Several Michigan residents were among the many men, women and students of color who received a wave of racist text messages invoking slavery following the 2024 election — prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.

The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several other states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. 

WDET received screenshots of the text messages from several local students who received them — among them, a middle schooler from Grosse Pointe. The messages generally used a similar tone, but varied in wording, focusing on the minority status of the people being harassed.

Some of the messages instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings,” while others didn’t include a location. Others mentioned the incoming presidential administration.

The widespread incidents are still under investigation by the FBI, with support from the Federal Communications Commission and local law enforcement. The Ohio Attorney General’s office also said it was investigating the messages.

One Black student at Hope College who received a text message, who asked to be anonymous, told WDET that she believes Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election emboldened white supremacists and other bigoted individuals to participate in this type of behavior.

“When the Democrats won back in 2020, America became a more woke country and I feel like the reds felt the need to hide,” she said. “So Trump winning and the Republicans winning practically everything just gave them an opening to go back to the way things were.”

She also suggested that social media apps have made it a trend of sorts for trolls to send ignorant messages, and how misogyny could affect the disproportionate number of women being attacked.

“Honestly I feel like it’s stuff that people are picking up. I think apps like TikTok are spreading the information and giving these racists ideas,” she said. “I feel like it’s a lot of younger guys doing this trend too, because men tend to feed off that energy and want to feel powerful.”

The student emphasized her fear for her privacy and safety, if unknown people can find her phone number and are now willing to be so blatant with their racism.

David Brody, director of the Digital Justice Initiative at The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that they aren’t sure who is behind the messages but estimated they had been sent to more than 10 states, including most Southern states, Maryland, Oklahoma and even the District of Columbia. 

The leaders of several other civil rights organizations condemned the messages, including Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who said, “Hate speech has no place in the South or our nation.”

Associated Press writers  Ayanna Alexander, Ali Swenson and Gary Fields contributed to this report.

Despite often being a loyal voting bloc for Democrats, Black Americans are politically diverse. Garrison Hayes, a journalist for Mother Jones and the Reveal podcast, has been spending some of this year talking to Black Republicans to determine what draws them to the GOP — and, in many cases, to Donald Trump. He joined Created Equal on Thursday to discuss the motivation behind their votes, and what they hope to gain from this election.

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hayes explained that many of the conservative Black voters he met at the Republican National Convention aligned with the party’s flagship issues of the importance of the Second Amendment, opposition to abortion, and protection of individual freedoms. He also explained that all of them outwardly supported Trump’s candidacy and that many espoused a feeling of being taken for granted by the Democratic Party.

He also discussed a growing tide of Black conservatives and Republicans who are unwilling to vote for Trump because of his lack of racial sensitivity and his stances on issues facing Black communities.

“For many Black Republicans there is this lifecycle, where you may hold your policy ideas or your interests politically. But when those political interests come into conflict or tension with your personal racial identity interests, you often are left as a Black Republican with a decision to make,” Hayes said.

Guest: 

• Garrison Hayes is a journalist and video correspondent for Mother Jones and the Reveal podcast.

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

When Donald Trump says, “Make America Great Again,” what era is he referring to and which demographic is he appealing to?

Robert P. Jones, author of the New York Times bestselling book “The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy,” argues that the slogan is aimed at white Christian voters who fear a lose of cultural control.

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

He joined Created Equal to discuss how white Christian nationalism has steered U.S. history and politics. Jones detailed the hidden roots of white supremacy in American society; defined white Christian Nationalism and revealed its anti-democratic nature; and gave his thoughts on what needs to be done to move toward a country that truly values all its citizens equally.

“We’re living in a real moment of reckoning, and part of that reckoning is telling the truth about what happened,” Jones said.

Jones will be giving a talk on democracy, social values and the American story at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 23-24, at the University of Detroit Mercy.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Jones.

Guest:

• Robert P. Jones is the founder of the Public Religion Research Institute and author of “The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future.”

