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WDET and the Detroit Evening Report have collected Black History Month stories from listeners as a part of its Black History Listening Project.

Here are the stories we aired in February 2025:

Wyatt Tate made headlines in 1894

Detroiter Brenda McGadney grew up hearing stories about her great-grandfather.

Wyatt Tate, a farmer from Alabama, was made infamous after an incident with police arising from an animal being stolen from him while he was away on a business trip. After Tate successfully retrieved the animal, the town sheriff accused him of theft, and during his attempted arrest, Tate killed the sheriff, an assistant and one of the sheriff’s horses. After going on the run and evading police for months, Tate was eventually killed on May 12, 1894. 

Using the internet and genealogical tools for research, McGadney found the story was a very big deal at the time.

“He is documented in more than 80 newspapers in 1894,” she said. “So, it went viral.”

McGadney says growing up, it was important to her mother, Annie Tate McGadney, that they knew of Tate’s story. She had learned it from her own father, Felix Tate, who witnessed the events in 1894.

“My mother brought us up to speak up, not only for yourself, but for other people who are disenfranchised, who you see are being harmed,” she said.

McGadney also found references to Wyatt Tate in Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and in books about Lee who grew up in Monroeville. A cousin, actor and boxer Bill Tate, wrote a fictionalized account, “Little Wyatt Tate: Fiction Based on Fact.”

“When you travel in Africa, the question that Africans ask you, ‘Where do you come from?’” McGadney says, “I tell them that is a very painful question to ask an African American, and they don’t really understand it. We don’t know where we came from.”

McGadney says she has become her family’s griot, holding the stories of both sides of her family.

“This history is rich, and it covers both my mom’s side, which would be the Tates and the Clarks, and my dad’s side, which would be the Baldwins and the Jacksons and the McGadneys,” she said. “You need to be telling your story, and it empowers your children. It empowers our family.”

Iola Corbett witnessed the rise of Detroit’s Muslim community

Iola Corbett, also known as Sister Ameeda, was born and raised in Detroit.

Corbett’s family was a part of the Nation of Islam when she was a child.

Over the years she met Malcolm X, who visited her family’s restaurant in Detroit often.

“My mother was an excellent cook, so he had dinner with my dad every day, so I got to hear him, and I would serve him. He was a big influence in my family’s life,” she said.

Corbett says the Nation of Islam made her a part of something bigger.

“It…gave me a purpose of who I was, who I wanted to be…close with my community,” she explained.

Corbett would go on to become a union leader and to write the book  “Growing Up Muslim and the Journey Continues.”

Carolyn Clifford tells her mom’s story

WXYZ TV reporter and anchor Carolyn Clifford tells the story of her mother often. She says she wants to inspire women dealing with domestic violence to leave, and to prove to children in Detroit that they can succeed despite hardship.

“I always tell Detroiters, especially young kids, when you see me, you see you,” Clifford said. “ So if your mom was on drugs, or your daddy on drugs, or, you know, somebody’s drinking alcohol…don’t be ashamed. There’s always a way out of a crazy situation, as I learned from my own mom.”

“And she would always say, you know, with God on her side, she could do anything.”

Bruce Simpson remembers Barbara-Rose Collins

Bruce Simpson’s grandmother was the first Black woman to represent Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives. Barbara-Rose Collins served in Congress from 1991 to 1997. She also worked in politics at the city and state level.

But Simpson says he wasn’t really aware that Collins was the “distinguished lady from Michigan.”

“I always just looked at her as grandma,” Simpson said.

Simpson has also entered public service. He is the Ombudsman for the City of Detroit.

WDET listeners are invited to share Black history stories about their families, friends and neighbors throughout the year via email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org or by leaving us a voice memo in the WDET mobile app.

Dearborn Public Schools is providing free meals for students to take home for iftar, the break fast meal during the month of Ramadan.

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Many Dearborn students are Muslim and will abstain from eating and drinking until sunset, missing school lunch. Food service director Emi Kreste said that the district has wanted to provide Ramadan accommodations for years, but that it wasn’t possible until now.

