Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson

Created Equal is about the promise of opportunity and the challenge of inequality from the city that built America — Detroit. Exploring the strings of inequality that run through the American experience, each episode explores the question: How did we arrive at this moment in history? Stephen Henderson hosts, building on familiar themes from Detroit Today, which is now an archived show. Search for Created Equal from WDET Detroit Public Radio on your favorite podcast app or WDET.org. Or listen live weekdays, 9-10 a.m. on 101.9 FM in Detroit.

Much like I-375 in Detroit, cities around the US are undergoing highway removal projects. But what can we learn from how they engage with the communities who will be affected by the plans? Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, chief executive with the Ashé Cultural Arts Center in New Orleans, joins Stephen to share what it’s like for the community to be involved at the onset of a highway’s removal. Then, Regan Patterson, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, stops by to share if there is an effective process for highway removal that can repair and reconcile communities next to highways.

Continuing our Reckoning 375 series, Jonathan Loree from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) joins Stephen to explain why the department plans to build a road where I-375 currently exists. Then, former Detroit Free Press columnist John Gallagher explains how we got to this point in the project's existence.

On this re-aired conversation, we continue our mini-series "Reckoning 375" with a look at the history of Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. Stephen Henderson is joined by Detroit historian Jamon Jordan and researcher Emily Kutil to take a closer look at the history and culture of Black Bottom and Paradise Valley amid plans to replace I-375 in downtown Detroit with a six-lane boulevard.

Beginning with the voices of people who lived in or were connected to Black Bottom and were forced to move due to the construction of I-375, Stephen Henderson and Nick Austin re-air this Detroit Today miniseries — Reckoning 375 — every Friday until late November. In this episode, they listen to recordings from Bert Dearing, Jr. of Bert's Marketplace, Marsha Music, a voice narrator and artist, and Gloria Hopkins, a former resident of Black Bottom, and explore what the neighborhood mean to them and the consequences of dismantling it in lieu of constructing I-375.

From policy proposals to 80s music references, a lot happened at Gov. Whitmer's 2024 State of the State address. Zach Gorchow of Gongwer News Service, longtime political consultant Greg Bowens, and Lauren Gibbons of Bridge Michigan, join Stephen to break down the speech, including the specific policy proposals and what we should expect from Lansing ahead of the upcoming elections.

A new proposed tax credit from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would provide up to $5,000 in relief to caregivers in the state. Advocates suggest the relief would be especially helpful for members of the 'sandwich' generation -- working adults who care for their minor children, while simultaneously serving as the primary caregiver for aging parents and the challenges they face with conditions like dementia. Danielle Atkinson, Founding Director of Mothering Justice, joins Stephen to discuss why her organization is supportive of the proposal. Then, Wayne State University Assistant Professor Amanda Leggett stops by to detail her research into the 'sandwich' generation, including what makes their caretaking challenges unique and ways we can help reduce the burden.

Detroit’s Reparations Task Force has had a bumpy road of late, with three vacancies and inconsistent meetings. So, what’s next with the task force? And, what are they doing to get back on track. Reparations Task Force Co-chair Keith Williams, and the founders of the African American Redress Network discuss the new efforts that are happening to study past harms done to Black Detroiters. Malachi Barrett of Bridge Detroit joins to offer context to the situation.

Half of Detroit’s residents are renters. On this re-aired episode of Detroit Today, Anika Goss, CEO of Detroit Future City says to increase homeownership in the city, we need banks to support lending for homes priced under $100,000. Goss and Stephen also discussed the barriers to homeownership for Black residents and the importance of homeownership as a key way to build generational wealth.

Sports stadiums and teams get millions and even billions of dollars of tax breaks and that begs the question: Should Detroit and other cities be luring sports teams if they have to give up a lot of money in order to do so? Bill Shea, a sports business journalist and novelist, and David Berri, a sports economist and professor at Southern Utah University, join Stephen to discuss whether sports teams are worth it.