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan chapter (CAIR-MI) wants prosecutors to further investigate whether a recent attack on a 7-year-old girl at a Detroit park qualifies as a hate crime.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Police allege that 73-year-old Gary Lansky slashed the girl’s neck with a knife as she was playing in Ryan Park on Detroit’s northwest side. The victim, a Yemeni American Muslim, was playing at the park when Lansky reportedly approached her without warning, lifted her head and sliced her throat with a knife.

The girl ran home and was taken to the hospital where she received treatment and was later released. Lansky currently faces charges including assault with intent to murder and felonious assault.

“While the charges faced by Garly Lansky are serious, we urge the Detroit Police Department and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this matter to determine whether hate was a motivating factor in the attack,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid in a statement.

WDET’s Karen Brundidge and Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

Other headlines for Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024:

• The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus is asking for a formal investigation into an ad by a Republican Congressional candidate that lists the wrong election date.
• Detroit Disability Power is holding a Day of Action from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday — the day early voting starts in the city of Detroit. 
• A town hall focused on demystifying 2025 Medicare plans is taking place at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Woodbridge Senior Village, 1200 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Detroit.
• Detroit City Councilman Coleman Young II will host a virtual meeting from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday with Police Chief James White to discuss police department initiatives. To register, call 313-224-4248. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Detroit residents are burdened by the cost of living in the city.

A majority of Detroiters spend 30% of their pre-tax income on housing. And while the city is working to increase affordable housing in Detroit, residents are trying an approach that they say keeps prices low and gives them more say in how their communities develop.

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Neighborhoods across Detroit are starting community land trusts, a nonprofit organization run by community members that owns property in the area. Jerry Hebron is the executive director of Detroit Cultivator Community Land Trust in the North End neighborhood. 

Hebron’s organization is one of five groups partnering with the nonprofit law firm Detroit Justice Center to establish community land trusts. Hebron and Mark Bennett, a staff attorney at the firm, join Created Equal on Thursday to explain how community land trusts work and what they might do for Detroiters. 

Guests: 

• Jerry Hebron is the executive director of Detroit Cultivator Community Land Trust. 
• Mark Bennett is a staff attorney at the Detroit Justice Center.

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

An imam in Detroit is signing onto a letter from more than 20 Muslim religious leaders from around the country in support of Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential campaign.

It’s a response to heavy criticism Harris has faced for her and President Joe Biden’s support of Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza.

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Imam Mika’il Stewart Saadiq said Harris shouldn’t take the punishment for Biden’s policies.

“We don’t believe that it should fall upon everyone who he’s affiliated with, who is not the commander in chief. The Vice President is not the commander in chief. The Vice President, she works for her boss,” Stewart Saadiq said.

Harris has said she does not support any changes in U.S. policy when it comes to sending weapons to Israel. Stewart Saadiq said he interpreted her words to be more in favor of continuing American allyship with Israel, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a “bad friend” in that partnership.

Both the letter and the Harris campaign say the Vice President has been reaching out to Muslim and Arab leaders, using a meeting last week with folks from the Washington D.C.-based group, Emgage, in Flint as an example.

That lack of a support for a policy shift, however, has led to pro-ceasefire groups working against Harris this election cycle. One of those groups, Abandon Harris, recently endorsed Green Party Candidate Jill Stein as an alternative. The organization held a press conference Wednesday afternoon in Dearborn to formally announce its pick.

Stewart Saadiq acknowledged the pain and frustration communities across the state and country are feeling as war in the region continues and spreads. But he said a previous letter he saw encouraging Muslims to vote third party didn’t have as much perspective from African American imams.

“Those that possibly were of generations of Americans that really gained civil rights victories and descendants of those who gained civil rights victories for all of us, especially minorities,” Stewart Saadiq said.

