She met Kwame Kilpatrick at Panera Bread, asked for help with unique Detroit exhibit

Since 2000, Jackets for Jobs has assisted more than 35,000 job seekers by providing professional attire, career training and other resources and services at no cost to people of low income.

When describing how the nonprofit has carried out its important work, Jackets for Jobs founder and native Detroiter Alison Vaughn points to dedicated members of her staff, such as image consultants Brenda Bunnell, Sandra Fair, Deborah Cash and Betty Henderson, who have taken great pride in outfitting job seekers.

During Jackets for Jobs’ 23-year history, Vaughn says she also has received considerable help from people in high places, including all the way at the top of Detroit city government.

“Every Detroit mayor in the last 23 years has supported Jackets for Jobs’ mission, which is to help Detroiters in need get back on their feet by finding employment,” said Vaughn, whose nonprofit receives financial funding and client referrals through a partnership with Detroit At Work. “Mayors of Detroit have recognized the vital importance of our cause. And I believe their support has always been about something much larger than themselves; it's about uplifting the spirits and prospects of our fellow citizens.”

On Wednesday, Vaughn spoke from the Detroit Historical Museum where she is being honored, along with 33 other Black entrepreneurs in Detroit that “invest, elevate and enrich” the city. The 34 entrepreneurs are all included in "The Hustle” exhibition, part of the multiyear project at the Detroit Historical Museum that celebrates the tradition of Black entrepreneurs in Detroit by linking contemporary business owners to pioneers through a series of exhibits and public programming. When given an opportunity to collaborate with the museum’s designers to create a “vignette” within the exhibit to represent her, Vaughn chose to use the occasion to showcase suits worn by the five Detroit mayors that have been in office since she started her nonprofit — Dennis Archer, Kwame Kilpatrick, Kenneth Cockrel Jr., Dave Bing and Mike Duggan — plus Coleman Young, who served five terms as mayor during her lifetime. Her creation is called: “Dressed to Govern: The Mayoral Suit Chronicles,” which Vaughn describes as a clothing journey through Detroit’s civic legacy.

Vaughn’s quest to obtain the six suits would take about two months to complete. Her voyage included visiting the homes of Archer and Bing, where Vaughn said she was assisted warmly by the wives of the former mayors— Trudy Archer and Yvette Bing. A call to Vaughn’s pastor at Fellowship Chapel, Wendell Anthony, led to a call from Anthony to Duggan, which secured a donated suit from Detroit’s current mayor. Communication with Cockrel and Khary Turner, executive director of the Coleman A. Young Foundation, led to the delivery of suits worn by Cockrel and Young to the Detroit Historical Museum.

As for the mayor who served Detroit between Archer and Cockrel — Kwame Kilpatrick — Vaughn says social media and a local diner helped her to get the job done.

“We’re friends on Facebook and he has donated to Jackets for Jobs before, so we have a business relationship,” Vaughn said as she was describing her outreach to Kilpatrick. “When I explained to him what I was doing he said, ‘Sure,’ and he said he would donate a suit the next time he was in town. We met at the Panera (Bread) in Southfield (Lathrup Village) on Southfield Road and we had hot chocolate. It must have been toward the end of the summer."

With each of the six suits now hanging in Wrigley Hall on the lower level of the Detroit Historical Museum, in a display area that still was being perfected on Wednesday afternoon, Vaughn, who often is sought out for fashion and style advice, had an opportunity to continue a fashion critique of each suit that she had begun earlier in the week. And when Vaughn was accessing the mayors’ suits, she was expressing the views of someone who grew up just steps away from a vibrant Detroit Avenue of Fashion during the 1970s.

Coleman Young: (Elected Nov. 5, 1973, Young, Detroit’s first Black mayor served five four-year terms): “Always made a statement”

“The blue suit from Mayor Young provided by the Coleman A. Young Foundation is very fitting because blue represents loyalty,” Vaughn said. “Three-piece suits also were very popular during Mayor Young’s time in office. And this three-piece, monogrammed suit makes a statement, just as Mayor Young always made a statement through his governing style."

Dennis Archer (Elected Nov. 2, 1993, Archer served two terms as Detroit’s mayor): “Elegance in precision”

“Mayor Archer’s brown suit with blue pinstripes and a striped tie communicates elegance in precision,” Vaughn said. “I can envision Mayor Archer wearing this suit during a high-stakes negotiation at a bustling city diner. Or picture him confidently discussing city plans over a cup of coffee — sleeves rolled up — embodying the spirit of hard work and dedication.”

