Thought for the Day. April 22.
Back in January of '09 a BBC reporter came into AJ's Cafe to do a
story of "the little cafe that could." The buzz leading up to our epic,
Guinness world record. 288 hour non-stop "Assembly Line Concert" was
attracting attention all over the globe.
The reporter lamented to me, off the record that she wished there was
an AJ;s cafe in her home town odf Liverpool, England. "We dont make
anything anymore, she said. All we do is service work now. Everything
you buy in my country comes from somewhere else."
The prevalent thought at the time seemed to be " what was a little,
non-corporate, mom and pop cafe trying to accomplish in bringing
together so many to sing a loooong concert as an awareness to the
virtues of supporting corporate giants, the Detroit auto industry?
This is what I said and say "We are all in this together." Just as the
auto giants here in my hometown of Detroit are the backbone, not just
of our economy, but of our communities, our very way of life, so too
are we, and collectively our communities, with our own individual
micro-economies, the backbone of the corporate engines.
You have an "assembly line" economic system whether you live in
Detroit or Des Moines, Dallas or Dayton. And it all works when we buy
the stuff we make. That is automobiles here in Detroit. Around the
country we call this the manufacturing sector.
What drives your economy?. What is the backbone of how churches,
schools, drugstores,barbershops, clinics, salons, bars, lawn
maintenance companies, homes, construction.... little cafes. I
gaurentee, much of this evolved from, and exists because of the
manufacturing industry in your area.
"We're all in this together."
About Me
- AJ O'Neil
- AJ ONeil is best known as owner of AJs Cafe in Ferndale, Michigan. When AJs closed its doors after 5 years, it left behind a legacy that included extraordinary accomplishments in grass-roots activism and community events.among them the Guinness world record(s) for longest concert(s) (288 &360 hrs). The "Assembly Line Concert(s)" brought global attention to the Detroit auto and manufacturing industry at a time when it was most needed, 2009-11 & the "little cafe that bailed out the American auto industry, one cup of coffee at a time" was singing the praises of Detroit's workers and products long before "Imported From Detroit" was cool. He's subject of a book "In Sunlight or in Shadow" by Karen Wilhelm,(foreword by Ernie Harwell) about a 50 hour non stop "Danny Boy" marathon, (AJs Cafe 2008) entered in Riply's Believe it or Not!(2010) He hopes to help return Highland Park its historic stature as a cool town and home of the great American manufacturing industry, restoring it with the dignity that is only found with providing jobs and investment. AJsCoffeeWorksCo will strive to be one example of that committment as both an employer and a catalyst of conversation.
Brian O'Neil is my brother, my friend. His story is absolutley compelling and , unfortunately, quite indicitave of what we as a nation are going through. He's gone from town to town, state to state, with his impressive credantials, work history, education and background.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, he advises and edit my work here for the ALP, while vigorously (again) pounding the pavement in search for meaningful employment.
Due to time constraints, I posted this morning's thought without getting his feedback , until now! I;m going to publish his words, as he has written them and hope that you will forgive this mornings mis-spells. Brian takes my writing, my ideas to a much more professional level!
Thanks Brother! We look forward to you sharing your story!
,,,,,"The prevalent thought at the time seemed to be " what was a little,
non-corporate, mom and pop cafe trying to accomplish by bringing
together so many to join in a marathon concert? What, besides an awareness to the virtues of supporting those bloody corporate giants, the Detroit auto industry?
This is what I said then, and say now: "We are all in this together." Just as the
auto giants here in my hometown of Detroit are the backbone, not just
of our economy, but of our communities, our very way of life, so too
are we, and collectively our communities, with our own individual
micro-economies, the backbone of the corporate engines.
You have an "assembly line" economic system whether you live in
Detroit or Des Moines, Dallas or Dayton. And it all works when we buy
the stuff we make. It's automobiles here in Detroit. But elsewhere, it could be desk lamps. It could be fuel filters. It could be paper clips. Around the
country we call this the manufacturing sector.
What drives your economy?. What is the backbone of your town? How do your churches, schools, drugstores, barbershops, clinics, salons, bars, lawn
maintenance companies, homes, construction.... or little cafes, pay their bills? I guarantee, much of the local economy evolved from, and exists because of the manufacturing sector in your area. Go check it out and let me know what you find out, I'd love to hear from you.
"We're all in this together."