He previously told WDET that he would not “spit in the face of [his] ancestors,” when discussing his views on the election. When asked to clarify Wednesday, Stewart Saadiq said he sees accomplishments of the American civil rights movement as at risk this election.

“A lot of these things that we’re trying to evolve, and to really try to gain all of our humanity as African Americans, they’re under assault,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is trying to make its own inroads into Black and Muslim communities, highlighting criminal justice legislation and public safety policy stances.

Both campaigns are likely to continue trying to court Muslim voters since the group could make a critical difference as the race remains tight in Michigan.

Reporting by Colin Jackson, Michigan Public Radio Network

Read more: Michigan Muslim voters say they feel misunderstood by Republicans and Democrats

Other headlines for Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024:

• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services was awarded more than $1.3 million for juvenile justice reform. The money comes from the U.S. Justice Department and will go toward efforts to reduce racial disparities in the juvenile justice system and programs aimed at keeping youth in the community.
• Detroit’s casinos continue to bring in tax money for the city and state. The three gaming establishments reported nearly $102 million in revenue for the month of September.
• It’s been a busy celestial year so far — between the total solar eclipse this past April and lots of chances to see the northern lights across Michigan. But if you missed the aurora borealis this past weekend, it’s not too late to see a storm with the naked eye.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org. 

One year since the Hamas attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in Gaza, countless more displaced and injured. More than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. 

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Arab and Jewish Americans in metro Detroit have been processing grief, frustration and anxiety since the war started.  

For Lebanese Americans in metro Detroit, the expansion of the war into Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah brings back memories of war and occupation of years past. 

“The trauma is unimaginable. It’s affecting people’s lives daily. We’re all in grief and shock and horror,” said Diana Abouali, the director of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn.

“Everyone that I interact with in Dearborn, in the Arab American community in southeast Michigan, I find a deep sense of community.” 

James Zobgy, the co-founder of the Arab American Institute, says that sense of community and collective grieving is difficult to find. 

“For the most part, we walk alone with our pain, and it’s a difficult one to explain,” Zogby said.

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation with Abouali and Zogby.

Guests: 

• James Zogby is the president and co-founder of the Arab American Institute. 
• Diana Abouali is the director of the Arab American National Museum. 

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations – Michigan (CAIR-MI) has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, requesting an investigation into the University of Michigan’s handling of Islamophobia on campus.

The complaint comes after leaked audio of U-M President Santa Ono where he seems to cite federal pressure to focus on antisemitism over Islamophobia.

CAIR-MI’s Zaynah Jadallah says the university has not adequately supported Muslim and Arab students.

“We have contacted the University of Michigan multiple times to have better treatment for the students, but the president didn’t show any progress in protecting his students,” Jadallah said.

In response, U-M’s Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Colleen Mastony told WDET:

“The University of Michigan is steadfastly committed to ensuring our community remains a safe and supportive environment, where all students — regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or other identities — have the opportunity to learn and thrive. President Santa J. Ono has spoken out repeatedly against antisemitism and Islamophobia, and he will continue to do so, as any form of discrimination or hate is an affront to our community.”

Over the past year, students across the U.S. have raised concerns for their safety amid ongoing campus protests about the war in Gaza. The student protesters are calling for universities to separate themselves from companies advancing Israel’s military efforts in the region, as the Israeli military has killed more than 4,000 Palestinians and more than 2,000 people in Lebanon since Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.

Police have arrested more than 3,000 pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses nationwide since detainments at Columbia on April 18 — including on the campuses of Wayne State and University of Michigan.

Interactive map: Where protesters on US campuses have been arrested or detained

Michigan Advance reports that at least one person was arrested this week during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in U-M’s Diag, where a memorial event hosted by Jewish students commemorating the Oct. 7 attack was being held. After police arrested the individual, protesters surrounded the police officers and their patrol car, obstructing their movement, said U-M’s Deputy Chief of Police Melissa Overton. She says the individual who was arrested has since been released, and the incident will be submitted to the prosecutor’s office for review.