“[The Michigan Department of Education] (MDE) and USDA has allowed, now, school districts to complete a waiver which will allow students to take the lunch at home,” he said.

MDE and the USDA have a rule stating that school lunches are only allowed to be eaten on school property.

This rule has now been amended for Ramadan.

–Reporting by Zahra Hassan, WDET.

More headlines for Tuesday, March 4, 2025:

• Broadcaster Roland Martin is planning alternative programming to President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, inviting members of the Congressional Black Caucus, labor leaders and activists to participate in “The State of Our Union,” airing on the Black Star Network and on Martin’s YouTube channel.
• Choreographer and MacArthur “Genius” Grant winner Kyle Abraham and his dance company A.I.M. will perform at the Wright Museum of African American History on March 28-29. The series of dances were inspired by the Wright’s collection and choreographed exclusively for the museum. 
• Detroit’s Ombudsman’s Office will hold office hours at businesses and recreation centers across the city this spring and summer. The Ombudsman’s Office serves as an independent oversight and investigative agency for the city, addressing complaints and advocating on behalf of residents. The office plans to visit community sites 20 times through July 23, with the next meeting taking place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday at the A.B. Ford Community Center, 100 Lenox St.
• The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners’ Youth Advisory Panel is hosting a Young People & 21st Century Policing Symposium from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 15 at the Wayne State University Law School, 471 West Palmer Ave. Discussions will focus on youth interactions with police, bias in law enforcement, public policy and more. The event is free and lunch will be provided. Register on eventbrite.
• The Detroit Parks Coalition and the Detroit Public Library are partnering for an inaugural Bookmark Design Contest. K-12 students are invited to design a bookmark that highlights the city’s parks, libraries and people. Designs can be submitted before the end of the month. Winning designs will be published and distributed in parks and libraries and shared on social media.  

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

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover the aftermath of a massive water main break, warming centers open around the city and more.

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Water main break floods southwest Detroit

The City of Detroit is providing hotel rooms for people affected by a massive water main break.

The 54-inch pipeline burst early Monday morning in southwest Detroit, flooding many streets and basements, and trapping people in their homes. Detroit Police and Fire rescued 76 people and 12 pets. In some areas, water rose nearly to the tops of cars.

Great Lakes Water Authority CEO Sue Coffey says it took about five hours to isolate the break and shut off the water.

“It’s a tragic situation. We understand that our heart goes out to the people who’ve been impacted by this, and we are committed to partnering with the city as we go through the restoration process.”

Mayor Mike Duggan says the city and the water authority will cover any damage or loss that’s not covered by insurance. Water department employees planned to visit homeowners today to ask if they want to file a claim. Duggan says the city is also offering rides to work for people whose cars were iced in or damaged.

Warming centers available around the city

The City of Detroit is extending access to overnight shelter for homeless people who need to get out of the cold.

The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries will offer overnight respite through 9 a.m. Friday morning. So will the Pope Francis Center, but it can only accept single adults. Detroit’s recreation centers and public library branches will serve as warming centers during the daytime.

Anyone who needs help finding longer-term housing can contact the city’s help line, 866-313-2520.

Michigan prison accused of forced labor, sexism

The Michigan Department of Corrections is facing a class action lawsuit for alleged forced labor and gender discrimination.

The lawsuit claims inmates housed at Michigan’s only prison for women were forced to work cleaning common areas for free after getting off from their paid prison jobs. The plaintiffs live in the units that also house participants in the prison’s “Vocational Village” but don’t take part in that program.

The complaint alleges prison staff told the women they’d still have to work as unpaid porters one week a month or risk losing their paid gigs and education opportunities. But the women suing claim that goes against department policies, and that men in a similar housing situation in another prison don’t face the same requirements.

Reporters have reached out to the Michigan Department of Corrections for comment.

Authentic Eastern Market receives $1.5 million grant

A 3-year grant for Eastern Market will focus on increasing the number for Detroit Farmers who participate in the market. The Authentic Eastern Market Campaign will also focus on improving infrastructure and sustainability.

