Tag: karen davis burton

Historian and diversity and inclusion advocate Karen Burton introduces audiences to Detroit’s Black architects

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SpaceLab’s co-founder and CEO Karen Burton is an educator, historian, and diversity and inclusion advocate in the architecture and construction industry. Along with her colleague Saundra Little, AIA, NOMA, she founded Noir Design Parti, a Knight Arts Challenge winning project that chronicles the projects and career journeys of Michigan’s African American Architects. On Feb. 17, an interview with Karen will air on Michigan Radio where she will introduce listeners to Donald White, AIA, the first Black graduate of the University of Michigan’s College of Architecture and Michigan’s and Alabama’s first licensed Black architect.

Karen and Saundra will discuss the role of Black architects in Detroit’s design history to students in the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) on Feb. 15, and on Feb. 21 at 5:30 PM, they’ll lead a panel discussion with five of Detroit’s leading architects at The University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture.

Karen will also be a panelist on the topic “Revitalizing ‘Main Street'” at the 10th Annual Detroit Impact Conference, the flagship event of the Detroit Revitalization and Business (DR&B) Club at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

SpaceLab Awarded Detroit Motor City Match Grant

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Imagine our excitement when we got the call! SpaceLab Detroit was one of 13 business awarded a cash grant through Round 7 of the Motor City Match program, a unique partnership between the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit (EDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

We’re proud to be part of the “new culture of entrepreneurism,” described by Mayor Mike Duggan, “where Detroiters are realizing their dream of opening their own businesses to provide residents access to more goods and services…” Read more in the Motor City Match press release.

WXYZ the Ch. 7 Video

Ten of the 13 businesses awarded a total of $500,000 in Motor City Match grants are women-owned – including SpaceLab Detroit – as reported in Crain’s Detroit Business. Last July, we were a Round 4 Space Award winner through the program. The Space Award connects “new or existing businesses with top available Detroit real estate and financial planning assistance.”

See more on this quarterly awards  program, the presentations, and the award winners on mLive and Deadline Detroit.

Clockwise from top left: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan talks about the impact of Motor City Match; Mike Rafferty, DEGC vice president of small business development, presents the awardees; Karen and Bobby Burton show off the award; Karen with Felicia Maxwell, owner of Fit4Life; Bobby with Ederique Gouda, owner of Gabriel Hall; the recognition ceremony took place at Lil Brilliant Mindz, a Round 4 award winner.