Churches are so prevalent in the Motor City because they were an essential part of Detroit’s growth.

They have served as resource hubs in communities like Detroit for a long time. Black churches are places where Black residents gather for religious, social, and political reasons and their leaders are at times seen as the leaders in the community. But there’s growing research that suggests church is not as essential as it once was and that younger generations aren’t attending services like they once did. 

Three experts on the subject joined The Metro on Monday to discuss the history of Black churches in communities like Detroit, their impact on Black communities, and the reasons younger generations are moving away.

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

Dr. Jason Shelton, professor of Sociology and director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, spoke about the diversity of traditions within African American protestantism and the tendency for white academic institutions to flatten this diversity.

“I knew as a kid from California that when I went to Church of God in Christ worship services, or if I went to an AME Church, or if I went to a Baptist church as a kid, I could sit in those churches, and I knew that they were very different,” Shelton said. “But as I got older and I became a professor, you realize, wait a minute, they lump us all together in one tradition.”

Rev. Lawrence W. Rodgers, senior pastor at Second Baptist Church of Detroit, spoke about Second Baptist’s history as a stop on the Underground Railroad and place of housing for Black migrant workers. He also connected the decline in church attendance to a decline in collectivist thinking.

“When there is a wedding, people will show up. When there’s a crisis, folks will show up,” Rodgers said. “In the individualistic culture, that makes sense. It’s not about me being there for we. It’s about you being there for me.”

Dr. Deborah Smith Pollard, host of “Sunday Morning Inspiration” on Mix 92.3 and professor emeritus of English Literature at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, discussed the importance of gospel music and Detroit’s impact on the genre through artists like The Clark Sisters, Aretha Franklin, and Commissioned.

“When you see a book about contemporary gospel music, 90% of it is about Detroit gospel,” Pollard said.

In the second hour of The Metro, we asked listeners:

“What role does church or religion play in your life? Why did you join? What was the reason?”

Caller Billy from Lathrup Village discussed the impact of the end of the Civil Rights movement on church attendance among young people.

“What I saw right at the end of the Civil Rights Movement, even though it didn’t really end, was we saw a lot of Black churches opting out of civil rights marches forming and collecting a check from the federal government where they could not participate in any civil rights or any movements,” Billy said. “And you can almost draw a direct line to young people being disinterested in the church because they felt that.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on Dec. 9, 2024:

• Dr. Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 as a way to unite the Black community following the Watts Rebellion. Yolanda Jack, manager of community engagement for The Charles H. Wright Museum, joined the show to talk about the holiday and the museum’s upcoming week-long celebration.
• Throughout Israel’s military campaign in Gaza this past year, much of the region’s vital infrastructure has been destroyed — with more than half of Gaza’s hospitals completely out of service due to Israeli bombardments. Dr. Adam Fahs, member of the local group Doctors Against Genocide, joined the show to discuss his time in Gaza as a doctor and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
• The nonprofit COTS Detroit is gearing up for its annual “Santa Shop” toy drive for families experiencing homelessness during the holidays. COTS Chief Development Officer Aisha Morrell Ferguson joined The Metro to talk about the upcoming event.

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

Maternal mortality is high in the U.S. compared with other wealthy countries, and particularly high in Michigan.

Detroit had the highest preterm birth rate of any U.S. city in 2023 at over 15%, according to a new report from the advocacy organization March of Dimes. There are also glaring racial differences in the maternal mortality rate nationally. The number of Black or American Indian women who die as a result of giving birth is over 50 per 100,000 people, while the rates for white, Hispanic, and Asian women are all below 20 per 100,000 people. Several health care and childcare professionals joined The Metro to discuss the risks facing expectant mothers and what can be done to alleviate them.

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

Dr. Kara Patek, Clinical Assistant Professor in the WSU School of Medicine and a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, said that data has shown that racial trends in maternal mortality persist even when comorbidities and existing risk factors are accounted for. 

“That data has really forced medical educators, as well as physicians already in practice, to really look at what are we doing differently between these patient groups,” Patek said. “There’s been a lot of efforts to address that concept of implicit bias.”

Khadijah Bansfield, home-birth midwife and the owner of the Heart and Soul Midwifery, discussed why mothers may choose to give birth at home rather than at a hospital.

“A lot of times that when moms come to me, it’s because they have had a family member who’s had a home birth, or a family member who’s had a traumatic hospital birth, and it’s kind of like, they want to have a more positive birth experience on their own terms,” Banfield said.

