The Metro

Detroit has a new coalition fighting for its creative future. 

The Detroit Partnership for Arts Education is a cross-sector coalition, supported by Detroit public schools, health leaders, philanthropists and artists. Its mission is to connect more young people with music, media, and the arts. 

The initiative is employing a three-prong approach meant to connect students with arts programs with an online navigator, set a vision and benchmarks for arts education in Detroit, and gather data to support a well-funded and accountable system.

A number of leaders in the arts in Detroit are joining the partnership.

Guests:

At the end of August, at least three women in Southeast Michigan were killed by a partner or family member. Those cases prompted questions about protection orders—processes through which victims of domestic abuse can protect themselves.

Do they make a difference, and what more can be done to prevent instances of abuse?

Chéree Thomas is the Co-Executive Director of the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. She believes the responsibility to protect victims should not be placed exclusively on the justice system, it should also be placed on the shoulders of the broader community.

She joined the show to discuss how to collectively address and reduce domestic violence. 

High fashion often leads back to Europe, where some of the largest fashion houses in the world are. Since Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854 in Paris, it's become a leader in fashion, particularly men’s fashion. 

In 2018, the company made history by announcing its first Black man as lead creative director of menswear, Virgil Abloh. The Midwest-born fashion designer made a statement with the appointment. And in his short time at the helm, Virgil helped usher in a new, fresh take on the brand. He brought in street wear, making it chic and high fashion. 

Virgil Abloh passed away in 2021 at the age of 41, but the legacy he left behind lives on today. 

The Metro’s Tia Graham spoke with Robin Givhan, author of the new book "Make it Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh". 

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 30 years, a major exhibition featuring contemporary Native American art from the Great Lakes region will be on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). “Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation” opens Sunday, September 28, 2025 and runs through April 5, 2026.

The exhibition features 60 artists and over 90 works in mediums from textiles to film, all of which were created by Anishinaabe artists and curated with guidance from a council of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi artists.

Guests:

The exhibition is free with general admission to the DIA, which is always free for Tri-County residents. It is also free for visitors and accompanying children with a tribal ID.

Season Fair is a new contemporary art fair debuting at Michigan Central this month as part of Detroit Month of Design.

Financially supported by The Gilbert Family Foundation, the fair will gather 11 leading galleries from across North America. Ten Detroit-based artists will be featured alongside special projects, artist talks and civic engagement. 

The Metro’s Tia Graham spoke with Akua Hill, director of arts and culture at the Gilbert Family Foundation and Amani Olu, founder and curatorial director of Season Fair. 

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

Detroit’s arenas are packed with fans and money on game day. But the workers who make it all run say the payoff often doesn’t match the hustle.

The Detroit Industry Standard Boards for sports arenas have been meeting to discuss challenges people working at Little Caesars Arena, Comerica Park and Ford Field are facing. 

They are nearing the end of the process and will submit recommendations to improve working conditions at professional sporting events and concerts in Detroit. 

The process also shows the different needs of workers and employers. 

A letter from Ilitch Sports and Entertainment said compensation is not the primary motivation of workers. The company manages Comerica Park, Little Caesars Arena, and is the owner of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers. 

Professor Kess Ballentine, who conducted two surveys of Detroit arena workers, said many work multiple jobs. But Michigan’s preemption laws make it illegal for any city to raise the minimum wage, along with changing other working standards. 

Producer Jack Filbrandt spoke with Detroit Documenters Ashley Williams and Noah Kincade to learn more.

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

Metro Detroit is home to one of the largest Iraqi communities outside the Middle East. Muslims and Chaldeans share streets, shops, and schools here. Together they hold stories of displacement, of wars fought by the United States on their homeland, even as that same nation became their place of safety. Yet that closeness is cleaved by sharp differences, most notably at the ballot box. 

Many Chaldeans, rooted in Catholic tradition and conservative values, have leaned Republican. Muslim Americans, once loyal Democrats, broke away in 2024, frustrated that the Biden administration did not stop the devastation in Gaza. Many instead voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

These political choices are layered with questions of identity, family, and faith. They are the backdrop of "Pomegranate," a film written and directed by Iraqi American author Weam Namou.

The story unfolds during the 2016 election. It follows Niran, a young Muslim refugee who finds herself in a conservative Chaldean Christian neighborhood. Through her eyes, we see the push and pull of trying to belong amid the stereotypes Middle Eastern women face in America.

Namou has spent her career writing about these themes. She has given voice to Iraqi women’s experiences of migration, resilience, and faith. "Pomegranate" carries that work forward. Although the film is set years ago, its questions still feel urgent: How do communities live together when politics and religion pull them apart? How do women escape the boxes sharply drawn out for them?

Namou joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss belonging in America today.

When Ali began his journey into eyewear manufacturing, he knew nothing about the industry. With determination, he figured it out and today he stands as Detroit’s only eyewear manufacturer.

His creations are described as dope glasses for local and international audiences, even catching the eye of DJ Kaytranada.

Ali grew up across Metro Detroit and calls himself a man of Michigan and a man of God. His faith, along with his lifelong drive for business, led him to build a vision around eyeglass design and creation.

In an effort to reduce the high case load, Wayne County has recommended that City of Detroit attorneys prosecute misdemeanor offenses. Earlier this month, Detroit city council voted 8-1 to do just that beginning in July of next year. 

What kinds of cases will the city oversee? What kind of burden might this place on Detroit?

Conrad Mallett, Jr. is the corporation counsel for the City of Detroit. He spoke with Robyn Vincent.

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

While Donald Trump is in the United Kingdom meeting with prime minister Keir Starmer and the King of England, the highest-ranking U-S official on American soil is Vice President JD Vance. The VP visited Michigan yesterday, making a stop at a metal stamping plant in Howell.

Vance toured the facility before delivering a speech to a room of largely conservative supporters. The visit came one week after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered by a gunman in Utah.

Vance shouted out Kirk for his embodiment of conservative values and success in attracting youth into the Republican party. Main talking points also centered around President Trump’s economic policy and deployments of the National Guard.

“We deserve to be safe in our communities again,” said Vance, “and that’s what the president is making happen.”

Vance told the crowd he would be happy to see the National Guard deployed in Detroit, calling on Governor Whitmer to ask for the White House’s assistance. That’s despite crime rates in the city trending down in recent years.

Vance said the White House’s economic policies will make things cheaper for families.

“We talk about no taxes on overtime," said Vance, “which we are proud to deliver — the lowest taxes we’ve had in this country in a very long time.”

Michigan Democrats have countered the president’s spending bill and economic policies have hurt residents around the state, driving up prices on things like healthcare and groceries.