Stateside

It's festival season! As Detroiters prepare for Movement this weekend, we revisit a conversation with the festival's founder, DJ Carl Craig. Read the original story here. Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Carl Craig. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Planned Parenthood of Michigan closed four clinics this year. Kate Wells, health reporter for Michigan Public, explained why operational costs and the loss of Title X funding may be the biggest threat to abortion access. She also discussed the role telehealth services have played in changing the reproductive care landscape, particularly in rural areas. Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malcolm X would have turned 100 years old today. We revisit a series of conversations about why Americans so often overlook Malcolm X when it comes to Black History Month celebrations and formal education spaces. GUEST: Ven Johnson, Also heard on this episode: Mid-Michigan dam restorations are picking back up, with residents to pay nearly $218M See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malcolm X would have turned 100 years old today. We revisit a series of conversations about why Americans so often overlook Malcolm X when it comes to Black History Month celebrations and formal education spaces. GUESTS: John Aerni-FlessnerKidada WilliamsHerb Boyd, Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Rachel Blistein couldn't find hair products that worked for her curly texture, she took matters into her own hands. Mixing formulas in her kitchen, she launched Original Moxie. It’s a hair care company rooted in Ypsilanti, Michigan, focused on sustainability while celebrating diverse hair types. In addition to the non-toxic and environmentally friendly ingredients, Blisten decided to ditch the plastic containers. That was right before the COVID pandemic. She described her research into sustainable alternatives as "falling down a rabbit hole." “It was just really a personal desire to shift to a more sustainable solution. I wasn't thinking about increasing our profits,” Blisten said. “I was just hoping we'd break even, in the transition.” Listen to the interview to hear more about the ups and downs of growing a values-driven beauty brand rooted in Michigan. You can learn more about Original Moxie here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you have little kids under ten who tune to PBS on a regular basis – its likely you know about Wimee’s Words. The PBS children’s show that reaches 30 million homes around the country is originally from Grand Rapids. It features Wimee the Robot, an animated puppet, who teaches kids about science, technology, engineering, art and math. GUESTS: Michael Hyacinthe, creator, Wimee's Words Wimee, robot star of Wimee's Words Want to support shows like Wimee's Words and Stateside? Sign this petition at Protect My Public Media or you can donate to Michigan Public or your local PBS! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Prevost in the southside of Chicago. He also attended high school at a catholic seminary in West Michigan. Here's what we know so far about Pope Leo's roots and his surprising election as the first American Pope. GUEST: Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five Black and Latino teenagers were wrongfully convicted of raping and brutally assaulting a white woman in 1989. The boys’ legal case gripped and divided the nation, and symbolized systemic injustices within the legal system for communities of color. All five men were exonerated over a decade later. Detroit Opera brings the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera The Central Park Five to audiences on May 16 and 18. Award-winning director Nataki Garrett talked about bringing this powerful piece to the stage, and why it’s so relevant for audiences right now. “I love that we're doing this opera in Detroit, which has a significant black population, because there are parts of this story that are a part of our collective consciousness, both through memory but also through experience,” Garrett told Stateside. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeffrey Seller is one of the biggest Broadway producers. Beyond ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Rent,’ Seller’s work has grossed billions of dollars. The 60-year-old Tony award winner is nothing short of a living Broadway legend. But before the spotlight, Seller was another Michigan theatre kid – an outsider everywhere but school play rehearsals. Seller's new memoir, Theater Kid: a Broadway Memoir, explores the path that took him to Broadway. GUEST: Jeffrey Seller, Broadway producer and author of Theater Kid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever feel the need to get away? Perhaps, to a galaxy far, far away? Michiganders did just this past May the 4th. Every year for two weekends a warehouse in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood gets converted into a Star Wars universe. A small army of do-it-yourself artists, makers, and fun-seekers transform a half-block of space into, well, outerspace. The detail is otherworldly – streetscapes closely resembling Tatooine (otherwise known as Luke Skywalker’s home planet), stucco storefronts, dust-covered tents, and cosplay Mandalorians decked with helmets, breastplates, and blaster pistols. Space Dive takes place atTangent Gallery, generally around May 4. There are still tickets available for this weekend’s events. Star Wars attire is mandatory, as declared by the Empire. GUESTS: John DunivantDaniel LandEric