The Associated Press and WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report. 

Exactly one year ago, more than 1,200 Israelis were killed by forces of the terrorist organization Hamas, and more than 200 were taken hostage into Gaza.

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

It was an act of violence that had been unheard of for decades in the Middle East, and it has changed everything in the region’s geopolitics. The war in Gaza that grew out of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack has claimed more than 40,000 Palestinian lives, and now spread to multiple fronts — enflaming tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Metro Detroit is home to a large and flourishing Jewish community that is still trying to make sense of what happened last October and the ongoing violence and growing humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.

Today on Created Equal, host Stephen Henderson was joined by two local leaders within the Detroit Jewish community to talk about what happened, what has happened since, and what struggles the region and the global Jewish community may be facing as a result.

Guests:

• Ariana Silverman has served as the rabbi of Detroit’s Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue since 2016. 
• David Kurzmann is the senior director of community affairs at the Jewish Federation of Detroit

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly suggested that the benefit event was being held at the Redford Theatre in Detroit.

Detroiter James E. Wheeler collected 40,000 pieces of Black independent film memorabilia, preserving the history of what is known as “race films” and more. Wheeler died in 2022, but his kids Alima Wheeler Trapp and Ali J. Wheeler started The Black Canon to preserve and show the collection.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Black Canon, with support from the Redford Theatre, is hosting its first benefit Art of the Ages, on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Taylor’d Garden in Livonia. The event will include an exhibition of rare Black films dating back to the 1920s. Brunch will also be served.

Redford Theatre Programmer and volunteer John Monaghan joined The Metro on Monday to discuss the collection and how you can see part of it this weekend.

“It all starts with my friendship with James Wheeler, who is sort of a well known figure in Detroit, really, for the last 40 or 50 years as an activist, as a collector, involved in theater,” Monaghan said. “He passed about three years ago. And his kids, Ali and Alima, they’ve taken on this amazing project of cataloging and preserving all the stuff that he collected over the years. And I’m talking about a lot of stuff. This is a warehouse that’s filled with, I compare it to that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, maybe a little smaller. But it’s just, it’s full of books and records and posters and magazines, toys, dolls, photos, and a lot of 16 millimeter film.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Monaghan.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 7, 2024:

• The rural landscape of West Tennessee is undergoing a massive change. That’s because Ford is building a “BlueOval City” complex that spans six square miles and is expected to bring 6,000 jobs to the area. Last week on Created Equal, Stephen Henderson spoke with Mason, Tennessee resident and BlueOval Good Neighbors member Shannon Whitfield and Tennessee for All Statewide Coordinator Rebekah Gorbea.
• The College For Creative Studies recently launched a Practicing Design Center meant to not only provide work experience for students, but also advance design efforts for Detroit nonprofits and organizations. Vice President of Strategy and Communications at CCS, Olga Stella, joined the show to discuss how the program will benefit students, nonprofits and small businesses in the city.
• Vesey Lane Goods is a Detroit small business that sells crafted goods and personalized items. But it’s also a space for artists and educators to connect and grow a community. Owner Robin Wilson joined the show to discuss how the space is fostering community. Author Jean Alicia Elster will give a talk and book signing at the store from 2 to 3:30 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 12.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The escalating conflict between Iran and Israel is having a global impact, but for those with family in the region, it feels deeply personal.

Fariba Pajooh, an Iranian-born journalist and Ph.D. candidate at Wayne State University, remains deeply concerned for her family and friends in Tehran following Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.

“I don’t feel good at all. The first thing that came to my mind was my people, my family, my friends,” Pajooh said.

She stays in close contact with her relatives, who are safe for now but describe a tense atmosphere. Long lines have formed at gas stations as people prepare to leave the city.

“My uncle told me, ‘Yes, we still have internet and electricity, so we are watching the news,’” she said, adding that her family and friends are nervous about the future. “They are very nervous… thinking about their kids.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against Iran, though it’s not clear what the retaliation will look like, or what the fallout on the region will be.