The Gilbert Family Foundation’s $1.5 million investment will support the Shed 7 Regional Wholesale Distribution Center project to bring more entrepreneurs of color to the Eastern Market District. The money will also help with stormwater management and branding projects.  

WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET’s Pat Batcheller and MPRN’s Colin Jackson contributed to this report.

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

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover the rise of Michigan influenza infections, efforts to improve the city’s homeless services and upcoming community events.

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Michigan flu levels hit 15-year high

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that two children in Michigan have died from the flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s been 15 years since influenza infections were this high in the state. Joe Coyle, the state’s epidemiologist, says it’s not clear why flu rates are so high this year.

“The flu virus is slightly different every year. The flu vaccine is slightly different every year. And the pattern and severity of influenza, in terms of how it impacts the population, is a little bit different from year to year,” Coyle said.

Coyle says vaccine effectiveness data from the CDC will provide more insight, but has not yet been released. There’ve been nearly 10,000 flu-related hospitalizations in Michigan since Nov. 30, 2024.

Duggan calls for review of city’s homeless services

Funeral services are set for two children who appear to have frozen to death in a Detroit parking structure last week. The tragic incident has shone a light on the city’s ability to help homeless families during extremely cold weather.

Officials say two-year-old A’millah Currie and nine-year-old Darnell Currie Jr. were staying with their mother in a van parked in the Hollywood Casino garage. The van lost heat and the mother took the children to a hospital after one stopped breathing.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says the mother had reached out to homeless advocates months before, but officials did not follow up. Duggan has ordered a full review of Detroit’s homeless services, and wants the city to better publicize what shelters are available and have workers conduct on-site visits when minors are involved.

The city is helping coordinate the Currie children’s funerals, which are being paid for by donations.

NAACP publishes pro-DEI spending guide

The NAACP wants Black Americans to steer their buying power toward corporations that have not pulled back from diversity programs. The Associated Press reports that the nation’s oldest civil rights organization is listing which brands have stood by or reversed their DEI commitments. The list can be found in the NAACP’s Black Consumer Advisory.

Wayne State to hold event highlighting migration stories

Wayne State’s MENA employees are hosting an event to highlight the contributions made by Middle Eastern North African immigrants. The Employee Engagement Group event is called “Migration Stories: MENA Immigration to America, Past and Present.”

Panelists will discuss the trials, tribulations and achievements of MENA immigrants with a specific focus on their experiences and impact on Metro Detroit. Featured speakers represent the Center for Arab Narratives, the Arab American National Museum and the Center for Arab American Studies at U-M Dearborn.

The panel will be held on Thursday, Feb. 20 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Hilberry AB in the Student Center Building at 5221 Gullen Mall. The event is free and open to the public. Those interested can RSVP online at getinvolved.wayne.edu.

Ramadan Market to return this weekend

The Muslim Community of Western Suburbs (MCWS) in Canton will have its Ramadan Market this weekend. The market will include multiple vendors selling clothes, foods and other goods traditionally used during the month of Ramadan. Offerings include abayas, groceries imported from the Middle East, Ramadan decor, Islamic jewelry, Islamic books and more.

The event will also offer creative workshops throughout the day, including Ramadan storytime for children, cookie decorating, lantern building and designing your own iftar plate.

The Ramadan Market will be held on Feb. 22 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the MCWS Gymnasium at 40440 Palmer Rd. in Canton. Admission is free, but those interested are encouraged to RSVP on Eventbrite.

Skilled Trades Task Force to meet

The City of Detroit’s Skilled Trades Task Force will meet Wednesday, Feb. 19. Attendees can learn how to apply for tuition-free skilled trades apprenticeships in construction industries.

The event is from 4-6 p.m. at the Union Carpenters & Millwrights Skilled Training Center at 11687 American Street in Detroit. For more information, call 313-628-2363. 

WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley, Quinn Klinefelter, Pat Batcheller and Zahra Hassan contributed to this report.

