Created Equal

In nearly a third of non-fatal shootings by Detroit police, the victims were either not charged with a crime or not convicted of the conduct officers said prompted them to fire their weapon, a recent Detroit Free Press report found. Two members of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners join the show to discuss police accountability in light of the new report.

Economist and author of “The Paradox of Debt,” Richard Vague, joins the show to discuss how debt works and who it benefits.

The war in Gaza is destroying crucial healthcare infrastructure for the people who live there and makes delivering a child more difficult for pregnant mothers. On this episode we hear about what life has been like for some of the most vulnerable people in Gaza. Gabrielle Berbey and Salman Ahad Khan reported the story of Lubna Rayyes — who was pregnant when the war in Gaza began — for the Reveal podcast. They joined the show to discuss Rayyes' journey to deliver her child safely and how the war destabilized healthcare in Gaza.

Today on "Created Equal," we share highlights from this week's episodes, including new race and ethnicity categories added to the U.S. Census; the pros and cons of buying a home on a land contract in Detroit; UAW organizing efforts in the South and more.

Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. are voting whether to join the United Auto Workers union. If they vote to organize, the UAW will have made a significant step forward by unionizing workers in the south — something they’ve failed to accomplish twice before. Senior fellow at The Century Foundation Steven Greenhouse and Automotive News reporter Michael Martinez join the show to discuss the vote and what the autoworkers will likely do.

Predatory land contracts targeted low-income Detroiters following the 2008 financial crisis, according to a new report published in the journal "Housing Policy Debate." The report's co-author, Josh Akers, joins Stephen Henderson to discuss.

Until now, Americans whose heritage is in the Middle East and North Africa have long been considered “white” by the U.S. Census. But beginning in 2030, they will have their own ethnic category. Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, joins "Created Equal" to discuss the change and what it means to Americans in those communities.

A new Hispanic or Latino category with six additional options to specify ethnicity was approved for the next census form by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Maria Hinojosa, host of Latino USA, joins "Created Equal" to discuss the new category, immigration and what it all could mean.

Today on "Created Equal," we share highlights from this week's episodes, including what Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tell us about the segregation of country music in America; a federal lawsuit claiming government buildings in Michigan violate disability rights; the importance of free play for kids and more.

Active kids live better lives, so why is youth sports participation so low? Tom Farrey of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program and Dave Egner, President and CEO of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation join to talk about the path forward for increasing free play.