On Hand

In just a few weeks delegates for Michigan’s local Republican chapters will pick their representatives to send to the state party convention. This year’s a mid-term election, and lots of prize seats are in play, including the Governor’s office, and several Congressional seats - not to mention much of the state legislature. But the run up to these meetings is getting acrimonious in Macomb County, one of the reddest counties in SE Michigan.

GUEST:

Craig Mauger, Detroit News reporter

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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In 1914, Elsie Roxborough was born into a wealthy, Black family in Detroit. But when she died in 1949, her death certificate listed her as white. Her life was rich, curious and at times, troubled, all while attempting a sort of high-wire-act of living multiple lives, between cities and names and races. Today, we talk about her life, death, and everything in between.

GUEST:

Ken Coleman, writer and reporter

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A previous version of this story stated that Elsie Roxborough died in 1937. It has been updated to the correct year: 1947. 

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For a Black person in the 19th century or the first half of the 20th, "passing" meant living part or all of your life as non-Black. Literature, films and other cultural references to passing have been around for a long time. But recent works like the Rebecca Hall’s film adaptation of Nella Larsen’s book, Passing, have brought the idea of passing back to the forefront. Today on the podcast, we talk about the contexts that have caused this narrative to recur, across the centuries.

GUEST: 

Sandra Gunning, professor, Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, Department of American Culture at the University of Michigan

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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Metro Detroit broadcast journalist Christy MacDonald lost her husband, sports broadcaster Jamie Samuelsen, to colorectal cancer when he was just 48 years old. On today's pod, she talked to us about her family's story and how she became an advocate for early colon cancer screening. 

GUEST: 

Christy McDonald, broadcast journalist and widow of Jamie Samuelsen

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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Octavia Butler's 1993 book, Parable of the Sower served as a sort of upside-down comfort read for a lot of people during the pandemic. It draws readers into a 2024 America ripped apart by poverty, corporate greed, and climate calamity -- as a teenage girl leads a rag-tag group of followers through a scary world. Two of the Butler's most famous fans, Toshi Reagon and her mother Bernice Johnson Reagon have adapted Parable of the Sower into an opera, premiering in Michigan this weekend.

GUEST: 

Toshi Reagon, musician, composer, producer, co-creator of "Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower" concert opera

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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Just when you think you cannot with the cold weather anymore, here comes sugaring season, to take the bitterness of winter out of your mouth. We're dedicating this entire episode to all things maple sugar. We'll take a trip to one of Michigan's maple farms and later in show learn more about maple sugaring's Indigenous roots.

GUESTS: 

Kirk Hedding, owner of H&H Sugarbush

Jerry Jondreau, owner of Dynamite Hill Farm

Katy Bresette, owner of Dynamite Hill Farm

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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Yesterday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke before a joint session of Congress. He brought up Pearl Harbor, 9/11, Martin Luther King Jr., and urged the Biden administration for further action in the fight for peace in Ukraine. He was met with a standing ovation from the members of Congress. But how far will the U.S. go to achieve this sort of peace in Eastern Europe?

GUEST: 

Peter Meijer, U.S. representative for Michigan's 3rd congressional district

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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For the past five months, state health officials have been telling Benton Harbor residents not to drink their tap water. But now the safety message for Benton Harbor seems to be shifting. And it’s left some residents confused about how best to keep their families safe. Michigan Radio reporter Lindsey Smith filled us in on what's going on in the majority Black community in Southwest Michigan. 

GUEST: 

Lindsey Smith, investigative reporter at Michigan Radio

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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When Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivered his annual State of the City address last week, he spent a few minutes talking about the wider world’s fascination with crumbling homes and commercial buildings in Detroit. It’s not the first time Duggan has talked about removing blight. Or the second, or the third. But what has the push to bring down blighted buildings  actually meant for the people who live in Detroit’s neighborhoods? On today's pod, we hear from two reporters who have been looking into that question. 

GUESTS: 

Bryce Huffman, reporter with BridgeDetroit

Christine Ferretti, associate editor with BridgeDetroit

You can find Bryce and Christine's article about blight removal efforts in Detroit here.

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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Filling up your tank is getting more and more expensive. The average price for regular unleaded gas is now above $4 dollars per gallon in Michigan. While many consumers would like to see lower prices at the pump, those worried about climate change are wary of expanding drilling in the U.S. to make up for President Joe Biden's ban on Russian oil imports. That's the solution favored by many Republicans--and even some Democrats--in Congress. 

On today's pod, how the war in Ukraine is upsetting a global conversation about our use of energy in an era of climate change, and how the ripple effect of that convergence is being felt here at home.

GUESTS: 

Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy and former Michigan Governor 

Charles Ballard, professor of economics at Michigan State University

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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