The Metro

Over the last few decades, there has been a growing gender gap in college enrollment and graduation rates — with boys and men falling behind.

According to the American Institute for Boys and Men, there were 2.4 million more women than men in undergraduate programs on U.S. campuses last year. Additionally, more women have college degrees today than men of the same age, the Pew Research Center reports.

That’s important, because the more education a person gets the lower their chances are of living in poverty. So if getting a college degree is still the recommended path to success, why aren’t men doing it? While college enrollment among men has declined in recent years, targeted programs and outreach efforts have emerged to reverse that trend.

Antonio Rivers is a 19-year-old industrial mechanic from Southfield. After graduating from high school in 2023, he enrolled in a vocational training program instead of college. 

Rivers joined The Metro on Monday to talk about his decision to forgo a traditional four-year degree to become an industrial mechanic.

We also revisited a previous conversation with Curtis Lewis — founder of the Black Male Educators Alliance — about the organization's efforts to encourage more Black men to become teachers and why drawing more Black men into the classroom is vital.

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

The Detroit Documenters attend a range of public meetings and document what leaders and community members are saying. Their work helps us understand how government agencies, boards and commissions work — including Detroit’s Board of Police Commissioners. 

It oversees the Detroit Police Department for the community. It’s also in charge of approving promotions. 

Earlier this month, two commissioners voted against the promotion of an officer. It’s something that rarely happens. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt sat down with Detroit Documenter Nachum Eichenhorn and Coordinator Noah Kincade to learn more about the Board of Police Commissioners’ role. 

“Police are dealing with the apprehension and punishment of citizens for crimes,” Eichenhorn said. “[Police] reach out and touch people physically, and that requires a higher degree of scrutiny.”

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

The impact from President Trump’s tariffs on vehicles and auto parts is shifting into a new gear. 

Ford Motor Company says the tariffs have forced the automaker to raise prices on vehicles built in Mexico by as much as $2,000. Still, the company says it’s still not passing on the full cost of tariffs to buyers, and will continue charging discount prices until at least July 4.

Ford claims it’s in a better position than other domestic automakers because about 80% of the vehicles it sells in North America are already built in the U.S. The United Auto Workers argue that Detroit’s other car companies can do the same.

Twice last week, the UAW held rallies designed to pressure Stellantis into building more products at its U.S. factories, especially in Michigan. WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter visited one of the rallies at a union hall in Warren. He joined The Metro to share what he heard from union members. 

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

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.

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

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.