Pajooh stresses the importance of remembering that civilians on both sides are suffering. She encourages empathy from those watching the conflict from afar, asking them to recognize the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.

“I’m asking them to close your eyes and put your feet in somebody’s shoes,” she said. “People across the world, they are just people.”

Israel is now carrying out what it has described as limited ground operations across its northern border with Lebanon to dig out Hezbollah militants, after carrying out a series of massive air strikes that killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and decimated its leadership. The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate the city of Nabatieh and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a U.N.-declared buffer zone.

Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah after nearly a year of rocket attacks that began Oct. 8 and displaced some 60,000 Israelis from communities in the north. At least eight Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes with the Iran-backed militant group during the ground incursion in southern Lebanon, the Associated Press reports.

Additionally, retaliatory strikes carried out by Israel over the past year have displaced tens of thousands on the Lebanese side. More than 1,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past two weeks — nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he will not support an Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear program in response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel.

Still, as tensions in the Middle East rise, Pajooh remains deeply worried about her loved ones in Tehran.

“If it’s going to be an actual war… it’s not just for Iran, it’s challenging for the region,” she said.

The Associated press contributed to this report.

For many Black Americans, the idea of religion intersects with freedom in a complicated way. Enslaved Africans came to this country with religions and traditions, most of which were stripped upon arrival and replaced with new forms of worship. 

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Once the freedoms of Black Americans were slowly granted after the Civil War, the ideas for what the future could look like and how to achieve that future were beginning to take root. Black-led cities, towns and small communities began to flourish — many short-lived — but their ideas of a paradise on earth persisted. 

Detroiter Aaron Robertson’s new book, “The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America,” takes a nonfiction look at what happened when Black Americans were dreaming of better lives and different ways of religious thinking. 

The book follows along the histories of these movements — including the history of the Black Christian Nationalist Movement and the Shrine of the Black Madonna in Detroit.

Roberston joined The Metro on Tuesday to chat more about the book and its significance.

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation with Robertson.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 1, 2024: 

• A recent set of bills passed by the Michigan state House and Senate would allow home health care workers to unionize. Gongwer News Service reporter Elena Durnbaugh joined the show to discuss the proposed legislation.
• In the late ’80s and ’90s, Michigan adopted punitive criminal policies — at one point incarcerating more juvenile lifers than any other state in the country. But while they’re still possible, life-without-parole sentences are not automatic and much less likely after U.S. Supreme Court rulings limited these sentences. Still, many in criminal justice reform spaces are trying to end life-without-parole sentences completely in Michigan. Tonight, several former juvenile lifers are speaking at Wayne State to share their stories as part of a panel conversation and film called “Life Beyond Life.” Community Engagement Specialist for Safe & Just Michigan Ronnie Waters joined the show to share more about the event.
• Art has the ability to tell stories and weave us together. That’s the theme of a newly renovated studio, gallery and event space, Schinkel Fine Art, located on East Jefferson in Detroit. The gallery’s inaugural exhibition, “Threads of Connection” opens on Thursday, Oct. 3, with a public reception. Gallery owners and mother/son duo Linda and Teddy Schinkel joined The Metro to talk about the new gallery space.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

On this episode of the Detroit Evening Report, we cover a vigil held in Dearborn over the weekend to mourn those killed in Israeli strikes in South Lebanon; recent U.S. EPA funding awarded to four Michigan tribes to implement climate action plans and more.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

A community in mourning

Over 1,000 people from metro Detroit’s Lebanese community gathered outside the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn on Sunday for a candlelight vigil mourning civilians killed in recent Israeli strikes in South Lebanon. Dearborn is home to one of the largest Lebanese communities in the U.S. — many from South Lebanon where the conflict has escalated. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost every day since the war in Gaza began. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people in Israel and Lebanon, and according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, more than 700 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past week.