Miriam Shumulinskiy, the clinical director at motherhood development center Honey For Moms, explained how new motherhood can affect a person’s mental well-being.

“Motherhood completely changes the way a person sees themself and the world around them,” Shumulinskiy said. “It’s like a part of your body is now disconnected and walking around in the world that we can no longer protect in the way that we would want.”

Carolyn Dayton, director of Wayne State University’s Social Work Early Childhood Support Clinic, stressed the importance of incorporating mental health care for new parents into pediatric care, as new parents are at risk of several postpartum mood disorders.

“Moms, given a shortage of time or a shortage of insurance, will take their baby for care and sort of forgo their own medical care after birth,” Dayton said. “So OB-GYN clinics would be ideal, but moms aren’t always necessarily going back for their six week checkup, so pediatrics is the ideal place to be really screening and delivering services to families with new babies.”

The Metro hosts Tia Graham and Robyn Vincent asked listeners:

“Do you trust the hospital and health care system to deliver your baby? Or does your distrust of the medical system make you not want to have kids altogether?”

Caller Jamila shared her experience having a home birth attended by a midwife:

“With my son, it had to be about 11 or so at night when I was having my contractions,” she said. “We called her, she lives about an hour from me. By the time she got to my house, it was maybe midnight, and she was here, she was coaching my husband and I, and she let everything be as comfortable as possible.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Nov. 25, 2024:

• Pingree Detroit is a worker-owned company that reclaims discarded leather from the automotive industry and fashions it into wearable leather, home goods, footwear and accessories. Founder and CEO Jarret Schlaff and VP of Footwear Operations Nathaniel Crawford joined the show to talk about all that goes into the business.
• Last week, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud joined the show to talk about the ICC’s ruling and how Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon are affecting Arab American residents in Dearborn.
• General Motors and Bedrock on Monday announced a $1.6 billion redevelopment plan for the Renaissance Center that calls for demolition of two of the iconic building’s towers. Stephen Henderson sat down with urban consultant Harriet Sapperstein earlier this year to discuss what would become of the RenCen after GM left the site.
• Producer Sam Corey spoke with Jeff Patrick, president and CEO of HardRock HDD, an underground utilities company that’s frequently contracted by Detroit, about the process of removing lead lines in the city.

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

“How do you interact with your homeless neighbors? And whose responsibility is it to address housing and homelessness?”

• Healthy Roots Dolls is a Detroit-based business that creates dolls with kinky, coily and curly hair for Black children of color. Healthy Roots Dolls CEO Yelista Jean-Charles joined the show to discuss the company’s mission.
• Overdose deaths in Michigan decreased more than 6% from 2022 to 2023. To learn more about the decline, producer Sam Corey spoke with Steve Norris, director of overdose prevention and recovery support for the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities.

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

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced last week that he will not seek reelection in 2025, ending a 12-year run that saw Detroit exit bankruptcy and begin the climb back to stability.

Anika Goss, CEO of Detroit Future City, joins Created Equal along with journalists John Gallagher and Darren Nichols to discuss what has happened over the last decade of Duggan’s leadership and what awaits the city’s next leader. 

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

Goss discussed how Detroit’s rate of Black homeownership has increased to its highest level since the housing crisis and the percentage of vacant land in the city has decreased over Duggan’s mayorship. However, she says there are still large income gaps within Detroit’s middle class, rates of educational attainment continue to decrease, and the city is facing the loss of the Black middle class to the suburbs.   

Gallagher pointed out that although Duggan’s leadership has correlated with an improvement in the city’s economy, there were many local grassroots efforts in place to promote economic recovery prior to Duggan’s first term. Gallagher also discussed how the economic improvements were often focused on Detroit’s downtown and Midtown areas rather than Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Nichols discussed how last year’s NFL Draft in Detroit was a culmination of the good press and excitement Duggan had built around the city. Nichols suggested that some of Duggan’s success could be attributed to his skills as a campaigner who spoke directly to city residents and presented himself as a fresh voice for change. He believes that the next mayor will have to similarly humble themselves and address the whole city. 

Nichols also said he believes housing and poverty rates will be the most pressing issues for the city’s next leader to address.  

“We can build affordable housing, but do those people have the finances to be able to do that? Do they have the credit to be able to do that? We have to keep in mind our realism as to what Detroit’s poverty rate means for affordable housing,” he said. 

