Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Metro

What’s So Funny About Detroit? returns to The Old Miami Thursday, July 30. In the Groove’s Ryan Patrick Hooper will host comedians such as Zech, Brett Mercer and Heather Jowett.

Melanie Hearn, an actress and writer from Detroit, will perform as a second-time headliner. She joins The Metro to share more about her career and her connection to Detroit.

A pending asylum application was never a legal status. But for decades, filing one within your first year — as the law requires — meant immigration agents largely left you alone while you waited. That's changed.

Attorney Kevin Piecuch runs a free legal clinic in Southwest Detroit. He tells Robyn Vincent that people with pending cases are now being picked up at their homes and their jobs. Robyn also speaks with a young woman detained while her case was still pending — we're not using her real name — and with Pastor Kevin Casillas of the First Latin American Baptist Church.

We asked ICE's Detroit field office to respond. It has not yet done so.

Have thoughts? Email the show: metro@wdet.org

Ppl Movin is a social media talk show that brings people to Detroit's under utilized public transit, Detroit People Mover. The show is co-hosted by Layla McMurtrie and Deonte Bell. 

Their show brings strangers, artists and changemakers onto the Detroit People Mover and asks two simple questions: What’s moving you and what’s your next stop? 

Their storytelling brings a new, younger perspective to the changing landscape of Detroit. 

McMurtrie and Bell joined The Metro to talk more about Ppl Movin and an upcoming event.

When someone leaves an abusive home, we tend to think of it as the end of the story. Advocates say it's often when the violence escalates — and when survivors are left to rebuild a sense of self after years of being told they had none.

For Mental Health Awareness Month, JoJo Dries joins The Metro to talk about the long work of healing after domestic violence. Dries runs On the Wings of Angels, a metro Detroit nonprofit meeting survivors with shelter, security, therapy and a community willing to stay. She spoke with Ahlem Mahdhi, a fellow at WDET through the U.S. State Department's Professional Fellows Program.

Editor's note: This episode includes descriptions of abuse. If you need help, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.

Today on The Metro, we speak with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens about President-elect Donald Trump's plans to deport millions of people in the U.S., and how it might impact Canada. WDET's Quinn Kleinfelter also joins the show to talk about Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's announcement that he won't be seeking reelection.

Today on The Metro, we talk to metro Detroit attorneys Shereef Akeel and Mohammed Alomari after a ruling that awarded $42 million to three Abu Ghraib prisoners and found they were abused by interrogators. Journalist Salah Al-Ejaili, one of the survivors and plaintiffs in the case, also joins the show. 

Today on The Metro, it's the start of Michigan's firearm deer hunting season. We talk to Black to the Land Co-founder Antonio Cosme and the organization's Global Kids Program Coordinator Andrea Di Cresce about how they're supporting hunters of color during the season. We also talk to City Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway about her effort to keep marijuana advertisements out of sight from kids.

Today on The Metro, we're joined by Northwestern University Professor William Dichtell who's researching how microbes can breakdown forever chemicals. Also on the show, we talk to Pleasant Ridge Filmmaker Alan Bernstein about his new documentary "When we Went Mad" on the famed satirical magazine. 

Today on The Metro, we break down the 2024 election results in southeast Michigan with political consultant Dennis Darnoi. We also talk about how the Arab American community in Dearborn voted with Palestinian-American comedian, attorney and activist Amer Zahr. 

Today on The Metro, My Mental Wellness Director Danish Hasan and one of the center’s therapists, Takween Dwaik, join the show. It's one of the first community mental health centers in North America to open inside of a mosque. We also have a conversation with Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. on his new book, "Citizen Printer."

Detroit filmmaker Christine Swanson has a new project out in theaters everywhere on Nov. 15. "Albany Road" follows a high-powered woman who on her way to the most important meeting of her life is forced to share a rental car during a snowstorm with the mother of her ex-fiancee. The movie stars Emmy Award-winning actress Lynn Whitfield and Tony Award-winning performer Renée Elise Goldsberry. Swanson joins the show to discuss.

Brian Pannebecker, a retired auto worker and 25-year UAW member from Macomb County, spoke with The Metro producer Sam Corey about how Trump earned his vote. Also, the 21st annual Detroit Tree Lighting is set to take place on Friday, Nov. 22 at Campus Martius in Downtown Detroit. Laura Dean, director of parks and public spaces for the Downtown Detroit Partnership, joins the show to talk about what's in store this year. 

