Movement Strategy Center Visits a Beacon of Community Revitalization
April weather is anything but predictable in Saginaw, Mich. It was sunshine one moment and rain showers the next; cool in the morning with temperatures and humidity sneaking up over the course of the day.
That unpredictability echos a visit to The Neighb, a local community center and Movement Strategy Center (MSC) Fiscally Sponsored Project (FSP). The facility — which sprawls 24,000 square feet — is organized chaos at its best. Will there be a science demonstration? A fitness class? A dance troupe? At the same time, will new equipment be delivered? Will there be inspections in process? Kids laughing; seniors catching up; the kitchen humming along, preparing snacks and meals for anyone in need.
When we visited, it was all of the above. People and packages passed along walls adorned with art projects and the faces of Black luminaries. Staffers murmured “the kids are coming” as they set up tiny chairs and various supplies for a STEM Day session that united The Neighb’s regular crew of kids with another group being bussed in from the First Ward Community Center. The lesson in forensic science involved dusting cookie jars for fingerprints (before joyfully eating the evidence).
Saginaw and the Community
Saginaw is a central Michigan city located on the Saginaw River. It lies between Flint to the south and Lake Huron to the north. The city’s fortunes — like so many municipalities in Michigan — remain tied to the auto industry. General Motors once had multiple foundries and assembly plants in and around Saginaw. In addition, the city supplied munitions and military vehicle components during World War II. This industrial boom era made Saginaw a destination for those seeking jobs and better lives during the Great Depression and Great Migration. In particular, Black Southerners trekked up Interstate 75 (also called the Dixie Highway) from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky before settling in Saginaw county. The city’s population peaked at approximately 100,000 during the 1960s.
Today, Saginaw’s population is closer to 40,000, and only one General Motors plant remains operational. Generations of segregation, redlining, divestment, and now Green Zoning have left the city dotted with empty lots and vacant buildings. Most of the area could be considered a food desert. Of course, fewer jobs and fewer residents mean reduced tax revenue and reduced municipal services.
For years, local narratives highlighted the divide between eastern and western neighborhoods in Saginaw on issues ranging from school and athletic rivalries to matters of race and class. The good news is that within the walls of The Neighb, program leaders report a population of youths from all over the city that don’t subscribe to their parents’ barriers: Kids that just say they’re from Saginaw and not some specific ward or neighborhood or block. There is a palpable sense of community, collaboration, and mutual support among the folks that gather at places many call their “second home.” Whether they’re referring to The Neighb, the First Ward Community Center, or one of several other neighborhood and religious organizations, they speak of unity and a better life for their children and neighbors — crucial in a city historically divided by both its river and its racial tensions.
Everyday at The Neighb
This community hub, formerly known as The Samaritas Neighborhood House, has been active since the 1980s and has hosted generations of Saginaw residents. In 2020, the facility was forced to close its doors in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. But residents rallied, citing the need for programming, services, and a safe space. A group of nine individuals was able to purchase the building, pitching a nonprofit/for-profit collaborative to run the center. By 2022, The Neighb, now a fully nonprofit entity, was reopened to the community — a collective effort underscoring the power of community solidarity.
The Neighb provides a range of holistic services, including childcare, food services, and enrichment, for children, families, and seniors. The center hosts over 150 registered youths, with around 25 kids showing up on a given day. Groups of 80 were slated to participate in eight-week summer camp sessions; a summer basketball camp attracted 200. The center also offers after school academic assistance, sports camps, and, noting the importance of “milestone moments,” prom dress drives and community baby showers. An “Around the World” program has children explore different cultures and cuisines.
Canika Pugh Owen-Robinson, The Neighb’s project director, says “social media is a lifeline for us to share what we are doing.” She mentions neighborhood cleanups, open gym hours, tutoring, cooking demonstrations, free meals — and how the time she and her staff devotes to social media has paid off with compounding community participation.
Owen-Robinson mentions her “temperature checks,” where she and her staff ask the community what sorts of programming they want. Her focus is to not only support economically disadvantaged youth and families, but to offer the community programs, events, and learning opportunities they actually want to attend. That can mean the services you’d expect, like the aforementioned cooking and exercise classes, and access to childcare and nourishing meals. But it also means yoga, art therapy, dance workshops with Anthony Burrell — an award winning choreographer, and generally “exposing young people to everything [they] can.”
Owen-Robinson notes that Saginaw hosted the 2024 Memorial Cup, an ice hockey championship for the Canadian Hockey League that hasn’t been held in the United States since 1998. This event, which was expected to be an economic boon for the city, was big news — but the families that The Neighb serves didn’t necessarily know a thing about it. So, hockey equipment was purchased and young people were brought to one of the games. She feels it’s important to engage in all sorts of events that are happening in town: “We want well-rounded individuals. We want to expose our community, our young people, to all of these opportunities that maybe they didn’t know about, but we want to give them that opportunity.”
Community Care is a Family Legacy
This commitment to community is why Owen-Robinson stepped into her role as The Neighb was in the process of reopening, and why she continues to lead despite a day job in a test laboratory and research center. It runs in the family: The Pughs epitomize a legacy of service to and for Saginaw and its residents. Her father, John Pugh, is a civil rights activist and retired professor at Delta College. Her sister, Dr. Pamela Pugh, a recent Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress, made her mark in the community as an environmental health researcher who helped reduce childhood lead poisoning in Saginaw; she also served as Chief Public Health Advisor of Flint.
