SOUTHFIELD, Mich.—Lawrence Technological University will present a month-long celebration honoring the creativity, ingenuity, and transformative leadership of Black innovators across Detroit and beyond.
This year’s theme — Coding the Future: Celebrating Black Innovators — recognizes the storytellers, designers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and cultural visionaries whose work is shaping the world we live in and the futures we dare to imagine. Throughout February, LTU programming spotlights Detroit’s vibrant creative economy and the powerful intersection of art, technology, entrepreneurship, and community-building. Each event invites students, faculty, and partners to explore how Black innovation continues to redefine industries and inspire the next generation of creators. All programs are free and open to the public.
Noon – 2 p.m.
Atrium, Buell Building (building 5 at www.ltu.edu/map)
Kicking off Black History Month at LTU is the creation table, where the LTU community can design mini artwork – drawings, messages, symbols, or digital prints – that will become part of a digital mural celebrating Black innovation and imagination. The creation table will be available throughout February. The link for individuals to submit their art is https://tinyurl.com/ltu-bhm-art-mural.
Noon – 2 p.m.
Room S100, Arts and Sciences Building (building 7 at www.ltu.edu/map)
Timashion “The Visionary” Jones, of TBOP Media, is a 2004 graduate of LTU and an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and producer from Detroit with over 15 years of experience in independent film and documentary storytelling. He has directed and produced more than 15 films and documentaries, including A Mirror of Deception and the Emmy-winning Cody High: A Life Remodeled Project. His work centers on youth advocacy, mentorship, and real-world impact, with recent projects including Ride 4 Equity and “Damn He Could Play: The Marcus Belgrave Story,” both focused on access, opportunity, and the power of pouring into the next generation. Jones will explore the power of film as a tool for self-definition and community impact in Detroit. Through selected clips from his narrative features and documentaries, Jones examines how Black filmmakers can reclaim and shape the narrative of their city by telling their own stories with intention, dignity, and truth.
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Room T210, University Technology and Learning Center (building 3 at www.ltu.edu/map)
Discussing Detroit placemaking projects, building equity and space, and the design history in Detroit will feature panelists Bryan Cook, founder and CEO of develop ARCHITECTURE LLC, who holds a 2006 Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a 2011 Master of Architecture degree from LTU; Kimberly Dokes, principal and owner of Doke Design Architecture, LLC; urban designer Antoine Bryant, managing director and urban designer for Gensler; and Damon Dickerson, director of architecture at Dokes Design Architecture, LLC. The panel will be moderated by Karen Burton, co-founder and CEO of SpaceLab Detroit and co-founder of Noir Design Parti, and Saundra Little, principal at Quinn Evans Architects, a 1998 Master of Architecture graduate of LTU, and a 2012 Distinguished Architecture Alumni Award recipient.
Noon – 2 p.m.
Room S100, Arts and Sciences Building (building 7 at www.ltu.edu/map)
Art Cartwright, president of Global Empowerment Ministries and the founder of the Interactive Combat League in Detroit, will share his insights about breaking into tech entrepreneurship, AI automation, and the creative-tech world, and introduce his humanoid robot. Mr. Cartwright’s companies have created over 2,000 jobs in Metropolitan Detroit, with a specific focus on giving employment and technical training to people from underserved areas. His training programs include Robotics, Coding, Automation, and AI using the latest in Humanoid Robotic Technology.
4 – 7 p.m.
Room T210, University Technology and Learning Center (building 3 at www.ltu.edu/map)
This free-form evening will feature a gallery-style exhibit showcasing Detroit Black artists, live illustration, spoken-word artists, and the unveiling of a month-long community collaborative digital art mural. Additionally, there will be Black-authored books, comics, and zines.
The public is welcome to the LTU campus at 21000 W. 10 Mile Rd., in Southfield, MI, for all Black History Month activities this February. To sponsor one of LTU’s Black History Month activities or for more information, please contact Eula Muckleroy, at 248.204.4106 or emucklero@ltu.edu. Click here for updated information on times and locations of the various activities.
Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU, which offers communication training programs of the former Specs Howard School, and LTU’s growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.