The city of Detroit is issuing an open call for a sculptor to create a new statue of legendary Detroit boxer Joe Louis to illustrate his legacy and contributions to the sport of golf. Rochelle Riley, director of the city of Detroit’s Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship office (Detroit ACE) joins the show to discuss the project. Plus, WDET’s News Director Jerome Vaughn joins the show to talk about the WDET News Team's coverage of the 2024 presidential election.

Today on The Metro, Wayne State researcher Alex Hill joins the show to talk about the impact of food insecurity on students and schools. Also, WDET News Director Jerome Vaughn joins the show to discuss the 2024 election and tonight's live special coverage on WDET. 

Since we last spoke to food critic Melody Baetens, new restaurants have opened, Detroit’s culinary scene has the opportunity to gain national and international attention, and the summer food festival calendar has rounded into shape. 

Melody is a restaurant critic and dining reporter at the Detroit News. She joined the show to catch us up. 

Today on The Metro, it's Election Day eve and many people have already cast their ballots in Michigan. We talk with 482Forward Communication Lead Imani Foster about the organization's efforts to turn out the vote in Detroit. We also talk to Co-Director for Dance for Democracy Ellen Vial about an Election Night event at Spot Lite Detroit that's helping people with election decompression. 

Today on The Metro, Community Push founders Derrick Dykas and Evan Hutchings join the show to discuss Detroit's growing skateboarding scene and how their nonprofit has been instrumental in helping the community grow in the city. We also speak to Interim Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison about his new role that starts on Nov. 11.  

Today on The Metro, we're celebrating Halloween by learning more about zombies with Chera Kee, a Wayne State University assistant professor teaching film and media topics with a focus on the horror genre. We also talk to Erebus Haunted Attraction Co-Owner Edward Terebus about 25 years of bring fun and terror to people in Pontiac. 

Today on The Metro, city of Detroit Historian Jamon Jordan helps us understand how Devil’s Night came to an end and the lessons we can take from that time in history. Also, Matt Grossman, head of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, joins the show to discuss why the election is so tight in Michigan and how voters are feeling less than a week out from Election Day.

Today on The Metro, Detroit Disability Power Founder Dessa Cosma joins the show to discuss a new report from the organizations that says 84% of Detroit's polling locations are not accessible to people with disabilities. Canton Township Clerk Michael Siegrist also joins the show to answer questions and help people make a voting plan.

Today on The Metro, Detroit artist Cary Longchamps talks about the VHF project, which explores abandoned properties and public art in the city. Also, Freedom House Detroit Leader Elizabeth Orozco Vasquez joins the show to talk about how the organization is supporting immigrants in the city.

Today on The Metro, Downtown Detroit Partnership CEO Eric Lawson and Detroit Director of Planning and Development Antoine Bryant join the show to discuss a potential plan to cap Interstate 75 and reconnect communities. You’ve been hearing conversations with candidates running for two open seats in Detroit’s 36th District Court on the show this week. Today we conclude our series with Andrea Bradley-Baskin. 

Today on The Metro, producer Sam Corey has a conversation with Jonathan Peregrino of JP Makes and Bakes. It's a new coffee shop specializing in Filipino treats. We also bring you co-host Robyn Vincent's conversation with William Burton Jr., one of three candidates running for 36th District Court Judge. 

Today on The Metro, Detroit Horse Power's David Silver and Jeff Jones join the show to discuss the nonprofit's new 14-acre site on Detroit's Westside. Plus, an art exhibit focused on the Rust Belt and election season updates.

Today on The Metro, Founder and Head Chef of the Patchwork Culinary Project Nick Sanchez joins the show to discuss how his own experiences led him to help immigrants gain culinary training and find success in the restaurant industry. We also talk to Detroit Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti about how Proposal S would provide a financial boost to the schools if approved. 

Langston Hughes is one of the most recognized names in American literature. His poems are taught in classrooms, quoted at marches and memorials and Sunday morning services.

But that celebration comes with a cost. Because the Hughes most people know, has been made comfortable. Sanitized. Stripped of his edges. And what gets lost in that sanitizing is the very thing that made him matter.

Here was a man who believed that art was never neutral, that democracy was not something America had already achieved but something it still owed its people. 

He championed that Black Americans practicing respectability politics was itself a form of political control.

He wrote about it. He lived it. And in his own life, he faced the impossible choice that respectability politics always eventually demands: your safety or your principles. Your platform or your truth.

Randal Maurice Jelks is a professor, documentary producer, and award-winning author. In his new book “My America: Langston Hughes on Democracy”, he strips away the veneer placed on Hughes's legacy to reveal the radical, clear-eyed democratic thinker underneath.