Israel says it will continue to strike Hezbollah until it is safe for Israelis displaced from border communities to return to their homes. Hezbollah has promised to keep firing rockets into Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

Tribes receive $38M for energy projects 

Four Michigan tribes have been awarded $38 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement climate action plans. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants will support projects focused on reducing costs, improving infrastructure and cutting air pollution. These initiatives include solar installations, energy efficiency upgrades, electrification improvements, recycling programs and electric vehicle infrastructure — all aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  

Neighborhood Wellness Centers get funding boost

The state of Michigan has dedicated $17 million in this fiscal year’s budget to help support preventative health centers in Detroit and Flint.

The Neighborhood Wellness Centers were established in 2020 to offer free COVID testing, as well as free blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol screenings to residents in need.

Of the 22 wellness centers in Michigan, eight are located in Detroit. The Open Door Church of God in Christ on Seven Mile is one of them. Assistant Pastor Michael Dorsey says the centers offer a safe space for residents to seek medical attention. 

“We all have people in our family that have health issues and they may not trust going to the doctor, they may not have the resources or have a primary care physician, but by attending the Wellness Center, you can now receive the proper screening and attention free of charge that can put you in a better position,” Dorsey said.

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET  

Panel discussion to highlight Asian stigmas 

APIA Vote Michigan is hosting a virtual community conversation on civic engagement at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5. The event, titled “Courageous Conversations,” will feature a panel of guests to discuss stigmas within the Asian community and how to break barriers to increase civic participation.  

Hamtramck to host Night Bazaar

The Hamtramck Downtown Development Authority and Discover Hamtramck are hosting a new inaugural event, Hamtramck Night Bazaar, from 4-9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Pope Park, featuring a food truck, henna, and local art. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

The Hamtramck Historical Museum is getting a new exhibit based on the Bengali diaspora, focusing on communities in Hamtramck. 

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The museum had a soft launch on Saturday to get people excited about a full exhibit. 

Rumana Rahman is an anthropologist who serves on the committee for the new exhibition. She says the museum can capture more Bengali representation in a city with a large Bangladeshi community. 

“We want to really capture the diversity of our Bangladeshi heritage, our linguistic diversity, or textile diversity,” said Rahman. “So, yeah, I’m just really excited when I kind of feel like this is sort of the beginning. We’re just kind of scratching the surface.”

Rahman says the exhibit will feature rickshaw art, textile art, and sports like cricket. It will also incorporate different spiritual traditions of Bangladesh from the Buddhist, Muslim and Hindu communities.  

The exhibit’s launch is slated for Oct. 29.

Other headlines for Monday, Sept. 23, 2024:

• Salina Intermedia School in Dearborn is hosting “Pollution Has No Boundaries: Where Do We Go From Here?” — a conversation about climate change with journalists, community activists and artists — from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30. 
• Northwest Detroiters are invited to a community roundtable at Simanek Park from 6-7 p.m. Sept. 26 to share feedback on the city’s park design and improvement plans.
• The Detroit Police Department is looking for individuals ages 15-24 to join the Youth Advisory Panel by the Sept. 30 deadline. Participants will serve as resources for the Board of Police Commissioners, help with civilian oversight and get educational, civic and networking opportunities. Youth should be in high school or college.
• The Detroit Public Library main branch is hosting a free youth public safety town hall from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 to discuss students’ concerns and thoughts on violence at home, in schools and traveling between home and school.
• The city of Detroit is hosting a Healthy Home Resource Day from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 28 to share information about HOPE application assistance, water affordability plans, foreclosure prevention and more. The resource fair will take place at the Northwest Activity Center, 18100 Meyers St., Detroit.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is offering a $1,000 reward for any tips leading to a conviction after a Jewish teenager was attacked in Ann Arbor over the weekend.

