Capturing love through photography

Elonte Davis is a Detroit-based photographer and a 2025 Kresge Fellow. His work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

For Elonte, photography is a powerful tool to spread love and joy, helping people see themselves differently and with greater appreciation.

For almost 30 years now, InsideOut Literary Arts has helped countless Detroit students find a love and passion for creative writing.

InsideOut was founded by Dr. Terry Blackhawk, a Detroit Public Schools teacher, who had a goal to inspire young people through the written and spoken word. Since 1995, the organization has expanded, offering classroom instructions, free performances and career opportunities after participation.

This year, the organization made it a point to fill spaces throughout the city with youth poetry. They purchased 30 billboards, replacing ordinary ads with student writing. And as you drive through the Avenue of Fashion, you’ll see a new mural by artist Oshun Williams.

To cap the end of its 30th year, a party at The Norwood celebrates the joy and impact InsideOut Literary Arts over the past three decades.

Suma Karaman Rosen is Executive Director of InsideOut Literary Arts. Hajjar Baban is an InsideOut Alum and has a master’s in fine arts from University of Virginia. She is an award-winning poet and currently a poetry reader for Muzzle Magazine.

They joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to talk more about 30 years of poetry and more.

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What do you do to remember about family and friends who have passed on? Is it a tradition to keep photos up or maybe you save old voicemails. No matter how you choose to honor your loved ones, it’s important to keep their memories alive. 

Most of us are familiar with Day of the Dead, celebrated across the globe, from Mexico, Central and South Americas, to the Philippines, the tradition is a time to give offerings and to hold space for ancestors and loved ones lost.  

The Detroit Public Library continues to expand its offerings in the community with a celebratory event blending Halloween with “Day of the Dead.” The day of dancing will have music from Filipino EDM artist With Love, Harlow and Erika Irie.

With Love, Harlow joined The Metro to talk more about Filipino “Day of the Dead”. We were also joined by Detroit Public Library Manager Cully Sommers, who’s an expert on a popular library of music, arts and literature.

The event will take place at Detroit Public Library’s main branch on Saturday, November 1 from 2-5 p.m. 

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Donald Calloway has worked as an artist in Detroit for more than 30 years, constantly finding new ways to express his creativity. His work spans figures made from found and repurposed wood and metal, as well as portrait paintings and abstract sculptures.

A 2025 Kresge Artist Fellow and College for Creative Studies alum, Calloway has exhibited his work at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the National Conference of Artists Gallery, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Our neighbors across the Detroit River have hosted the Windsor International Film Festival for 21 years. This year will be the first time the event will showcase outside of Canada. 

WIFF is working with with the Downtown Detroit Partnership so more film lovers have a chance to partake in the festival. 

Campus Martius Park will act as a satellite location and offer two films for audiences to watch. 

Vincent Georgie is Executive Director and the chief programmer for WIFF, and David Cowan is Chief Public Spaces Officer for the Downtown Detroit Partnership. They joined The Metro to talk more about the film festival. 

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Detroit or Waawiyatanong is the ancestral homelands of the three Anishinaabe nations: the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi.  

As you drive around the city of Detroit, oftentimes you’ll see street names like Cheyenne and Chippewa Avenue that serve as reminders of indigenous presence. 

For so many spaces in Detroit, the influence of the ancestral land holders persists. American Indians have been instrumental in the growth of the city. 

Today, on Indigenous People’s Day, the city of Detroit in collaboration with the North American Indian Association of Detroit, Detroit Indigenous Peoples Alliance, American Indian Health and Family Services, and Southeastern Michigan Indians will host a day of celebration. 

From noon-6 p.m., Hart Plaza will honor Indigenous People’s Day with cultural activities, including a powwow. 

Travis Schuyler is the program director with the North American Indian Association of Detroit. He spoke with The Metro’s Tia Graham. 

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James Boggs has the Detroit story. He was born into a sharecropping family in Junction, Alabama. He moved to the city and worked in the auto industry for over 20 years. His wife Grace was a Chinese American philosopher who was born in Rhode Island and lived in New York.

James and Grace Lee Boggs would go on to lead a movement of self-resiliency and working together as a community. They were instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement through the 60s and 70s and further into the eras with the Black Panther Party.  The two remained married for 40 years, until James’ death in 1993. 

Grace Lee Boggs carried their legacy and continued their work until her death in 2015 at the age of 100. She was an author, feminist, philosopher and social activist who inspired and changed the minds of so many, and made sure Detroit thrived with love and community. 

