Created Equal

More women are running for president now than in decades past, but the U.S. still hasn’t had a woman president. On today's episode of "Created Equal," we revisit a conversation from 2022 with NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent and author Ali Vitali about why women are often excluded from politics or denigrated within the political arena.

Can grant programs for nonprofits lead to prosperity? Kim Trent, deputy director for prosperity for the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) joins Stephen Henderson to make the case for bipartisan anti-poverty programs with the goal of making Michigan a more prosperous state.

Victim compensation is a lesser-known part of the criminal justice system. University of Michigan professor Jeremy Levine had not heard of it until he needed to use it himself, after he was shot in the leg and needed assistance paying his hospital bill. In doing his own research, he discovered that Black victims were disproportionately denied for benefits in many states for subjective reasons. On today's episode, Levine joins Stephen Henderson to explain what victim compensation is and why this discrepancy exists.

Today on "Created Equal," we share highlights from this week's episodes, including the push to rotate the states that vote early in presidential primaries, NPR's Ayesha Rascoe on her new book and how historically Black colleges and universities add value to the world and more.

What does the “uncommitted” vote in Michigan’s Democratic primary mean for President Biden in November? Abbas Alawieh from the Listen to Michigan campaign joins Stephen Henderson to discuss the groups reasons for voting “uncommited.” Plus, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell and Abed Hammoud, founder of the Arab American Political Action Committee, add their perspective.

The Founding Fathers originally left the right to vote out of the Constitution. On today’s episode of "Created Equal," host Stephen Henderson revisits a conversation from the WDET Book Club with two voting rights experts, Bertrall Ross and Theodore Johnson, about why the omission has made access to the ballot box a constant struggle for Black voters.

Ayesha Rascoe is a graduate of Howard University and a regular voice on NPR. In her new book, “HBCU Made,” she recruits distinguished graduates of historically Black colleges and universities to share their accounts enrolling and attending their schools. On this episode of "Created Equal," Stephen talks to Rascoe about her experiences and how these institutions' impact goes beyond its graduates.

Michigan’s presidential primary is on Tuesday, Feb. 27. That’s a lot earlier than previous years, making the state among the first to hold primaries in the race. What does the change mean for Michigan and the nation — especially in a presidential primary that has two candidates who seem to have their nominations locked up already? U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan) and political commentator Jamal Simmons join the show to discuss.

Today on "Created Equal," we share highlights from this week's episodes, from setting the historical record straight on Black invention in America, to Detroit’s scrapyard problem, the consequences of omitting America’s racial history and more.

Nikki Haley was criticized for omitting slavery when she was asked about the cause of the civil war but has since walked her statement back. On today’s episode of Created Equal, Stephen talks with Princeton African American studies professor Eddie Glaude about what caused the civil war and how revising or omitting that history impacts all of us.