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

Guests: 

• Anika Goss is the CEO at Detroit Future City.
• John Gallagher is a journalist, senior business columnist for the Detroit Free Press, and author of the book, “Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City.”
• Darren Nichols is a journalist and contributing columnist at the Detroit Free Press 

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

Last month, Jeremy Hobson — host of NPR’s The Middle — joined Created Equal to discuss the geographic, economic and political characteristics of the “American middle” and its impact on national politics.

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

This week, Hobson returned to Created Equal  — post-election — to continue his discussion with host Stephen Henderson about the American middle and to reflect on how middle-class concerns helped drive the results of the 2024 presidential election.

Hobson believes that many voters were hesitant to vote for the incumbent party because of their economic struggles under the Biden administration. He explained that although states throughout the country moved towards Donald Trump in this election, this shift was most visible in swing states, leading to a heightened sense of political polarization between the middle of America and the coasts. 

Hobson also discussed how the Democratic Party’s focus on abortion rights may have been misplaced, when many states had referendums about abortion rights on their ballots this election or in the past. 

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

Guests:  

• Jeremy Hobson is the host of the NPR call-in show The Middle and the former host of Here and Now and the Marketplace Morning Report.

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

Michigan set a record in the 2024 election. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced that 79% of eligible voters in the state cast their ballots — the highest turnout in the state’s history. However, turnout in Detroit decreased — and nationwide, nearly 13 million voters stayed home.

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

The efforts to expand voter rolls are working, but why aren’t they connecting in places like Detroit? Mario Marrow, political consultant and president of Mario Marrow and Associates, and Brady Baybeck, professor of political science at Wayne State University, joined Created Equal on Wednesday to unpack the story of turnout on Election Day and what it means for our elections going forward. 

Baybeck pointed out that although many people feel compelled to vote because of a sense of civic duty, voting still comes with personal cost for many people. He stressed the importance of candidates inspiring voters to participate and explained that Trump was very effective at inspiring his base to vote, noting that Democratic messaging to voters could have been more widespread. 

Marrow suggested that Harris had difficulty gaining momentum among voters because Biden dropped out late in the campaign, resulting in low turnout in some areas. He also explained that Trump was more successful connecting with his base through his use of TV and social media advertising, whereas the Harris campaign’s focus on knocking on doors and in-person organizing was inefficient at reaching out to an already fatigued voter base. 

“It doesn’t work, you have to move into an area of technology, you have to move into getting to your constituents with an emotional affect,” Marrow said. 

Use the media player above to listen to the full interview.

Guests:

• Mario Marrow is the president of Mario Marrow and Associates.
• Brady Baybeck is a professor of political science at Wayne State University

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

Democrats were on the blunt end of a very strong message on election day, as Donald Trump flipped many parts of the country and some traditionally Democratic constituencies to win another term in the White House. What’s the lesson for the party going forward? Can it reclaim independents and male voters, who seemed to abandon the party in large numbers? How much is this about issues, and how much of it is about identity?

Debbie Dingell is a U.S. Representative for the 6th District of Michigan, and Jamal Simmons is a political strategist, CNN political commentator and former Communications Director for Vice President Kamala Harris. They joined Created Equal to discuss the future of the Democratic party. 

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

Dingell discussed that the Harris campaign was likely plagued by a lack of awareness of “kitchen table issues” and immigration issues that were affecting voters, as well as a general lack of compassion for the struggles of the average American. She also explained that the campaign was too focused on fundraising and targeting Republican areas as opposed to speaking directly to Democratic-leaning voters in unscripted environments. 

Simmons agreed that Democrats failed to speak to voters in multicultural and welcoming environments. He explained the importance for future Democratic campaigns to focus on change and be on the side of the disaffected rather than defending institutions, but it’s difficult to sell that image when they’ve been in charge of the government for a long time. 

He also discussed how the Democratic Party’s reliance on polling led to a lack of awareness in how rhetoric from the Trump campaign was affecting voters. 

“Maybe the poll or the focus groups say it’s not really having the impact that we thought, but all the real people say it is. So you have to balance it out,” Simmons said. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Guests: 

• Debbie Dingell is a U.S. Representative for the 6th District of Michigan 
• Jamal Simmons is a longtime political strategist, CNN political commentator and former Communications Director for VP Kamala Harris

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

Although Michigan has historically been a “blue wall” state, there were several Republican victories in Michigan in the recent election. Democrats may have won the open U.S. Senate seat and increased their majority on the state Supreme Court, but they lost a Congressional seat and control of the Michigan House of Representatives. What does it mean, politically? And what does it mean going forward, in terms of policymaking? 

