Black Leaders Detroit Announces ‘Ride For Unity’ – A City-Wide Movement for Connection, Dialogue, and Economic Progress

Black Leaders Detroit Announces “Speak For Yourself,” a Multicultural Community Conversation at Huntington Place

DETROIT, MI, UNITED STATES, August 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Black Leaders Detroit (BLD) released details for Ride For Unity (R4U), a four-day community cycling and engagement experience taking place August 27-30, 2026, designed to bring Detroiters together across differences and create space for authentic connection, dialogue, and shared purpose. Ride For Unity is the Detroit-based evolution of BLD’s nationally recognized Ride For Equity, building on lessons learned from last year’s historic ride from Tulsa’s Black Wall Street to New York City’s Wall Street.

“Ride For Unity is about more than cycling,” said Dwan Dandridge, founder and CEO of Black Leaders Detroit. “It’s about creating space for people to move together, listen to each other, and build trust our communities need to move forward.”

Founded to expand equitable access to capital for entrepreneurs of African descent, BLD has disbursed over $7.5 million in unrestricted grants and no-interest loans to over 900 businesses and nonprofits, helping fuel job creation and neighborhood revitalization in Detroit and beyond.

While economic equity remains central to BLD’s mission, Ride For Unity expands the focus to include trust-building, collaboration, and civic engagement. A core component is Speak For Yourself (SFY), a curated conversation experience designed to encourage listening rather than debate. Using a Living Book model, individuals share personal, story-driven experiences that foster empathy across racial, faith, and economic lines.

Programming begins August 27 at Roosevelt Park with Detroit Social Walk Club, We Run 313 and Slow Roll, plus a drone show and kid-friendly family activities from 6-10 p.m.
Speak For Yourself takes place August 28 at Huntington Place, featuring guided breakout discussions and a shared community meal with culturally diverse food.
The event takes place Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, from 3–7 p.m. at Huntington Place in Detroit. Tickets are $25 and include dinner.
No one at Speak For Yourself is only an audience member.

The evening opens with remarks from Gary Torgow, chairman of Huntington Bank; Angelique Power, president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation; and Dandridge. Guests then break into groups of 15 to 17, each led by one of more than 30 facilitators who keep the discussion centered on personal experience rather than argument. The night closes with a dinner featuring food from Detroit’s diverse communities.

“Metro Detroit is one of the most segregated regions in the country, and no statement or study is going to fix that,” said Dwan Dandridge, founder and CEO of Black Leaders Detroit. “We change it by sitting down with each other. Put 500 people in the same room, let them speak honestly about their own lives, and you find out how much stronger this city is when we actually know each other.”

Speak For Yourself is presented in partnership with the Michigan Roundtable for Just Communities, Hebrew Free Loan Detroit, The Unity Collaborative, and Reconcile, and is sponsored by Huntington Bank.

Weekend rides take off August 29-30 from Riverside Marina, with 70-mile and 30-mile route options each day.

Ride For Unity offers multiple participation options, including the $30 kickoff, $50 Speak For Yourself tickets, $90 single-day rides, $165 weekend passes, a full-unity package, and Ride Your Own Way, a virtual option for supporters who want to ride in their own communities at their own pace. Annual memberships are also available at $52 per year ($1 per week) to support BLD’s work year-round. For details, visit https://rideforunity.org

About Black Leaders Detroit

Black Leaders Detroit (BLD) is a Detroit-based nonprofit committed to creating equitable economic opportunity through no-interest loans, unrestricted grants, and community-centered programming for entrepreneurs of African descent. Through innovative funding models, storytelling, and civic engagement, BLD works to build a more inclusive and resilient economic ecosystem.

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