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Ann Arbor police say the assault took place around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, near Hill Street and S Forest Avenue. The 19-year-old victim told police he was walking down the street when a group of men asked if he was Jewish. When he replied ‘yes,’ the victim said the group assaulted him and then fled the area on foot.

The teen sustained minor injuries but did not require hospitalization, according to police. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime, however, police say they have limited information about the suspects involved.

“There is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation in the city of Ann Arbor,” said Ann Arbor Police Chief Andre Anderson in a statement. “Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes. We are committed to vigorously investigating this and other hate-motivated incidents and will work with the County Prosecutor’s office to aggressively prosecute those who are responsible.”

Other headlines for Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024:

• The United Auto Workers has formally filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Stellantis, the Associated Press reports. 
• Detroit has introduced a new Quick Response Team funded by a city grant to help combat the opioid crisis.
• The state Department of Treasury is hosting a fundraiser dinner for its Fostering Futures Scholarship Trust Fund from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, at MotorCity Casino.
• Detroit City Council Member Gabriel Santiago-Romero and State Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) are inviting constituents to Coffee, Council and Conversation from 11 a.m. to noon this Friday at the Grand Circus Park People Mover Station.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

A recent University of Michigan study has found that Black Americans experiencing stroke symptoms arrive at hospitals nearly 30 minutes later than their white counterparts.

This delay significantly impacts their access to timely, life-saving stroke treatments, which are only effective within a short time frame after symptoms appear.

Emergency medical services (EMS) were also less likely to notify hospitals of these patients’ conditions ahead of time, further contributing to delays in care, according to the study. These disparities were most prominent in counties with higher poverty rates, lower educational attainment, and limited access to transportation.

Regina Royan, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at U-M and one of the study’s lead researchers, said that equitable health care should extend beyond the hospital setting.

“What we’re trying to draw attention to is that we need to be thinking about before the patient even arrives at the hospital,” Royan said. “We need to make sure that from the minute they call 911 or even earlier, from the minute symptoms start, that stroke care is equitable.”

Royan said the therapies available for stroke are highly effective  — but only for a limited time after symptoms begin, making quick arrival at the hospital crucial for positive outcomes.

“There has been significant effort to make health care equitable inside hospitals, but it’s time to bring those efforts outside the hospital as well.”

– Regina Royan, assistant professor of emergency medicine, University of Michigan

The study highlights the need for greater public education around recognizing stroke symptoms — such as facial drooping, difficulty speaking and weakness in one side of the body — and the importance of calling 911 immediately. Royan also called for increased attention and resources to improve pre-hospital stroke care in underserved communities.

“There has been significant effort to make health care equitable inside hospitals, but it’s time to bring those efforts outside the hospital as well,” Royan said.

The research underscores the importance of addressing disparities in pre-hospital stroke care to ensure that all patients, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, have equal access to timely, effective treatment.

Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Royan.

The landscape of voting in Michigan has evolved significantly, with expanded early in-person voting, enhanced absentee ballot tracking, and permanent absentee ballot registration now available.

As voters prepare to head to the polls again in November, a new monument in Detroit commemorates the long journey toward voting rights for all.

The dedication ceremony for the Civil Rights Monument took place at Viola Liuzzo Playground, located at the corner of Winthrop and Trojan on Detroit’s west side. The monument honors Viola Liuzzo, a Detroit woman inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who traveled to Alabama to participate in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. Tragically, Liuzzo was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in Lowndes County. Before her departure, she asked her friend, Sarah Evans, to care for her five children if anything happened to her—a promise that Evans kept.

The monument features images of Liuzzo and Evans with the inscription “Sisters in life…Sisters in struggle,” and on the opposite side, it lists the names of Detroiters who answered Dr. King’s call to support the Selma marches, including notable figures like Rosa Parks and John Lewis.

Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge, a civil rights activist and historian, described the monument as a “teaching monument,” intended to educate the public about the events of 1965.