Zoe Clark, Michigan Public’s Political Director, Colin Jackson, a Capitol reporter for Michigan Public Radio Network (MPRN), and Chad Livengood, a politics editor and columnist at The Detroit News, joined the show to discuss the results of Michigan election races and what they mean for the future of the state. 

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

Jackson explained that although Democrat Elissa Slotkin won against Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, it was a very close race and very expensive for Slotkin. He also explained that Democrats had lost Slotkin’s old position as U.S Representative for Michigan’s 7th District to Republican Tom Barrett. Jackson attributed Democratic losses in Michigan to messaging from state Republicans, framing recent reforms made by the Democrat-controlled state House as overreaches.  

Livengood explained that although Michigan has historically been a part of the “blue wall” for presidential elections, many districts are seeing changes in demographics. This combined with Trump’s focus on low-propensity voters may have given him an advantage in the state. He also discussed Michigan’s recent redistricting and how it made some formerly blue districts harder to defend. 

Clark explained that although Trump won Michigan, the former President has never gotten over 50 percent of the state’s vote. She also explained that the state had a large voter turnout this year — and while this usually translates to sweeping Democratic victories, this election was more split and had much smaller margins. She attributed this to a lack of excitement about Democratic policies across many traditionally Democratic-voting demographics.  

“Whether we’re talking about folks who are concerned about what is happening in Gaza, or whether you’re talking about folks who were pro-Israel, whether you’re talking about union voters, whether you’re talking about Latino men — these groups that used to vote for Democrats are voting for Democrats less,” Clark said. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Guests: 

• Zoe Clark is Michigan Public’s Political Director 
• Colin Jackson is a Capitol reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network (MPRN) 
• Chad Livengood is a politics editor and a columnist at The Detroit News  

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

A second Trump presidency was not what many conservatives, or even many Republicans, said they wanted. But voters had a different idea on Nov. 5.

What is the Republican Party now, with the many defections that have taken place in the Trump era? What about the authoritarian impulses that Trump indulges? Are they the contours around which a new Republican party is forming?

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

Today on Created Equal, host Stephen Henderson was joined by three guests to discuss what the future of their politics — as conservatives who opposed Trump — looks like.

Fred Upton, former U.S. Rep from Michigan and a member of the Republican party discussed how MAGA has become ingrained in the culture of the Republican Party. He described how Trump’s Republican Party is marked by an opposition to working with the other side of the political aisle and bridge-building in general, as evidenced by his lack of outreach to primary opponent Nikki Haley. He also discussed how the American primary system, where only a minority of states have ranked choice voting, leads to polarization between the eventual nominees and hurts bipartisan efforts.  

Andrea Bitely, a political and communications strategist at Bitely Communications and former spokesperson for former attorney general Bill Schuette, explained that inflation in grocery prices and other “kitchen table” issues have recently dominated the national consciousness causing longer term national issues to fall to the wayside. Trump’s focus on these issues combined with Harris’ lack of messaging regarding them may have contributed to Trump increasing his votes among blue collar workers and union members this cycle. She also discussed a possible switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party by upper-class, educated voters.   

Shikha Dalmia, president of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism, discussed how the Republican Party platform has evolved from prioritizing limited government, free markets, and free trade to a form of authoritarianism under Trump. This populist authoritarianism is marked by Trump’s appeal to an “in group” through the scapegoating of an “out group” consisting of several minority groups and his carving away at the guardrails against executive authority.  

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Guests:  

• Shikha Dalmia is the president of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism. She is also the editor-in-chief of the free Substack publication, “The UnPopulist.”
• Andrea Bitely is a political and communications strategist at Bitely Communications, and a former spokesperson for former Attorney General Bill Schuette.
• Fred Upton is a former U.S. Rep from Michigan and a member of the Republican Party. 

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

It’s the day after the Election, and Donald Trump is poised to retake the presidency. What does his reelection say about voters, their preferences, and the state of the country?

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

Nancy Kaffer of the Detroit Free Press, former Michigan Senator Randall Richardville, and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne join the show to discuss Donald Trump’s reelection, local races in Michigan and in Detroit, and what this election says about voters, their preferences, and the state of the country.