Kwame Kilpatrick (Elected Nov. 6, 2001, Kilpatrick served as Detroit’s mayor until announcing his resignation on Sept. 4, 2008): “Tailored leadership”

“Mayor Kilpatrick symbolized tailored leadership through a custom-made dark gray suit with a personalized touch,” Vaughn said. “I can picture Mayor Kilpatrick wearing this suit at a late-night City Council meeting, where he passionately debated policies under the soft glow of the council chamber lights. His tailored suit mirrored his tailored arguments, which left a lasting impression on everyone.”

Kenneth Cockrel Jr. (Sworn in on Sept. 19, 2008, Cockrel served as Detroit’s mayor until May 2009): “Approachable authority”

“Mayor Cockrel’s suit represents approachable authority, which can be felt through his choice of a light-colored suit that signifies an open and optimistic leadership style,” Vaughn said. “Mayor Cockrel could have worn this suit while hosting a community picnic in a local park, as he discussed neighborhood improvements while engaging with families under the sunny skies.”

Dave Bing (Elected May 5, 2009, Bing served as Detroit’s mayor until 2013): “Athletic grace with civic poise”

“Mayor Bing’s distinguished gray pinstripe suit embodies athletic grace and civic poise,” Vaughn said. “This suit could have been worn while Mayor Bing was overseeing a charity basketball game in the heart of the city. Or picture him shooting hoops with local kids, as he effortlessly balanced athletic grace with civic poise to inspire the next generation.”

Mike Duggan (Elected Nov. 5, 2013, Duggan is serving his third term as Detroit’s mayor): “Modern leadership style” 

“Mayor Duggan’s gray suit with tones of lavender and black check pattern defines his modern leadership style,” Vaughn said. “His choice to go tieless exudes approachable charisma and contemporary sophistication, as he seeks to provide opportunities for all Detroiters.”

While each of the suits that Vaughn critiqued were no doubt worn during important occasions connected to Detroit, on Wednesday, Rebecca Salminen Witt was excited to talk about the importance of each of the vignettes that make up "The Hustle" exhibition.

“We wanted to find the folks who were making a difference in Detroit neighborhoods right now, and to do this by asking people in the neighborhoods,” explained Salminen Witt, chief strategy and marketing officer for the Detroit Historical Society, which manages the Detroit Historical Museum. “We really did get nominations from everywhere in the city and we wound up with almost 800 nominations for 447 Detroit entrepreneurs.

“From Alison, whose work is really philanthropically motivated, to people who are pure capitalists, they’re all represented here; like Ali Omar, who carved eyeglasses by hand when he was basically a kid and now has a full eyeglass company. Who thinks of something like that as a kid? It’s just a huge variety of people represented in the exhibit and they’re all really inspiring.”

Salminen Witt reports that networking has taken place among each of the 447 entrepreneurs that were nominated to be a part of the community engagement project. She also pointed out that her organization has sought to work with participating entrepreneurs, including Benkari Mechanical LLC President and CEO Adrienne Bennett, a pioneer in the plumbing and construction industries, who added the Detroit Historical Museum to her company’s client list as a result of "The Hustle."

And with every positive outcome that is generated by "The Hustle" exhibition and community engagement project, including the "The Hustle" Entrepreneur Resource Summit and the grand public opening of "The Hustle" finale exhibition, which both take place Saturday, Salminen Witt says the Detroit Historical Museum is being accountable to the city it serves.

“We say all the time that we want every person to find their own story in our halls and on our walls — this is that,” Salminen Witt declared. “Our exhibit honorees are representative of their neighborhoods, and they literally are finding themselves on our walls right now. And that's our commitment as a historical society to present stuff that is real and relevant to the people who are here right now.”

Detroit Historical Museum: The Home of ‘The Hustle’

What: "The Hustle" Entrepreneur Resource Summit and the public opening of “The Hustle” Finale Exhibition

When: Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023

Where: Detroit Historical Museum, 5401 Woodward Ave., Detroit 48202

Breakdown of activities:

• "The Hustle" Entrepreneur Resource Summit — Free event for entrepreneurs of all ages featuring lectures, networking and panel discussions with established Detroit entrepreneurs. Opportunities for 1:1 coaching, and “Streets of Old Detroit Marketplace” also will be available. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with the Summit taking place between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• “The Hustle” Finale Exhibition Public Opening — An array of creative and informative “vignettes” recognizing 34 Black entrepreneurs in Detroit that “invest, elevate and enrich” the city. The exhibition is housed in Wrigley Hall on the lower level of the Detroit Historical Museum. To see the entire list of honorees, go to detroithistorical.org/detroit-historical-museum/hustle

Learn more: For additional information about the Detroit Historical Museum, go to detroithistorical.org

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and lifelong lover of Detroit culture in all of its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at: stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jackets for Jobs founder asked Kwame Kilpatrick to donate suit