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

On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised to make the federal government more efficient. So far that effort has led to attempts to shut down diversity programs.

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Now, the president is reportedly weighing an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

State Superintendent Michael Rice says the president’s actions are attempts to marginalize certain segments of the population.

“The president isn’t trying to return control of schools to states and local districts, which have always been in charge of education. He’s trying to exercise control over who is served and how what gets taught and what does not,” Rice said.

Michigan schools get over $2 billion from the federal government per year. Most of Trump’s efforts to shut down federal agencies have been stopped by lawsuits.  

Other headlines for Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025:

• The Detroit Public Library is inviting patrons to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a Bridgerton-style afternoon ball from 2-4 p.m. this Sunday at the Main Library. 
• The Michigan Science Center’s planetarium is getting an upgrade thanks to a $2.5 million grant from the Ballmer Group. 
• The Center for Success Network and the Oak Park Public Library are partnering to host a party celebrating the life and work of Langston Hughes. The event, also celebrating the start of Black Children’s Book Week, is set for 6:30-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, and will take place at the Oak Park Library.
• The Station at Michigan Central is hosting “Great Migrations at the Station” this Black History Month. The series explores the stories of Black Americans who arrived in Detroit between 1910 and 1970 and helped shape the city. 

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

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover immigration updates under the Trump Administration, overdose prevention training, free community events and more.

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Immigration raids stunt Detroit nonprofit

The Trump Administration’s promise to deport immigrants is indirectly affecting attempts to feed people in Detroit. An organization called Hey Y’all Detroit has stopped delivering fresh produce to its nearly 300 families after a farm in Texas was shut down due to immigration raids.

Charmane Neal is the nonprofit’s founder. She says she was informed the farm will have to stop production.

“I think when they initially told me, I kind of was in shock, because it’s not just that we’re not going to be getting the supply,” Neal said. “It kind of dawned on me, and it put me into a reality check of what’s going on with this current administration.”

Since the farm shut down, Hey Y’all will only be able to help up to 100 families.

Immigrant legal services restored

The Justice Department has restored funding for nonprofit programs that provide legal services to immigrants. The agency ordered four groups to stop work immediately after President Trump signed executive orders targeting migrants. The nonprofits sued, saying the decree would prevent them from educating people about immigration court, detention centers and the legal system. The edict temporarily shut down a help desk at the immigration court in Detroit.

Overdose prevention training

ACCESS and the ASAP Community Coalition are hosting a Community Opioid Overdose Prevention Naloxone Training next Tuesday, Feb. 11 at Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn. Attendees will learn about a variety of overdose prevention strategies and learn how to administer Naloxone (also known as NARCAN). Free Naloxone kits will be provided to those who complete the training. To learn more, visit bit.ly/narcancommunity.

Sphinx summer program registration opens

The Sphinx Organization has opened registration for its full-scholarship summer program. The Detroit-based nonprofit works to support Black and Latino classical musicians with training, mentorship and financial assistance.

The Sphinx Performance Academy is for string players between the ages of 11 and 17 years old. Students will attend programs in one of three locations: Boston Conservatory, Colorado University Boulder or Juilliard. Applications are due Sunday, Feb. 16.

The organization is also accepting applications for its MPower Artist Grant up until Feb. 16. These grants provide up to $15,000 for musicians to use toward career advancement or professional development. For information about either opportunity, visit sphinxmusic.org or email info@sphinxmusic.org.

Free sit-and-stitch gathering

Parker Avenue Knits is hosting a full day of free community sit-and-stitch next week on Wednesday, Feb. 12. The store will open early at 11 a.m. to welcome the community for crafting and fellowship. Parker Avenue Knits is located at 1578 Franklin Street. For more information, visit parkeravenueknits.com.

Free Family Day at MOCAD

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit is hosting a free Family Day on Saturday, Feb. 8. Exhibits geared toward all ages and hands-on art making will be open to the public from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m. MOCAD is at 4454 Woodward Avenue. For more information, visit mocadetroit.org.

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