This month, The James and Grace Lee Boggs Foundation is celebrating with a 10 year memorial of her death. The gathering will honor the life and legacy of the civil rights activist and take a look at how to move forward in this moment in time we’re in today.

Donald Boggs, son of James Boggs and Alice Jennings, J.D. joined Metro host Tia Graham to talk more about the 10-year memorial honoring the life of Grace Lee Boggs. 

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Bevlove is a Detroit R&B songstress who uses her words to paint pictures over smooth productions.

Bevlove grew up understanding the power of music. Like so many Detroiters, church played a huge role in fostering Bev’s musical curiosities. The fellowship and hallelujah choruses were all building blocks for the way Bevlove performs today.

CONTAINER On The Metro is a new WDET-produced storytelling series that brings Detroit’s creative heartbeat to the airwaves.

CONTAINER is a program created by The Love Building to showcase Detroit’s most promising creative talent across music, fashion, fine arts and food. Done in collaboration with WDET Public Radio with major support from the Gilbert Family Foundation.

William Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest drama writers in recorded English language history. His work has lived on through the centuries, and today’s writers and directors have found ways to keep his works alive. 

Shakespeare in Detroit is one group that has made a name for themselves being the premiere space for classical performances.

Beginning as an initiative in 2012 called Shakespeare Against Cancer, the group traveled across Michigan hospitals, healing through classical performances.  A year later, Shakespeare in Detroit hosted the cities first ever public show, a Shakespeare in the park experience.

Since then, the grassroots organization has expanded its offerings, working with kids and teens, helping the next generation of theater folks find their niche. 

Next week as part of the company’s intimate 2025 fall limited run series, “Jane Anger” will make its Michigan debut. The dark comedy takes place in the 1600s during the plague.

Samatha White the founding artistic and executive director of Shakspeare in Detroit. She is also the director of Michigan’s premiere of “Jane Anger”. 

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Since 1928, The Redford Theatre has been a fixture in the heart of the Detroit community. Standing just off of Lahser and Grand River in Detroit, the theater prides itself on showing unique films. 

Recently, the theater received a grant from the state historic preservation office to restore its iconic steel windows, helping maintain the historic space and keep the charm that makes it a special place to view a film. 

As one of the busiest times of the year for the theater, Halloween season has become a favorite among movie lovers. The line-up ranges from horror and gore to family favorites. 

Directly next door to the theater is the Motor City Cinema Society. Its main goal is to curate, preserve and showcase movies on film and provide an engaging and inclusive experience for our patrons. 

Redford Theatre programmer and volunteer John Monaghan joined the show to talk more about the importance of preserving and showing films of the past. 

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Nabeela Najjar is the creative force behind Seamstress Bee, where she works as a costume and fashion designer.

A graduate of the College for Creative Studies, Nabeela uses her vision to create mystical costumes and designs inspired by the dreamworld and nature. She hand-dyes flowy fabrics like silk and chiffon to form one-of-a-kind, ethereal garments.

Nabeela was named a Gucci Changemaker Scholar, and her work has been displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Her designs range from everyday wear to conceptual pieces you’d see on the runway.

We talk about the roads often on The Metro. From reducing truck traffic in Southwest to the impact of I-375 on Detroit’s historic Black neighborhoods, yet, who’s making sure these roads and highways are clean of trash? 

In 2022, According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, it cost taxpayers in the state nearly 8 million dollars for crews to pick up trash along state roads. And according to MDOT the price tag would be higher if it were not for programs like Adopt-A-Highway and dedicated volunteers to clean stretches of highway.

So what does it look like when a young artist gets involved and brings the community with him to clean up roads in Detroit?

All Notes is a creative and community platform blending music, social impact, and digital media founded by Detroit-based artist TommyPAPI.

Through the initiative, the Afro-Caribbean musician hosts livestream performances, neighborhood cleanups, and resource drives, connecting artists of all disciplines through support.  

Tommy received the spirit of Detroit for The Highway Cleanup project in September 2025. He joined The Metro to speak about the award and giving back to the community he calls home. 

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Colorism is defined in the Oxford dictionary as “prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.” 

It’s one facet of discrimination that often goes without proper acknowledgment, and one that Professor Rogerio Pinto aims to shine a light on through his work.

