On Hand

Michigan was known for yeas as one of the most gerrymandered states in the nation. Today, we’ll hear how we got the political representation we have currently, and the latest on what’s going on to change it.

GUEST: 

John Lindstrom is the former publisher of Gongwer News Service and a retired journalist covering state capital politics. 

Sue Hammersmith is the executive director of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.

NOTES:

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.

From ice fishing scenes to mid-air polar bear plunges, Amy Sacka's photos could convince even the most Vitamin-D deprived Michigander of the joy of winter. But some of her most recent work examines what we stand to lose as climate change begins to reshape what Michigan winters. On today’s episode, we hear from the Detroit-based photographer about documenting the thawing of the Great Lakes.

GUEST:

Amy Sacka, Detroit-based documentary photographer

Amy Sacka’s ice fishing photography exhibit titledLast Ice will be on display at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Detroit’s Belle Isle through April 24.

You can find some of her photos from her National Geographic feature 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.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So here’s a drawing prompt for you: how would you depict the interior of your mind? Would it be a scribble...a web? A cloud? Detroit-based artist Elizabeth Youngblood  explores her method for illustrating  interiors - along with other matters - in her new solo exhibition titled “Room Tone”. 

It’s on view now at M Contemporary Gallery in Ferndale.

GUESTS: 

Elizabeth Youngblood is an artist based in Detroit.

See the exhibition here.

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.

Many demographic groups are starting to get a whiff of their coronavirus vaccination. Governor Whitmer announced that state health officials have approved scheduling Michiganders age 50 and up. But there are so many people who’ve spent the past year waiting - and not sitting at home to wait. We’re talking about the front line workers in Michigan’s food processing facilities, groceries and big-box stores. They’ve had no choice but to show up for work, interacting in situations that are sometimes physically distanced, and sometimes not. Today, what their year has been like. 

GUESTS: 

Laura Boss and Abby Yeary both work at a grocery chain in Washtenaw County.

 

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 state of Michigan is beginning to open up the pool of people eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. But many in the disability community say they’re being left behind despite a higher risk of serious complications from the virus. On today's episode, we talk to a disability rights advocate in Detroit about the successful campaign to get the city to open vaccine eligibility to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the push to get the state to follow suit. 

You can read the full statement from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services here.

GUEST: 

Dessa Cosma is the executive director of Detroit Disability Power 

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.

Bethany Christian Services, a Michigan-based adoption network, one of the largest in the nation, now says it’s open to placing children in homes with LGBTQ parents. 

GUEST: Dana Nessel is Michigan's Attorney General. She had an important role in the early stages of the legal challenges. 

NOTES:

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 pandemic hasn’t been easy on anyone’s mental health, and that includes kids. On today’s episode, we talk about the challenges kids and families are facing when it comes to pandemic stressors, and get some advice on how you can help the kids in your life cope with the uncertainty surrounding school and, well, everything else.

GUEST:

Erin Hunter, child psychologist and interim director of the University Center for the Child and Family at the University of Michigan  

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.

Yesterday after being charged with 24 felony counts, John Geddert died by suicide. Today we’re looking into who John Geddert was, and what his death means in the name of justice for survivors of his abuse in elite gymnastics.

GUESTS:

Dan Murphy, staff writer at ESPN

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.

Historically known as "Black Eden", Idlewild has been many things over the past 100 years. 

A center of entertainment and resort space for black celebrities.

A peaceful haven when Jim Crow made safety feel impossible for black people. 

These days, there's a renewed interest in this part of Yates' Township.  

Black families still live here, and there’s so much new energy. A new generation of entrepreneurs, vacationers and even residents are returning to Idlewild to see just what the world has been missing these last 60 years. 

On today's episode we hear from two people working to bring Idlewild into the future for a new generation.

GUESTS:

Blair Evans, Yates Township Planning Commission

Susan Matous,  Idlewild Resident, Property Management & Tourism Entrepreneur

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.

New data from the state paints a grim picture of racial disparities in vaccination rates for Black Michiganders. The state cautions that there are some major gaps in that data, but it's a troubling snapshot.

On today's episode, we’ll talk to a Michigan Radio reporter about what the state is trying to do to address both the incomplete data and the low rate of vaccination for Black communities. Also, we talk to two students at the University of Michigan about what campus life is like a year into the pandemic.

GUESTS:

Kate Wells, Michigan Radio reporter

Amanda Vogel, University of Michigan graduate student

Theo Zangoulas, University of Michigan senior

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.