On Hand

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit has a new board member, filmmaker dream hampton. She was the executive producer of “Surviving R. Kelly," and has a long legacy of working the space between art and activism. Today, the interplay between artistic freedom and social responsibility.

GUEST: 

dream hampton, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Detroit native

 

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

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

Stateside theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to government transparency and accountability laws, Michigan ranks last out of all states, according to a 2015 report from the Center for Public Integrity. Today on the pod, we’ll talk to two reporters covering the effort to change that by making the executive and legislative branches of state government subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

GUESTS:

Craig Mauger, Detroit News reporter

Emily Lawler, MLive reporter

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.

The Detroit Free Press named longtime area chef, Phil Jones, Chef of the Year. On today's episode of the pod, we're talking about how the pandemic has revealed weak spots in our food system and what Phil Jones is doing to fill in those gaps.

GUEST:

Phil Jones, 2021 Detroit Free Press Chef of the year

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.

We're over a year into the coronavirus pandemic. Every single person in Michigan has been impacted by it. But the pandemic feels different in day-to-day life across the state, and that’s certainly true for Yooper's in the Upper Peninsula. Today, we’ll hear from a local business owner about life and business up north, and we'll speak to a lawmaker about the impact of COVID-19 in her district. 

GUESTS:

Rep. Sara Cambensy represents the 109th District, including Marquette in the State House of Representatives. 

Bugsy Sailor is the owner of U.P. Supply Company in Marquette. 

 

Stateside theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the podcast, we get in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with a conversation about the history of Irish immigration in Michigan. And we’ll talk to the owner of a bar in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, a historically Irish enclave, about what the festivities look like in 2021. 

GUESTS:

Pat Commins and Elizabeth Rice, authors of Irish Immigrants in Michigan: A History in Stories

PJ Ryder, owner of PJ’s Lager House in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood

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.

Michigan was once a stronghold of the so-called “Reagan Democrat.” But now, another breed of swing voter has emerged. Today, Michigan’s role in crafting these unique, amorphous, and consequential voting blocs. 

 

GUEST:

Zack Stanton is digital editor for Politico. His recent work is titled, “The Rise of the Biden Republicans.”

 

Stateside theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package into law. What does that mean for Michigan? On today’s episode of the pod, we’ll hear how much money the state is expecting—and how it might be spent. We’ll also talk about what such a massive infusion of cash could do for Michigan’s economy.  

GUESTS:

Melissa Nann Burke, Washington correspondent for the Detroit News

Charley Ballard, economics professor at Michigan State University

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.

Michigan just marked its first full year of legal recreational marijuana sales. As the cannabis business continues to grow in the state, some Michiganders are wondering: how can I get a job in this booming industry? Our Cannabis, a group in West Michigan, is offering free training and advice for people hoping to find work in the marijuana business.

GUEST:

Matt Hoffman is the founder and chairman of the Grand Rapids-based nonprofit Our Cannabis.

Stateside theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Biden administration's Covid-19 relief package passed through Congress this week, and it had a little reported provision that would be of specific benefit to black farmers. It provides $4 billion in debt relief to disadvantaged farmers. About a quarter of those who qualify are black. Over the past century, black farmers have lost millions of acres in farmland. In 1920, they numbered nearly a million. Today, there are fewer than 50,000. Bruce Michael Wilson, who owns Groundswell Community Farm in Zeeland, wants to help change that. He took over the farm in 2019 and hopes to use it as both a business and as an opportunity to teach the next generation about farming and land stewardship. 

 

Stateside theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s hard to find words to sum up the year that’s gone by since Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the first cases of COVID-19 in Michigan. Around 16,000 people in the state have died from COVID-19. Schools closed down. Businesses went dark. Front line workers risked their health for us. And then there have been the million little unique ways each one of our lives shifted.

Today on the pod, we hear from people across the state about how their lives have changed since the beginning of the pandemic. And we talk to a funeral director about what it’s been like to be a “last responder” during a period of heavy loss.

GUEST:

Paddy Lynch, funeral director at Lynch and Sons funeral home in Clawson.

A special thanks to Michigan Radio reporters Beenish Ahmed, Dustin Dwyer, and producer Rachel Ishikawa for putting together the voices across Michigan at the top of this episode.

You can find more stories of how Michiganders’ lives have changed here.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.