Heerspink Check out photos from the event here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A mistrial was declared when a jury in Grand Rapids failed to reach consensus on the conviction or acquittal of Christopher Schurr, the police officer who shot and killed Patrick Lyoya. GUESTS: Dustin Dwyer, Michigan Public Michelle Jokisch Polo, Michigan Public To listen to full episodes of Stateside, head over here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ann Arbor Writer Michelle Yang came to the states as a child, after growing up in a Chinese family in South Korea. Her debut Memoir, Phoenix Girl: How a Fat Asian with Bipolar Found Love, is a warm, engrossing story of becoming unmoored, and finding connection and community, even as she’s fighting with fierce cultural pressures about her own body image and identity as a woman. GUESTS: Michelle Yang: author, Phoenix Girl: How a Fat Asian with Bipolar Found Love Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Audio Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Students at East Kentwood High School interviewed their family members about their immigration stories in a project marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. They will be sharing those stories this week at events celebrating West Michigan's Vietnamese American community. GUESTS: EVENT DETAILS: GR Stories: This is our home now, 50 years of building community after Saigon 50 Years After Saigon: Vietnamese Stories of a New Home See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A look back at Santa Ono's career in higher education thus far, and what's been particularly challenging about high education administration in the last several years. GUESTS: David Jesse: senior writer, Chronicle of Higher Education Jamal Watson, PhD: editor of "Diverse: Issues in Higher Education," professor of Strategic Communication and Public Relations, Trinity Washington University Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Scarab Club has played an important role in Detroit’s arts and cultural scene for more than a century. But like many other Detroit arts lovers, the club’s new gallery director first stumbled into it by chance. On today’s pod, we’re going to be talking to Scarab Club gallery manager Donna Jackson about her approach to community engagement–and the profound impact the Detroit arts scene has had on her own life. GUEST: Donna Jackson, gallery manager at the Scarab Club Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new storytelling event in Grand Rapids called Unfiltered aims to bring people together through the sharing of experiences in and around the city. Similar to the format of The Moth, Unfiltered features folks in and around Grand Rapids sharing stories about first loves, scary job interviews, weird interactions in grocery stores, make-or-break moments of adversity, and more. Storytellers are invited to tell a 12-minute story around a common theme. Raul Alvarez, lead organizer for the event, initially pitched this idea to a group of friends with whom he regularly met for drinks. They were all excited to help plan a storytelling event, he said. “They went to work, and we had no clue what to expect,” Alvarez said. “It was kind of a prototype, but all of a sudden it sold out.” While Alvarez said storytelling might be a bit scary at first, because it involves a certain level of vulnerability, the community hasn't backed down. “Now, we have the second sellout, which tells us it is a movement,” Alvarez said. “We want to keep it going, because there's a lot of stories out there. We already have stories that have been submitted for a future [event].” The next Unfiltered is May 2, 2025 at the Four Star Theater, in Grand Rapids. The theme is “You Can’t Make This S*** Up!” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in September 2024, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged seven Pro-Palestinian protesters for allegedly defying orders from University of Michigan public safety officers. The individuals were charged with trespassing, a misdemeanor, and for resisting arrest, a felony. In this episode we break down why the U-M Pro-Palestinian protestors want AG Nessel off the case. GUEST: Beenish Ahmed, journalist at Michigan Public Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Audio Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are a time and place in America where more children of Holocaust survivors are with us than survivors themselves. In some ways this is the lens through which many Americans understand how the Nazi regime murdered 6 million Jews in the 1930's and 40's. Sassa Akervall's mother survived the Holocaust. She shared part of her family's story in the book, The Ones Who Remember: Second-Generation Voices of the Holocaust. It was published in 2022 by members of Temple Beth-Emeth in Ann Arbor and contains a collection of essays telling the stories of the children of Holocaust survivors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daria Burke’s life wasn’t easy growing up. Her parents split up, and her mom struggled with grief and addiction, forcing Burke to take on adult responsibilities at a young age. Years later, she became a marketing executive in the beauty industry. Her hunger to understand her own mind led to a season of deep self-investigation, resulting in a new book, Of My Own Making: A Memoir. Burke joined us to talk about the book. She'll be in Detroit May 13 for an event with Fresh Air’s Tonya Mosely at the Detroit Public Library. Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.