For those of us in Detroit, a city that has built its own armor out of necessity, that has dressed for work and maintained its properties and measured its words as a matter of survival…this book is not just about Langston Hughes.

It is about every Black family that ever had to decide how much of themselves to show, in order to make it through the door.

Dr. Randal Maurice Jelks joined The Metro to talk about the book and the audacity of Hughes to write truth to power. 

Today on The Metro, we welcome our new co-host Robyn Vincent to the program! Also, we talk with astronomer and philanthropist Russ Carroll, who donated the Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory to Wayne State University in honor of his friend and love for space exploration. The telescope recently moved from Rodeo, New Mexico to Mt. Palomar, California. We also talk to BridgeDetroit Reporter Malachi Barret about Detroit Police Chief James White being named the new CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. 

Today on The Metro, Arboretum Detroit Executive Director Birch Kemp and Park Maintenance Assistant Robyn Redding join the show to discuss Circle Forest — a years-long native restoration project creating more access to greenspace on Detroit's east side. We also talk to Axios Detroit reporter Annalise Frank about Asian long-horned beetles, an invasive species that has some state officials concerned. 

Today on The Metro, we're joined by Bangladeshi American fiber artist Fatema Haque. She's collaborating with the Hamtramck Historical Museum on a new exhibition that explores the history of Bangladeshi Americans in southeast Michigan. Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit reporter Nushrat Rahman also joins the show to discuss challenges facing the MSHDA federal housing choice voucher program. 

Today on The Metro,  it’s the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month and to celebrate we’re joined by Detroit musician and activist Ozzie Rivera. He was instrumental in founding the WSU Center for Latino/a American Studies in 1971 and has dedicated his career to improving the lives of Latino residents in southeast Michigan. We're also joined by Director of Multi-State and International Programs at Berkeley's Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Caitlin McLean, to discuss child care challenges parents and workers face in Michigan. 

Today on The Metro, we're joined by Alicia Lyon and Max Olive, volunteers for the Metro Detroit Out of the Darkness Walk taking place on Saturday that's bringing the community together for support and conversations around suicide prevention. We also talk about the end to the Tigers' surprising season with staff writer for The Athletic, Cody Stavenhagen. 

Today on The Metro, we’re joined by Former President of the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation Maria Elena Rodriguez to discuss the Mexican Irish Festival that's returning Sunday. We also talk to founder of the Detroit Repair Cafe Diana Graham about how they can help you fix a broken item or create a Halloween costume.

Today on The Metro, we're joined by Frank Solis, a local historian who’s preserving Tejano music in Detroit. His father Martin Solis founded the Tejano band Los Primos and is the first person from Michigan to be inducted into the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame. We also talk to Detroit Free Press Sports Columnist Shawn Windsor about the Tigers' surprise postseason run. 

Today on The Metro, Womxnhouse Detroit is a former home and current exhibition space for women and non-binary artists in the city. To discuss the artist residency, we're joined by Co-founder Asia Hamilton, ceramics artist Michaela Ayers and fiber artist Cat Washington. We also speak with Planet Ant Program Director Mike McGettigan about the theater's upcoming season. 

Today on The Metro, we caught up with Comedian Tim Meadows, who's performing at the Flagstar Strand Theatre in Pontiac on Saturday for Tim Meadows & Friends: Comedy Caucus. We also talk to Bridge Michigan Education Reporter Isabel Lohman about recent trends showing that Michigan residents frequently vote down millages that fund their local schools. So far this year, voters statewide have rejected about half of the 44 bond requests that have been proposed. 

Today on "The Metro," Redford Theatre programmer and volunteer John Monaghan joins the show to discuss The Black Canon, a collection of 40,000 pieces of Black film memorabilia. Movies and pieces from the collection will be on display at Taylor'd Garden in Livonia this weekend. Robin Wilson, owner of Vesey Land Goods, also joins the show to discuss how the shop is building a crafting community.

Terms you would typically only hear in therapy like "trauma," "gaslighting" and "narcissist" are now being used to refer to everyday experiences. Does the adoption of therapy terms in popular language help remove stigma around mental illness? Or does it dilute the terms' original meaning?

Kristen Abraham , a professor and the chair of the psychology department at the University of Detroit Mercy, joined the show to explain how the mainstream use of therapy terms is changing our understanding of mental health.

