The culturally diverse Detroit metro area is home to many Arab, Latino and Bengali families, in addition to significant African American and white populations.
However, segregation, lack of interaction between groups and fear across cultural and geographic divides prevents the city and many of its residents from thriving.
PeacePlayers Detroit currently operates in the predominantly African American communities of Cody Rouge and Brightmoor, as well as the primarily Latino community of Southwest Detroit, with the goal of building networks of young leaders for peace and equity in all seven of the city community districts by 2024.
PeacePlayers Detroit is effectively bringing several different cultural groups together.
100% of youth participants in Detroit were able to experience something they normally would not have because of PeacePlayers.
Southwest Detroit
The Latino population accounts for the majority of the population of Southwest Detroit at 57.2%. African Americans represent 23.6% percent of the population, followed by whites at 16.9% percent. The community is 1.5% Multiracial, and the remaining 0.8% is comprised of Native Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders and Other, non-specified races.
Cody Rouge
African Americans represent 78.3% of the population in Cody Rouge, followed by whites at 14.8%. The community is 2% Multiracial, and 4.3% Hispanic/Latino. The remaining 0.6% is comprised of Native Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders and Other, non-specified races.
Brightmoor
African Americans represent 85.58% of the population in Brightmoor, followed by 10.01% white and 7.5% Hispanic or Latino. There is a multiracial percentage of 2.89% and a 0.87% of Asian. 0.7% American Indian and 0.45% of other races.
Source: datadrivendetroit.org
Our Programming
PeacePlayers Detroit, within a nationwide network, engages over 100 youth, ages 10-18, in year-round and multi-year basketball training, conflict resolution education and leadership development activities. Programs are divided as follows:
Peace League
The Peace League works with youth ages 10 to 14 years old, introducing PeacePlayers’ peace education curriculum through basketball. The Peace League is run through a partnership with Detroit Public Schools in 10-12 week sessions during both the fall and winter school sessions (20-24 weeks total each school year). Annually, each school has approximately 25-35 participants and they are twinned or paired with a partner school in a different community. Throughout each of the sessions, paired schools interact monthly through field trips and joined programming, allowing youth to build relationships across communities.
Leadership Development program
The Leadership Development Program is a community center-based program that works with youth ages 14-18 with the goal of equipping them to be leaders in their communities. Leadership Development participants walk through PeacePlayers Leadership Development Curriculum, act as peer mentors to Peace League youth and take part in a number of field trips to local universities, neighborhood tours, etc. Annually, the program consists of approximately 15-20 youth in each community who meet in their local community centers once a week and across communities twice per week, totaling three sessions per week.
Upcoming events
Our Team
Jasmine Cooper
Director, PeacePlayers Detroit
Location: Detroit
Email: jcooper@peaceplayers.org
Jasmine Cooper is a passionate mentor, coach and leader who believes “it is easier to build strong children than repair broken men” (Frederick Douglas). Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Jasmine has experienced firsthand the benefits of participating in youth development programs and she plans to dedicate her life to be a resource for youth to reach their full potential.
Jasmine grew up on the eastside of Detroit and graduated from academic standout, Detroit Renaissance High School. After high school, Jasmine moved to Washington, D.C. to attend Howard University where she earned her bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and MBA in finance. Upon completion of her collegiate education, Jasmine moved back to Detroit where she began to work in the financial industry and coach girls’ basketball. Jasmine immediately recognized the deep passion she had for mentoring and coaching youth and she has spent the last 5 years coaching high school and travel AAU girls’ basketball.
With a desire to make a full-time impact on youth development, Jasmine joined PeacePlayers International as the Program Coordinator for Detroit in the summer of 2018. As the program coordinator Jasmine will be overseeing the Peace League and Leadership Development Program, working to build and maintain local program partnerships as well as recruiting and training support lead coaches and staff. Jasmine is excited to be able to mesh her passions for basketball, youth development and mentorship to help continuously grow the impact PeacePlayers has on the youth in the city of Detroit.
