Annual Meeting & Luncheon 2019

Join us to honor our 2019 scholarship winners, elect our 2020 officers and board members, and hear an inspirational presentation by Rev. Faith Fowler. As pastor at Cass Community United Methodist Church in Detroit, Rev. Fowler is nationally recognized for her 25 years leading Cass Community Social Services. CCSS provides food, shelter, and healthcare to neighborhood residents in need and helps them to own housing, get and keep a steady job, and learn how to build meaningful lives. Faith Fowler's books, This Far by Faith and Tiny Homes for a Big City, will be available for purchase at the meeting. For additional information, phone John Bassett at (248) 481-4664.

​

Location: Red Run Golf Club, 2036 Rochester Road, Royal Oak, MI

Cost: $38 per person 

Register here before Nov. 30, 2019 

Fall Book Club Meeting

On Wednesday, October 16, nine PBK members and guests met at Bigalora in downtown Royal Oak for our Association's second Book Club meeting. The group enjoyed delicious food, wonderful fellowship, and a lively discussion of Becoming by Michelle Obama.

​

Our next Book Club meeting will be in February 2020 and we are soliciting votes to determine the next book selection. The book options can be found at this link. Please email Megan Riherd at mwriherd@gmail.com with your top three picks before December 1! We will announce the results at our Annual Meeting (see event above). 

Key Connections 2019

At the 2019 Key Connections event, 16 PBK members met up for an exciting afternoon of puzzle-solving at Escape Room Novi! After a successful escape, the group enjoyed appetizers at the nearby Bar Louie. 

Summer Luncheon with Dr. John Corvino

John Corvino, Dean of the Irvin D. Reid Honors College and a Professor of Philosophy at Wayne State University, joined Detroit PBK members at the Common Pub in the historic Belcrest Hotel for our 2019 Summer Luncheon. In his presentation “Civility: Its Uses and Abuses in Public Discourse”, Corvino described the challenges and importance of maintaining relationships and engaging in constructive dialogue with persons whose viewpoints differ from ours. 

Inaugural Book Club Meeting

The first meeting of our book club was a success! Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha's book, What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, sparked a lively discussion. Attendees commented that they enjoyed having a PBK event with more opportunities for members to talk and get better acquainted. 

Theater Event & Meet-up

PBK members and their guests attended the new play Flint, presented by the School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan. Flint by playwright José Casas explores the current state of the water crisis through narratives based and inspired by the lives and stories of people affected by the tragedy. Following the thought-provoking performance, we gathered at Rappourt to discuss the play while enjoying craft beers and tasty pub food.

Welcome New PBK Inductees

Alpha Chapter of Michigan invited representatives of Greater Detroit PBK to participate in the induction of 252 new Phi Beta Kappa members at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The keynote speaker was Abdul El-Sayed, a public health doctor, progressive activist, and former candidate for Governor of Michigan. Dr. El-Sayed was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Michigan in 2006, became a Rhodes Scholar, earned a doctorate from Oxford University, and completed a medical degree at Columbia University. El-Sayed encouraged PBK inductees to use their knowledge and opportunities to improve the lives of others. He described his own trajectory from medical doctor, to public health commissioner, to aspiring politician to show how he deliberately altered his career path to better help people in dire need.