Dionne partially attributed Trump’s win to an increase in aggressive messaging from his campaign about economic discontent and immigration. He also discussed Kamala Harris’ attempts at building solidarity among young women voters with her focus on the right to choose. 

Richardville explained that although Harris’ focus on the right to choose resonated with young women, some men in similar demographics felt a lack of focus on issues directly affecting them. This sense of political “homelessness” among young men may have led to an increase in votes for Trump. He also discussed the significant increase in Trump support among Black and Latino voters.

Kaffer said some immigrants may have voted for Trump because of the perceived unfairness of migrants entering the country illegally while others had to use complex legal channels. She also discussed the possibility of a coalition shift in the country’s politics and stressed the uniqueness of American democracy. 

“America is unique in the world because we’re not based on a race or ethnicity or religion or tribal affiliation, we’re an idea. And the idea is democracy,” Kaffer said. 

Guests: 

• Nancy Kaffer is an editorial page editor for the Detroit Free Press. 
• Randall Richardville is the former Majority Leader of the Michigan State Senate. 
• E.J. Dionne is a professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, a political columnist for the Washington Post, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. 

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

Election Day is finally here. American democracy has persisted for more than two centuries, and the role this year’s election could play in upholding that democracy has been touted by both sides of the political aisle.

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

Today on Created Equal, award-winning author and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Desiree Cooper joined the show, along with Bret Stephens, opinion columnist on domestic politics and cultural issues for the New York Times, to discuss how they feel about American democracy and what they kept in mind as they cast their ballots. 

Stephens discussed the prevailing feeling among voters that democracy itself will end if their candidate does not win and the eroding of the values of liberal democracy. He drew attention to the cyclical nature of American democracy and highlighted the fact that there have been many historical instances of social upheaval throughout American history, but a sense of commonality had always returned to the country.

Cooper explained that many “undecided” voters may be having trouble deciding between upholding American democracy or upholding party supremacy, pointing to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as an example. She discussed the importance of not taking the right to vote for granted even as voting access has expanded.   

“Just because you had a right yesterday, doesn’t mean you will have a right tomorrow,” Cooper said. 

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

Guests: 

• Desiree Cooper is an award-winning author and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist
• Bret Stephens is an opinion columnist for the New York Times on domestic politics and cultural issues. 

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

With just a few days left before the 2024 presidential election, many people are feeling at least a little bit stressed – by the deluge of ads and information about the election, by the deep division that is represented in the campaign and on the ballot, or by a sense of fatigue. 

Arash Javanbakht, psychiatrist and director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC) at Wayne State University, and Rheeda Walker, licensed clinical psychologist and co-author of “Calm in Chaos: A Quick-Relief Guide for Managing Anxiety and Overwhelm in Loud and Uncertain Times,” joined Created Equal to talk about election-related stress, how much worse it has gotten in recent years and how we can manage it a bit better. 

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

Javanbakht explained that political perspective has been exaggerated in importance from an aspect of opinion to an aspect of identity. This means that many voters are feeling the stress of the presidential election as if they were personally working on a campaign.

He also explained that this hinders our ability to have political disagreements civilly and that many people’s election stress comes from the fear of losing community because of political differences. 

Walker discussed the cumulative nature of stress and that many people are simultaneously worrying about the election alongside family, health, and economic stressors. She also mentioned Michigan’s positioning as a swing state, and the unique stress this may cause residents.  

 Walker also encouraged voters to seek balance and avoid inundating themselves with stressful information, even as they advocate for important political causes. 

“Be informed so that we can be intentional about saving our families, saving our communities, saving our countrymen, but we can’t do that if we are overwhelmed with the negative information,” Walker said. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Javanbakht and Walker.

Guests: 

• Arash Javanbakht is a psychiatrist who serves as the director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC) at Wayne State University. He’s also the author of Afraid: Understanding the Purpose of Fear and Harnessing the Power of Anxiety. 
• Dr. Rheeda Walker is a licensed clinical psychologist who studies suicide science and African American adult mental health. She is a co-author of the book, “Calm in Chaos: A Quick-Relief Guide for Managing Anxiety and Overwhelm in Loud and Uncertain Times.”

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

Michigan is among 47 states in the U.S. that have early in-person voting this presidential election.

More than 500,000 people have voted early and in-person since it began statewide on Saturday, and more than two million votes have been cast across the state when including absentee ballots.

However, this increase in voting access is seemingly connected to a rise in mistrust of election integrity and claims of fraud.