Collette Mezza, also a member of the Viola Liuzzo Park Association, emphasized the significance of each name on the monument.

“They each have their own remarkable story, and what inspired them to go down to Selma in 1965, and many of them are still alive and many of them continue their activism like Dorothy,” Mezza said.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who attended the ceremony, said everyone today has an opportunity to continue the fight for voting rights.

“Let us all recommit to continuing on that legacy as a new generation of foot soldiers who are marching forward for democracy teaching about the past and being clear-eyed about the present challenges and the work we must do to preserve that sacred promise of democracy for everyone.”

The event concluded with a ceremonial march around the park, echoing the marches of 1965 and honoring those who fought for voting rights.

A new study from the University of Michigan shows that Black stroke patients arrive at the hospital significantly later than their white counterparts.

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Published Sept. 5 in collaboration with Brown University, the research included data from more than 600,000 patients in the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines Stroke Registry from mid-2015 through 2019.

The study revealed that it took on average 28 minutes longer for Black patients with stroke symptoms to receive emergency care. Researchers also found that EMS workers were roughly 20% less likely to notify emergency departments ahead of a Black patient’s arrival compared to a white patient.

The disparity was most prevalent in areas with a high poverty rate. 

Regina Royan, one of the lead researchers on the study, says getting a stroke patient to the hospital quickly is crucial for positive health outcomes. 

“The therapies that we have for stroke are really effective, but they are only available within a short time frame from the time that symptoms start,” Royan said.

Royan says there has been significant effort to making health care inside hospitals equitable, and it’s time to bring those efforts outside the hospital as well.  

“This is a disparity that must be addressed, as Black Americans have a higher prevalence of stroke, get strokes younger and die at greater numbers from the condition,” said Royan in a news release.

Other headlines for Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024:

•  Michigan Attorney Dana Nessel announced charges this week against 11 people stemming from pro-Palestinian protests on the University of Michigan’s campus in May.
• Detroit Police Chief James White confirmed to BridgeDetroit on Wednesday that he is one of eight finalists in the running for CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network.
• The American Arab Chamber of Commerce is hosting its “East & West Mezza Fest,” a culinary tour of Dearborn, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Once dominated by non-local LLCs exploiting the system for quick returns, new data suggests that fewer outside investors are “milking” the system, and more Detroiters are taking advantage of opportunities to participate in Detroit’s recovery.

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A new article entitled “Detroit’s Sweat Equity” from Alex Alsup, published in Substack newsletter The Chargeback, discusses the change from outside investors to residents purchasing and rehabbing homes from the tax foreclosure auction. Alsup says local buyers are flipping the script on the traditional narrative of Detroit real estate. By investing personal labor — or “sweat equity” — into rehabbing homes, they reduce the costs associated with renovation and create value in a way that large, outside investors can no longer exploit. 

Foreclosures are at their lowest since 2005, and new ownership trends show a citywide gain of about 9,000 re-occupied homes since the pandemic. The old “milking” model — where the value was in extracting rent from undervalued properties — doesn’t work anymore because Detroit’s homes have gained too much value. This lucrative foreclosure-rental-foreclosure pipeline is drying up, and Detroiters are stepping up to take advantage of the opportunity. 

Chase Cantrell, CEO of Building Community Value, a nonprofit that helps Detroiters become property owners and rehabbers, says that the Detroit Land Bank Authority now privileges local buyers, giving them a better chance to purchase and improve properties. 

Online bidding on properties in the Wayne County tax foreclosure auction begins September 11 and runs through September 18, 2024. There are 1,748 Detroit foreclosed properties listed on the Wayne County Treasurer’s auction site.

 Guests: 

• Alex Alsup is the Vice President of Research and Development for Regrid and the author of the Substack newsletter The Chargeback.
• Chase Cantrell is the CEO of Building Community Value, an organization that provides training and resources for Detroiters interested in small-scale real estate development.

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.