Rogerio Pinto is a University Diversity Social Transformation Professor. He is a Berit Ingersoll-Dayton Collegiate Professor of Social Work and he’s a Professor of Theatre and Drama, School of Music, Theatre & Dance at The University of Michigan. 

Born in Brazil, Professor Pinto has dedicated his life to breaking the social constructs of colorism and other “-isms” that divide people. 

Earlier this year, Professor Pinto curated and hosted “Colorism,” a mixed-media installation that used video, photography, tactile elements and a montage to explore colorism. “Colorism” took a look at the term from its roots to where we are today in society.

Professor Pinto also curated a Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers live event on colorism.

Professor Pinto stopped by The Metro to explore the complexities of colorism and its impact on people immigrating to the U.S., and how to tackle identity in times of division.

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Taylor’s Creative Journey in Art and Fashion

Taylor has made a name for herself in art and fashion. In 2025, Taylor was named a Kresge Gilda Snowden Emerging Artist. She was also a prominent designer featured in Detroit Month of Design and a standout for the year’s Michigan Fashion Week.

Taylor graduated from the College for Creative Studies and Cranbrook Academy of Art.

The limit seemingly doesn’t exist for Taylor and what she can create. Taylor’s designs are unique in that she practices sustainable fashion.

But as Taylor would tell it, she learned how to create something out of nothing from her family, starting with her grandmother, who made sure the neighborhood was a community.

High fashion often leads back to Europe, where some of the largest fashion houses in the world are. Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854 in Paris and has since become a leader in fashion, particularly men’s fashion. 

In 2018, the company made history by announcing its first Black man as lead creative director of menswear, Virgil Abloh. The Midwest born fashion designer made a statement with the appointment.

In his short time at the helm, Virgil helped usher in a new, fresh take on the brand. He brought in street wear, making it chic and high fashion.

Virgil Abloh passed away in 2021 at the age of 41, but the legacy he left behind lives on today. 

The Metro’s Tia Graham spoke with Robin Givhan, author of the new book “Make it Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh.”

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Season Fair is a new contemporary art fair debuting at Michigan Central this month as part of Detroit Month of Design.

Financially supported by The Gilbert Family Foundation, the fair will gather 11 leading galleries from across North America. Ten Detroit-based artists will be featured alongside special projects, artist talks and civic engagement. 

The Metro’s Tia Graham spoke with Akua Hill, director of arts and culture at the Gilbert Family Foundation and Amani Olu, founder and curatorial director of Season Fair. 

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Detroit’s only eyewear maker is turning heads

When Ali began his journey into eyewear manufacturing, he knew nothing about the industry. With determination, he figured it out and today he stands as Detroit’s only eyewear manufacturer.

His creations are described as dope glasses for local and international audiences, even catching the eye of DJ Kaytranada.

Ali grew up across Metro Detroit and calls himself a man of Michigan and a man of God. His faith, along with his lifelong drive for business, led him to build a vision around eyeglass design and creation.

During WDET’s on-air fundraiser, we continue to bring you the news and conversations that inform you, enrich your life, and connect you to the community. 

In this conversation, The Metro’s Tia Graham spoke with Satori Shakoor, host of The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers. Satori talked about the importance of storytelling and the importance of strong public media. 

This particular conversation also included information about an upcoming show at The Wright on the theme of colorism. It explored the effects of colorism across cultures and how people process related experiences. 

Hosted in front of a live audience, Satori helps create a space of vulnerability, honesty and compassion. 

Take a listen to the conversation and learn more about The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers and the impact of sharing intimate life experiences. 

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Over the decades, the city of Detroit gained an identity of being a dangerous place where beautiful things did not happen. The image of the city being blighted with eyesores and vacant lots often overshadowed the residents trying to maintain those communities. 

There are some in the city who have pushed against that narrative and have worked to showcase Detroit in all of its facets. A lot of those folks are artists. From painters to weavers and knitters to muralists, all have found ways to use their work to uplift the city that raised them. 

It’s beyond beautifying neighborhoods and business walls, it’s creating paths for economic growth as well. 

One of those people making a statement through art is Sydney James. You know her work very well, from the Girl with a D earring located on the Chroma building in Detroit off W. Grand Blvd.

Sydney is a visual artist, painter and muralist and co-founder of BLCKOUT Walls. The free block party is a celebration of Detroit and the powerful impact art can have on culture. 

The Metro’s Tia Graham spoke with Sydney James about BLCKOUT Walls and the economic power of creatives in Detroit. 

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