To discuss this phenomenon, Created Equal host Stephen Henderson was joined on Wednesday by David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, and political science professor Dale Thomson.

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

Becker explained that although we do not have much data on the effect of early voting access on voter turnout, early voting improves election integrity by mitigating the effects of family emergencies, technical difficulties, dangerous weather, and disinformation. He also described how some voters perceive the inclusion of more people in democracy to be inherently fraudulent and insecure, especially as they are exposed to a lot of negative rhetoric about election security. 

Thomson explained that although there is no evidence of widespread election fraud in recent years, the Trump campaign is using claims of election fraud to cast doubt on election results. He also discussed how immigrants are often targeted with claims of election fraud, even though there’s very little quantitative evidence that non-citizens are committing fraud on a wide-scale. 

“A study conducted by the [Brennan] Center for Justice analyzing almost 24 million votes across 42 jurisdictions in the 2016 general election concluded there were approximately 30 instances of non-citizens voting. So there’s data out there,” Thomson said. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Guests:

• David Becker is the executive director for the Center for Election Innovation & Research. He’s also the author of “The Big Truth” and host of the podcast The Count.
• Dale Thomson is a professor of political science at University of Michigan – Dearborn. He is also the director of the Ottawa Internship Program.

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

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.

Teachers in classrooms are dealing with an especially tough set of circumstances. Many are dealing with the after effects of the pandemic on student mental health and taking responsibility for keeping kids safe from violence.

A panel of educational professionals joined Created Equal on Wednesday to discuss the teacher shortage in Michigan, its effect on students, and some possible solutions.

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

Amber Arellano, the executive director of Education Trust-Midwest, explained that many Michigan K-12 schools, especially in rural, urban, and working-class districts, are reporting difficulty in filling teaching vacancies as well as teaching staff leaving and retiring early.

Madeline Mavrogordato, an associate professor of K-12 educational administration, explained that Michigan is on the extreme low end of starting teacher salaries. This results in new teachers having to pay a wage penalty to pursue a teaching career.

In addition to legislation to increase teacher salaries, the panel emphasized the importance of guaranteeing teachers’ access to appropriate resources to support the populations represented in their classrooms and offering professional development opportunities to early-career teachers.

Armen Hratchian, the executive director at Teach for America Detroit, discussed how the shortage could be mitigated by investing in school and district leadership.

“It’s not just about the educator, it’s those leaders who are creating conditions for educators to thrive,” Hratchian said.

Guests:  

• Madeline Mavrogordato is an associate professor of K-12 educational administration at Michigan State University.
• Armen Hratchian is the executive director at Teach for America Detroit.
• Amber Arellano is the executive director of the Education Trust-Midwest, a nonpartisan education research and policy nonprofit.

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.

Jeremy Hobson is the host of The Middle, a National Public Radio call-in show about the geographic middle of our country and how it’s overlooked, but it also reaches into the realm of politics and culture and philosophy to find places where Americans can connect.  

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

He joined Created Equal to help define the American Middle and discuss how it’s perceived, the impact of social media on our national discourse, and the important election issues to watch out for.

Later this week, Hobson will join Ian Hanomansing — co-host of CBC Radio’s The National and host of Cross-Country Check-Up — at WDET Studios for a live, international call-in version of Cross Country Check Up and The Middle. 

The broadcast, titled America Votes: A Cross-Border Conversation, will air across Canada and the U.S. from 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, pre-empting WDET’s regular programming.

Guest: 

• Jeremy Hobson is the host of the NPR call-in show The Middle and the former host of Here and Now and the Marketplace Morning Report. 

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

The two major-party candidates for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat faced off in a substantive, sometimes combative debate hosted by WXYZ-TV on Monday.

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

Democratic congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and former Republican congressman Mike Rogers debated issues including education, immigration, abortion and electric vehicles. It was the final scheduled U.S. Senate debate of the election season.

Dennis Darnoi, a political consultant, says this election is uniquely focused on the two candidates’ principles instead of their party affiliations with President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump. 

“Both of them have long records upon which to run, they have reputations within the party and within the state. So, it’s not as if they are new candidates that no one’s ever heard of,” Darnoi said.

Slotkin and Rogers are vying for the open seat to replace longtime Michigan U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who is retiring at the end of her fourth term.

Guests: 

• Dennis Darnoi is a political consultant for Densar Consulting. 

• Zoe Clark is the political director at Michigan Public. 

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