”Anthony had much more to say.