Interview with Jonathan Barlow on the Detroit Mayoral Campaign
Time Interval: 0:00 – 49:13
🧬 A Legacy Built on Faith, Family, and Detroit Roots
Jonathan Barlow’s story is deeply rooted in Detroit’s faith and activist traditions. His grandfather, Reverend Joseph Barlow, pastored Mount Zion in Ecorse for over 40 years and influenced city leadership. Barlow’s childhood, split between Detroit and Montgomery, Alabama, shaped his understanding of civic duty, faith, and cultural strength.
📚 Bates Academy and Renaissance: The Foundation of Leadership
Barlow’s education at Bates Academy and Renaissance High School established lifelong bonds and a strong academic network. He recalls pivotal moments like experiencing 9/11 in AP Economics class and emphasizes the impact of sports, teamwork, and mentorship from standout educators.
💻 Tech-Driven Thinking in a Changing World
His early exposure to Facebook’s rise and disconnect between traditional education and digital realities inspired him to pursue web design, branding, and marketing. He critiques outdated systems and champions modern solutions for engaging Detroit youth and communities.
🗳️ Grassroots Organizing to Policy Change
Barlow has experience with national organizing networks like MOSES and the Harriet Tubman Center. He led two successful 2017 ballot initiatives advocating for Detroiters’ access to the emerging medical marijuana market—demonstrating his understanding of policy, organizing, and legislative action.
🏘️ From Foreclosures to Housing Equity
Through his work with United Way during the 2008 foreclosure crisis, Barlow witnessed systemic gaps in how aid was communicated and accessed. This experience motivated his call for clearer pathways and tech-enhanced tools like the proposed Citizen Dashboard to bridge institutional disconnects.
🧠 Rethinking Government Through Spirit and Accountability
Barlow sees government as a collaborative, people-powered institution—not a siloed bureaucracy. He argues that Detroit’s challenges can’t be solved by political insiders alone but require spiritual guidance, love for the city, and accessible leadership.
💰 Election Run Fueled by Vision, Not Big Donors
Despite facing opponents with millions in outside funding, Barlow chooses to “bet on the people,” trusting in voter education, neighborhood engagement, and the city’s resilience to power his campaign. His mantra: “Detroiters are not illiterate. They are innovators.”
🗳️ 400 candidates, 160 on the ballot in 2009’s council race—a key formative moment in Barlow’s political career.
🧑🏽🏫 50–75 members in his Bates alumni network—showcasing long-term relational equity and community memory.
📉 Massive funding gaps between grassroots candidates and establishment-backed contenders—underscoring the uphill fight.