Today on The Metro, we’re featuring two businesses that have reached major milestones in Detroit. Owner of Baker's Keyboard Lounge Bill Smith and Owner of Simmons & Clark Jewelers Michael Simmons join the show to talk about these Detroit institutions that have kept their doors open for 90 plus years. We also talk with Detroit Documenter Clarissa Williams and Documenter Coordinator Lynelle Herndon about recent interviews for the CEO of Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. 

Today on The Metro, Friends of Rouge Park Program Director Lex Allen and Land Stewardship Manager Antonio Cosme join the show to discuss an event honoring the Buffalo Soldiers at Rouge Park on Saturday. Also, Detroit freelance reporter Sam Robinson joins the show to discuss what young voters in the state are thinking almost one month away from election day. 

The fourth annual Woodbridge Porch Concerts are set to take place this Saturday, featuring live music from local artists with connections to the neighborhood. To talk about the event, we're joined by performer and neighborhood resident Dave Nantais and Vicky Bash, a member of the Board of Directors for Woodbridge Neighborhood Development. Also, Vice President of the Center for Equity, Engagement and Research at Detroit Future City Ashley Williams Clark joins the show to discuss a new report looking at ways to grow the middle class in Detroit.  

Today on The Metro, Detroit Author Aaron Robertson joins the show to discuss his new book “The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America." We're also joined by Community Engagement Specialist for Safe & Just Michigan Ronnie Waters. He's moderating a panel called Life Beyond Life tonight on ending the practice of juvenile life sentences in the state. 

Today on The Metro, Founder of the Black Artists Archive Dr. Kelli Morgan joins the show to discuss how the organization is preserving the history and stories of Detroiters. Plus, retired WDIV Meteorologist Paul Gross joins the show to discuss Hurricane Helene and Michigan fall weather trends. 

Today on The Metro,  Detroit Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms and Medical Director Dr. Robert Dunne join the show to discuss how they're teaming up with the nonprofit Face Addiction Now to stop overdose deaths in the city. Also, State Capitol Reporter with the Michigan Public Radio Network Colin Jackson joins the show to discuss the Legislature's school spending bill.

Today on The Metro, Actor and playwright Roger Guenveur Smith joins the show ahead of his solo performance "Frederick Douglass Now" at The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History this weekend. Plus, Detroit artists Dorota and Steve Coy join the show to discuss the new Art Clvb app and upcoming Art Fair bringing together almost 200 artists to show and sell their work this weekend.

Today on The Metro, Recovery Support Specialist with Oakland County Paul Shankin joins the show to discuss how he's using his experience to help people fight addiction. Also, Gallery Director of the Scarab Club Dalia Reyes joins the show to discuss the Leni Sinclair Retrospective, featuring the Detroit artist and activist's work. 

Today on The Metro, Volunteer Specialist with Share Detroit Karen Boyd and Director of IT at Yanfeng Priya Gurumurthy join the show to discuss Southeast Michigan Women's Day of Service taking place on Thursday. Also, MichMash host and Slate Senior Producer Cheyna Roth joins the show to discuss how the messages behind "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and other children's books are getting twisted in politics. 

Detroit's Palmer Park has seen many improvements over the years, from renovated tennis and pickleball courts and a new dog park to a variety of habitat restoration projects. Now work is underway to maintain the park's 70 acres of old-growth forest. To discuss those efforts, we're joined by People for Palmer Park President Stacy Varner, and Bobbi Westerby — whose company is leading the restoration work. Also on The Metro, we catch up with the Detroit Documenters about possible changes to a permit for the Detroit Assembly Complex on Mack Avenue run by Stellantis.

When relationships get tough, couples can venture into infidelity. While cheating remains as frequent as it has always been, we wanted to better understand why it happens.

Todd Shackleford is an evolutionary psychologist from Oakland University. He joined the program to discuss how and why infidelity happens.

Detroit was ranked the third worst U.S. city to live in for people with asthma in a new report published by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Today on The Metro, allergy expert and native Detroiter Dr. Garen Wolff joins the show to talk about the report's findings and what Detroiters can do to improve their air quality. Also, Outlier Media has a new and improved text service aiming to help residents get answers to essential questions. We'll speak with Outlier Media Founder and Editor-in-Chief Sarah Alvarez about how the service is helping address information gaps in Detroit. 

Today on The Metro, we talk with Simone Sagovac, director of the Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition, about problems the community is facing from construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. We also learn more about a cure for sickle cell disease with Outlier Media Science Reporter Koby Levin and Larenz Caldwell, who was born with sickle cell disease and underwent a stem cell transplant about six years ago.