LeBaron Leath
Senior Program Coordinator
Location: Detroit
Email: lleath@peaceplayers.org
Le Baron Dock Leath II was born and raised in Detroit, MI. Dock was raised in a single-parent home with his mother and older sister. His mother was very business savvy and refused to settle for less. She did her best providing for him and his sister, ensuring that they lived the best lives possible with limited resources. His mother would always find better opportunities in her career and as a result it caused them to relocate often.
Throughout Dock’s years growing up in Detroit, he attended 9 different schools from Pre-K through 12th grade. Relocating had its pros and cons; on one hand he had the opportunity to make many lifelong friends and build a network that he can often rely on until this day. On the opposite end of the spectrum, he has never felt as if he had a solid foundation at home growing up. The opportunity to attend many different schools forced Dock to develop people skills at a very young age; helping him to become more outspoken, comfortable with public speaking and less afraid to try new things.
Dock still vividly remembers every neighborhood he has lived in, beginning with the projects in Detroit off of Trumbull and 94 freeway. It was an affordable town home and apartment complex that his mother managed back in 1992. There were often times when the news truck would be in their residence parking lot, covering a shooting at their complex. He remembers a moment when his friends who lived two doors down, home was riddled with bullets. His family was fortunate enough to have not dealt with any of those incidences firsthand but it will always be a part of his childhood memories in which would help mold him into the person he is today. It wasn’t until the summer of 2001 going into Dock’s 8th grade year that he began putting his focus into basketball.
One day while leaving the flea market in his neighborhood, him and his friends were shot at. Although, they all got home unscathed that one incident changed his life for the better. He focused on basketball in hopes of creating a better opportunity for himself and changing his mentality. Basketball gave Dock the focus, drive and desire to strive for more in life than just surviving. That fall, he tried out for the basketball team his 8th grade year where he became a starting forward and it has been a part of his life since then.
Dock’s diverse background and experiences have helped mold him into the man that his is today. Having the opportunity to share his experiences and mentor the youth has always been a goal of his; understanding that his upbringing is similar to those that he has been blessed to mentor. Dock is pleased to have this opportunity with PeacePlayers and looks forward to the next chapter in his life.
Siyeh Frazier
Program Manager
Location: Detroit
Email: sfrazier@peaceplayers.org
Siyeh Frazier is a native Detroiter, who is a new addition to the Peace Players Detroit Staff. She has been heavily involved with many sports for her entire life. Early on in her life she solidified her connection to basketball and played through high school and college. She played four years at Penn State University and earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2020.
Siyeh enjoys using sports to make connections to youth about life lessons and leadership, more importantly to youth from her hometown. Prior to joining the PeacePlayers Staff, she mentored high school student-athletes as part of a Detroit internship in the summer of 2020. This was her first look into connecting with the youth through sports, which led her into her new current role as a Program Coordinator in Detroit.
Michael Hundley
Coach, PeacePlayers Detroit
Location: Detroit
Email: mhundley@peaceplayers.org
Michael Hundley joined PeacePlayers as a part time coach in February 2022. He eventually got hired full time as a program coordinator on July 1st, 2022. Michael was born in Detroit, Michigan and eventually moved out to Farmington Hills, MI with his family where he was the youngest of 3 brothers. Michael grew up loving the game of basketball from an early age. He was coached in AAU by former NBA player Tim McCormick most of middle school and all high school. He attended Detroit Renaissance where he graduated from in 2011 with many collegiate basketball offers from NCAA division one and two.
Michael attended The Citadel University for two years 2011-2013 then transferred to Ashland University to finish out his playing career 2013-2016. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management and a minor in sports management. After college he got the opportunity to play professional basketball overseas for four to five years in places such as Spain, Australia and Albania. As he was spending time overseas, he had a lot of time to reflect on what career path he wanted to try and which direction he wanted to go in.
Michael always loved being around the game of basketball while also teaching kids certain life/leadership skills they might not learn in school. He worked for summer camps and recreation facilities part time anytime he would return home from basketball. In the beginning of 2022, he was searching the internet and came across PeacePlayers. He emailed the director of Detroit Jasmine, and everything instantly connected from there. Michael looks forward to all the amazing opportunities PeacePlayers has to offer!
Our LOCAL Partners
Detroit Public School Community District
Mark Twain School for Scholars
The Detroit Pistons
Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance
St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center
Dixon Educational Learning Academy
