Detroit at Play is a workshop series led by the Taubman Visualization Lab at the University of Michigan. 

Last month, in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, high school students developed software engineering skills and designed video games. 

Devaughn Washington is a 9th grade student who participated in the program. His team developed the game “Junkyard Mayhem,” where players find supplies in a junkyard and use it to fix up homes in a virtual Detroit-inspired world. 

Washington joined The Metro to discuss the collaborative process of creating a game with a team of peers and what he learned. Director of the Taubman Visualization Lab Ishan Pal-Signh also joined the show.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

If you haven’t heard yet, the Catholic church has a new leader. 

Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Robert Francis Prevost, was elected on Thursday to lead 1.4 billion Roman Catholics around the world. Interestingly, he’s from Chicago, which marks the first time the world has a pope from the United States. 

In the 1970s, he attended a now-closed catholic high school in Southwest Michigan. On Saturday, he said he wants to focus on “loving care for the least and the rejected.”

Reverend Tim Wezner of the Archdiocese of Detroit joined The Metro to talk about the significance of an American pope and the pope’s influence beyond the Roman Catholic Church.  

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Michigan schools have sputtered and stalled since the pandemic and advocates say the stakes are historically high.

According to a new report by the nonpartisan think tank Ed Trust-Midwest, Michigan ranks near the bottom nationwide in terms of how it funds students from low-income families.

Student learning, meanwhile, is stuck in a lethargic recovery following the virtual school days of COVID-19.

The report shows significant gaps in reading and math scores. Students from low-income households, students with disabilities, and Black and Latino students are all falling far behind.

At the same time, federal financial support for public schools remains uncertain as the Trump administration makes substantial cuts to the Department of Education.

These findings have animated a bipartisan group of Michigan leaders who say now is the time to act. They are calling for more investment, more accountability, and a concrete plan to support Michigan’s most vulnerable kids.

So what does this moment demand — and what happens if Michigan misses it? To answer these questions, Amber Arellano, executive director of Ed Trust-Midwest, joined The Metro.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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Earlier this week, the Metropolitan Museum of American Art hosted its yearly Gala as part of its fundraising efforts for the museum. This year’s theme being ‘"Superfine tailoring Black Style" otherwise interpreted as, Black Dandyism.

Dandyism was a way of expressing confidence and personal revolutions within oneself. Born out of the struggles of enslavement, Black Americans found power in the way they presented themselves post slavery, during reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance and beyond, dressing well wasn’t up for debate, it was a way of life. 

Entertainment consultant Afrikka Johnson joined The Metro on Thursday to talk about the theme after her experience attending this year, consulting for Miss Lauryn Hill.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Editor's note: Early in the conversation Johnson said that the Met Gala raised $71 million. The actual number is $31 million, but she is correct that it is the largest amount raised in the event’s 77-year history.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

What does Shakespeare look like set in a Detroit high school? That's the idea behind “All Hail - A Contemporary Retelling of Julius Ceasar.”

It's the latest production from the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, which works with young performers in middle and high school throughout Detroit.

The play opens this weekend at the Detroit Film Theatre and runs through May 18.

WDET's Ryan Patrick Hooper spoke with "All Hail" playwright and director Shavonne Coleman about the production.  

Editor's note: The Mosaic Youth Theater is an underwriter for WDET.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

No matter who you are, being a parent is a tough job. There’s no one definitive playbook for how to best love and guide your kids. 

And mothers are frequently the ones to care and nurture us, to keep us in line when it matters and to expose us to different people and places. 

The former U.S. Surgeon General said last year that parental stress is a significant public health issue. But we know that, in addition to the challenges, there are a lot of joys that come with motherhood. 

There are opportunities for creating stronger connections, for providing and maybe sometimes receiving care and for expanding love. 

And as Mother’s Day is coming up, we’re looking at what a day in the life of a mom is like. Today on The Metro, two mothers from different places in our region share their perspective on motherhood and what it means to them.

Ambra Redrick runs the nonprofit Teen Hype in Detroit. She has two biological daughters and her husband has two children that she helps raise as well. Lori Goldman is a mom of four.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

7 Mile and Livernois is home to Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion and has been for many years. Thriving businesses line the streetscape with an array of shops, restaurants and art galleries — most of them Black-owned.

Detroit artist Tiff Massey shines a spotlight on this culturally rich neighborhood with her latest exhibit "7 Mile + Livernois" — which has been on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts for the past year. Massey is the youngest artist to have a solo exhibit on display at the DIA.

The exhibition — closing this weekend — features a variety of installations, public art and wearable sculptures that celebrate Black American culture and style. The DIA will host a closing celebration, “7 Mile + Livernois After Dark,” this Friday, with live performances from DJs Kesswa and Donavan Glover. 

Massey joined The Metro on Thursday to reflect on the year-long exhibit before it closes.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The Michigan Global Talent Initiative released a report saying Michigan is on track to add 125,000 college-educated immigrants to the state's job market as part of the state's Sixty by 30 goal.

The goal aims to have 60% of Michigan’s workforce to obtain a post-secondary degree or professional credential by 2030.

Steve Tobocman, executive director at Global Detroit, spoke with WDET's Nargis Rahman about the goal and what resources are being utilized to grow the number of high-skilled immigrants joinging Michigan's economy.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

For the first time in over a decade, Mayor Mike Duggan will not be on the ballot for Detroit mayor.

The longtime Democrat announced in December that he’ll instead be campaigning (as an independent) for Michigan governor — opening up a competitive field of candidates vying to fill his shoes.

That includes former Detroit police Chief James Craig, Detroit Councilmember Fred Durhal, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, former nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins and attorney Todd Perkins. 

As mayor, Duggan prioritized ridding the city of blight, revitalizing parks and recreation centers, and decreasing crime with the help of initiatives like community violence intervention programs.

Today on The Metro, BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett breaks down the Detroit mayoral race and the candidates' priorities for the city. We also revisit a recent conversation with Detroit Future City CEO Anika Goss about what she believes the city's new leadership should be prioritize.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Americans are struggling to find affordable places to live. With the cost of living, gas and groceries going up, Detroit it is no exception. According to a report from the Detroit Justice Center, Detroit is behind in supplying affordable homes to residents.

Still, this is an issue city leaders have tried to address. For the better part of a decade, officials have invested millions of dollars into affordable housing projects. But the city is still unable to keep up with demand. Those efforts have only multiplied in recent years.

Julia Cardi, an investigative reporter for The Detroit News, has been covering affordable housing in Detroit. She joined The Metro on Wednesday to talk about the city’s past investments and the work that’s happening now to bring more affordable housing to the city.

Also, MiSide Community Impact Network President Sean De Four joined the show to talk about Campbell Street Apartments — Southwest Detroit's new $18 million affordable housing development — ahead of the project's ribbon cutting.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.