On Hand

A couple of months ago, the biggest vaccine problem for Michiganders was finding one. But now, the state faces an opposite challenge - finding people ready to sign up for the healthy supply of doses available. What does this mean for our ability to return to some kind of normal? Is herd immunity even possible anymore and what would it take to get there? 

GUESTS: 

Debra Furr-Holden, an associate dean and a professor of public health at Michigan State University. She’s director of the Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions. 

Hassan Jaber, president and CEO of ACCESS, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Dearborn. 

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Michigan saw $16 billion in loans to businesses during the first two phases of federal Paycheck Protection Program lending. The Reveal Reporting Network analyzed five million of these PPP loans from 5,000 banks. What they found was that the winners and losers often fell along racial lines. On today’s episode, we talk to Michigan Radio reporters Nisa Khan and Tyler Scott about what the data showed in the Metro Detroit area.

If you want to read more about how PPP loans got distributed in Southeast Michigan, check out Nisa and Tyler’s story here.

GUESTS:

Nisa Khan, data reporter at Michigan Radio

Tyler Scott, reporter and weekend host at Michigan Radio

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

 

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The US Census Bureau had a really hard time doing its work last year. Between COVID and natural disasters occurring across the country, the census process was delayed by months. But now the first data set of the 2020 Census is in. And for Michigan, the numbers are telling a story we’ve heard before. It's the fifth consecutive census in which we've lost a congressional seat. Today, what these results mean for Michigan’s political landscape. 

GUESTS:

KurtMetzger, mayor of Pleasant Ridge and founder-emeritus of Data Driven Detroit 

John Lindstrom, former publisher of Gongwer News Service - Michigan

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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It’s election year in Michigan’s largest city, and the Detroit City Council will soon look much different. Four councilmembers have announced they will not seek reelection. One of those is Raquel Castañeda-López, who represents the heavily Latino area of Southwest Detroit. Today on the podcast, we talk to Castañeda-López about passing the torch to a new generation of progressive leaders, and what she’s learned about the interplay between activists and people in elected office.

GUESTS:

Raquel Castañeda-López, Detriot City Councilmember, representing District 6

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

 

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There’s a new generation of tattoo artists making big changes in the industry. Many of them are people of color, LGBTQ, women, and non-binary folks. And these artists are working to make the tattoo shop a more inclusive place for people with all kinds of bodies. Ann Arbor tattoo artist Carrie Metz-Caporusso is doing that with their “roll flower” designs that are meant to complement and enhance the beauty of fat bodies—instead of hiding them.

GUESTS:

Carrie Metz-Caporusso is a tattoo artist at Lucky Monkey Tattoo in Ann Arbor

You can find pictures of Carrie’s roll flower tattoos here or on their Instagram.  

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Michigan is leading the nation with a third surge of COVI-19 cases and hospitalizations. Though there have been some positive signs that the current surge is beginning to ebb, it’s still pretty dire in some area hospitals where patients have been much younger than in the first and second surges. At the same time, vaccinations continue at a good and steady pace in the state, though there are signs that the demand for vaccinations is also ebbing, and perhaps too early. Today, we talk with the former health director for the City of Detroit and a public health expert, Abdul El-Sayed.

GUEST: Abdul El-Sayed, a policymaker in residence at the University of Michigan Gerald Ford School for Public Policy. He’s also co-author, with Micah Johnson, of the new book, “Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide”.

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The lake sturgeon is the biggest and oldest fish in the Great Lakes. They’ve been around for millions of years, but their numbers have dwindled in the last century. That’s why state wildlife officials and sturgeon conservationists are calling for citizens to step up and protect adult lake sturgeon from poaching as the fish journey along the Black River back to their spawning grounds. So, do you have what it takes to join the sturgeon guard?

GUESTS:

Dave Borgeson, fisheries supervisor with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Brenda Archambo, president of the group Sturgeon for Tomorrow

To learn more about how to get involved with lake sturgeon conservation efforts, visit Sturgeon for Tomorrow’s website.

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If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Last night the US Supreme Court published a pretty big decision. The court gave judges more discretion in sentencing really young offenders to life without parole. Today, we’re digging into what this decision means for Michigan and for "juvenile lifers" who are waiting for resentencing. 

GUESTS:

Deborah Labelle, Washington correspondent for the Detroit News

Efren Paredes, Advocate for juvenile offenders.

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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We like to hold up America’s wild spaces as equal playgrounds for all, but access to nature isn’t as universal as we’d like to think. Many people of color face major barriers to participating in outdoor activities like camping or hiking. Today on the podcast, we hear about some people that are trying to change that.

GUESTS:

Rhonda Smith, writer for Planet Detroit. You can find Rhonda’s articles about making outdoor recreation more accessible to people of color here.

Antonio Rafael, Detroit environmental activist and director of the Detroit Leadership and Environmental Education Program, an initiative of the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Regional Center.

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If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Now that a jury has convicted Derek Chauvin on three counts for the death of George Floyd, are we in a different chapter of America’s conversation about police and use of force? Today, hear from activists from activists from Grand Rapids to Detroit, and we talk through what the verdict means with a couple of people who closely follow the legal and social forces in play.

GUESTS:

Tracey Brame, associate dean at Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School, director of the WMU Innocence Project

Jennifer Cobbina, associate professor at Michigan State University’s School of Criminal Justice

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.