“We’re kind, patient people. We do not like to say that we have to fight, but here, we have to fight.”
The Pugh family’s activism is sweeping. Along with Teresa Stitt and several other Saginaw residents, Pamela Pugh and John Pugh are two of the founders of the Saginaw Just Transition Indaba (SJTI), another FSP of MSC. SJTI was launched to ensure that BIPOC-led and serving organizations, such as The Neighb and the Black church, have the resources to address critical needs within the community, particularly as they relate to food and energy security. In addition, another of SJTI’s key initiatives involves supporting The Fairground Neighborhood Association’s work to clean up and restore Saginaw’s historic, now abandoned fairground. This network of community and faith-based organizations, often the first to be called upon by those in need — but the least likely to be funded — aims to promote collective decision-making and inclusive economic development opportunities. Their goal is to combat poverty and mobilize public and private resources for better living, learning, and working conditions for the people of Saginaw.
The members of SJTI knew there was power in collaboration. Their partnership was an exercise in encouraging an “abundance mindset” rather than a “mindset of scarcity to pit organizations and neighbors against each other.” Fortified and seeking self-sufficiency, SJTI sought out an affiliation with MSC to provide the essential legal and compliance infrastructure needed to prepare the community for an influx of resources. With MSC’s support, STJI is too big to fail — it ensures no funder will be able to say anyone within the collective is unprepared to receive funding.
Under Owen-Robinson’s leadership, The Neighb secured $2.4 million of the $8 million requested from ARPA funds. That infusion will be spread across the 50-year-old building’s classrooms, gyms, and food preparation areas; updating kitchens with new equipment, making restrooms ADA-compliant, improving air quality by updating HVAC systems, and generally modernizing facilities. This significant funding has helped ensure The Neighb remains a vital and vibrant part of the Saginaw community, but falls quite short of what was needed.
Over soup and sandwiches, the Pughs and Stitt discuss what some people call “monopoly nonprofits” and their exploitative wealth-hoarding practices. Even with the best of intentions, these big name organizations are outsiders, lacking a full understanding or the genuine patience to address the hyperlocal culture, history, and area-specific needs. John Pugh knows all too well how these practices harm grassroots and community-led organizations. He puts it plainly: “We’re kind, patient people. We do not like to say that we have to fight, but here, we have to fight.” He emphasizes the need to reclaim the resources these nonprofits withhold from communities, as well decolonize the way these nonprofits dictate how funding can be spent and must be reported. These shortfalls stretch employees thin, forcing The Neighb and other organizations to rely more heavily on volunteers, which limits services, including crucial food distribution efforts.
Key Figures and Key Partners Making A Difference
Owen-Robinson is full of ideas for The Neighb and how the facility can help the families of Saginaw. She mentions their partnership with United Way for food distribution, as well as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources grants from the state that fund paid opportunities for local youths seeking summer jobs at the center. Additionally, infusions from Michigan Department of Health & Human Services will support maternal health with awareness campaigns, resources, and supplies.
More than one person MSC encountered referred to this evolving neighborhood hub as “a second home.”
Owen-Robinson staffs The Neighb with colleagues who share her vision. Program coordinator Marcus Mackey is a testament to the transformative power of community programs. Having attended community centers as a child, Mackey now works directly with the kids of The Neighb, smiling through the afternoon’s various activities. Robert Burell, the facility’s cook and program aide, plays an essential role in daily operations; offering warmth alongside nourishing meals for kids, seniors, staffers, and visitors alike.
Nyesha Clark Young, an artist, photographer, and activist, brings a unique cultural richness to The Neighb. Her art therapy classes offer a creative and therapeutic outlet of self-expression and healing to the community. Outside The Neighb, the self-described Saginaw historian collects and documents a living history of the city and its residents through photos, stories, news clippings, and local lore. Her cache documents significant moments in time while celebrating the culture, resilience, and community of Saginaw’s residents. Additionally, Young has been documenting Pamela Pugh on the campaign trail. Young’s efforts are proof of the power of art and culture in building community, nurturing collective growth, and supporting narrative change.
Owen-Robinson acknowledges that while Saginaw has relatively high crime rates, she and her staff create an atmosphere of safety and joy. Inside The Neighb, “we don’t feel it.” In fact, more than one person MSC encountered referred to this evolving neighborhood hub as “a second home.”
The Resilient Heart of Saginaw
What a pleasure to visit The Neighb, a safe space and a symbol of resilience that almost didn’t survive the pandemic. Instead, The Neighb stands as a testament to what communities can achieve when they harness their collective strength and design their own futures. This center has not only persevered but flourished; revitalized through the dedication and efforts of the local community it serves.
For too long, the churches and community centers of Saginaw have been subjected to legacy philanthropy — an approach that views aid as charity rather than solidarity. The Neighb and the collective of organizations making up the SJTI challenge this notion. These are Saginaw residents who know what their neighbors need and want, and they are inventing just solutions, building community power, and advocating for hyperlocal leadership and decision making. We celebrate the enduring spirit and collective strength that make The Neighb a cornerstone of Saginaw’s future.
If you are able, consider sharing a gift that supports the Saginaw community and the work of The Neighb and SJTI. You can support The Neighb by donating here or SJTI by donating here.
