Created Equal

Stephen Henderson is broadcasting live this week from the Mackinac Policy Conference with WDET colleagues Cheyna Roth (MichMash), Russ McNamara (All Things Considered) and Nick Austin (The Metro). Listen to his conversations with some of the state's top decision makers here, or go to wdet.org/mpc. We'll be back with more Created Equal on Friday.

For the first time in Mackinac Policy Conference history, Senate hopefuls have declined the Detroit Regional Chamber's invitation to debate on the island. Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of DRC, joined "Created Equal" host Stephen Henderson to discuss how changing U.S. political dynamics have altered candidates' campaign strategies.

Today on "Created Equal," we share highlights from this week's episodes, including a new wage increase for migrant workers and how it's putting pressure on Michigan farmers; the concerning rise of children unintentionally consuming cannabis edibles and more.

Memorial Day weekend in Detroit means Movement — the popular, funky dance festival that celebrates electronic music. On today's episode, we talk with two of the city's cultural icons, Adriel Thornton and Stacey Hotwaxx Hale, about the origins of electronic and House music in Detroit, and how the growth of the music dovetails with the creation of a safe space for the city's Black and queer communities to be expressive.

Dr. Dionne Powell, a psychoanalyst from New York City, joins the show to discuss the concept of racial ghosts and how it applies to the psychological wellness and treatments for Black Americans. 

Cases of unintentional cannabis use by children ages 4 to 13 grew by 60% in Michigan from 2020 to 2023, the Michigan Poison Center at Wayne State University reports. Robyn Vincent, a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit who recently wrote about the rise in cannabis poisonings in Detroit schools; and Dr. Varun Vohra, director of the Michigan Poison Center, join the show to talk about the dangerous flip-side of the freedom that has come with legal marijuana use in Michigan.

Michigan's robust agriculture industry has come to rely quite a bit on migrant workers and the visas that bring them to our country. But a recent hike in the minimum pay for these workers has sparked a debate about the cost to farms — and potentially consumers — as well as about the pathway to opportunity for migrants. Detroit News reporter Grant Schwab and Gonzalo Peralta, staff attorney for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, join "Created Equal" to discuss the H-2A Visa Program and its downsides for both Michigan farmers and agriculture workers.

Today on "Created Equal," we share highlights from this week's episodes, including why schools in the U.S. are still segregated 70 years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision; the potential future of Detroit’s iconic Renaissance Center and more.

Sam White, founder of the nonprofit Shakespeare in Detroit, will return to the renowned Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada to direct a production of "Romeo and Juliet." She joins the show along with Stratford's Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino to discuss equity in the arts and share what attendees can expect.

After 28 years in the iconic Renaissance Center building, General Motors announced the company is moving its global headquarters to the new Hudson’s Detroit development in 2025. Detroit News reporter Kalea Hall and urban consultant Harriet Saperstein join the show to discuss the changes and the potential future of the RenCen.

Author and journalist A.J. Jacobs joins the show to talk about the joys and hardships of his experiment living by the Constitution for his new book, "The Year of Living Constitutionally."

A new report from The Civil Rights Project at UCLA found that schools are still deeply segregated in the U.S. — despite the U.S. Supreme Court deeming segregation unconstitutional in 1954. The report's co-author, UCLA Professor Gary Orfield, joins the show to discuss his findings.

Today on "Created Equal," we share highlights from this week's episodes, including a dive into the benefits of state and locally-operated banks compared to national ones; tangible ways to confront white privilege; and how social media and COVID-19 has shaped motherhood in 2024.

In anticipation of Mother’s Day this Sunday, Dr. Katheryn Maguire, a professor of communications at Wayne State University, joins "Created Equal" to discuss how challenging events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have affected how mothers balance work and life.

The “I-375 Reconnecting Communities” project proposed by the Michigan Department of Transportation is currently in its design phase. Will the project reconnect communities, or leave residents frustrated? Malachi Barrett of BridgeDetroit and members of the “ReThink I-375 Coalition” join Stephen Henderson to discuss.

Today on "Created Equal," author and journalist Tracie McMillan joins to discuss a tangible way for white America to confront the advantage that keeps our nation unequal.

On today's episode of "Created Equal," Oscar Perry Abello, senior economic justice correspondent for Next City, joins to discuss why state and locally operated banks are more accessible than national ones.

Today on "Created Equal," we share highlights from this week's episodes, including the problem with foster care in America; the state of free speech on U.S. college campuses; Detroit’s air pollution problem and more.

Detroit’s air is dirty, and according to a new report from the American Lung Association, dirtier than most cities in the U.S. On today's episode of "Created Equal," Nick Schroeck, associate dean of experiential education at the University of Detroit Mercy Law School, and Brian Allnut, senior reporter at Planet Detroit, join to discuss why the region's air quality is so bad, and what we can do about it.

Tensions between student-led protesters and university officials at Columbia University on Tuesday led to NYPD officers clad in riot-gear forcibly removing protesters from the Hamilton Hall building, which they had occupied for less than 24 hours. Shikha Dalmia, president of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism, and Dr. Sophia Rosenfeld, chair of the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania, join the show to discuss the protests and universities' responses.