Annual African dance conference uses dance as a tool for justice and equity

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.

The next Senator representing Michigan could shift the balance of power in Washington, and their policies relating to the auto industry, tariffs and electric vehicles could make Michigan’s economic interests pivotal nationwide. The four main candidates are Abdul El-Sayed, Representative Haley Stevens, State Senator Mallory McMorrow and Mike Rogers. They’re all vying to replace Gary Peters as Michigan's next Senator. The domestic auto industry has been on an economic roller coaster. Ping-ponging tariff policies and rollbacks of Biden-era electric vehicle tax rebates have added economic uncertainty to the equation of domestic automakers and parts suppliers. So, what policies might the next Senator from Michigan bring to Washington? Molly Boigon is a reporter who covers technology and innovation for Automotive News. She spoke to the four candidates on the Daily Drive Podcast and wrote a piece breaking down where they stand on key automotive economic policies.  She joined Robyn Vincent to share what she learned about the candidates' positions on electric vehicles and tariffs.

There are about 2,200 urban gardens across Detroit. In a place with a lot of empty tracts,  that can be a great use of land.  And, over the past few years, the city has done things to assist the people who tend to it. There’s now an entire department dedicated to the inner workings of urban farmers.  Recently, the city alongside the Eastern Market Partnership are collaborating to offer $225,000 in grant funding to Detroit-based farmers. But even with the new dollars being made available, preserving and expanding farms can be challenging because upkeep can be costly and labor-intensive. With Mayor Mike Duggan leaving office, there will likely be turnover and questions about the priorities of the new administration. Amanda Brezzell is the creative director and co-founder of Fennigan’s Farms in Detroit, a board member for the Detroit Food Policy Council, and a policy and engagement specialist for the Groundwork Center. They spoke with Cary Junior II about the challenges and joys of farming in Detroit. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The thousands of domestic violence calls Warren police receive annually are pushing law enforcement to act differently, to move faster and meet survivors where they are. In May, city police launched Operation Cycle Break, a new program designed to close the gaps in how domestic violence cases move through the system. The goal is fewer repeat calls, and fewer incidents overall. The effort brings together the Warren Police Department, prosecutors, a nonprofit that supports survivors, and researchers at Wayne State University. Detective Sergeant James Twardesky and Captain Brent Chisolm of the Warren police department are the architects of Operation Cycle Break. They joined the show to explain the initiative. 

Michigan’s cannabis industry has become one of the largest in the nation. Last year alone, people here bought over $3 billion worth of legal weed, second only to California. Now, the state wants to take that success and pave roads with it. State lawmakers just passed a new 24 percent wholesale tax in the state budget, set to begin in January. It will raise an estimated $420 million a year for transportation projects. Supporters call it smart budgeting, “pot for potholes.” But others see a troubling shift: a young industry, still finding its footing, being asked to carry the weight of Michigan’s infrastructure. The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association is taking the debate to court. It has filed a complaint arguing the new wholesale tax unlawfully alters a voter-initiated cannabis law under the state constitution. There is also a deeper tension. For decades, Black people in Michigan were nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people.When voters approved the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2018, it came with a promise: that the people most harmed by prohibition would share in the new prosperity. This new tax could test that promise if higher costs push small, Black- and brown-owned businesses out of the market. So today, The Metro explores these tensions and concerns through the perspective of people in the cannabis industry. First, we hear from Jamie Lowell, a longtime cannabis advocate. He’ll help us step back: how does Michigan’s market compare with other states? Then we turn to Al Williams, owner of DaCut dispensaries, and president of the Detroit Cannabis Industry Association.

In metro Detroit, we’re accustomed to highways. They’re everywhere around these parts. They get us to where we’re going quite quickly. But they also have drawbacks, creating noise and air pollution and keeping potential businesses and neighbors further from each other.  A Detroit-based organization and the state are working to change that. The project to cap I-75 could allow pedestrians to stroll between downtown Detroit and certain parts of the city.  Eric Larson, Chief Executive Officer of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, spoke with Robyn Vincent about what's included in the plan and more. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and one local non-profit is recruiting men to help end the abuse. While men are typically the perpetrators of violence, 23% of men in Michigan experience intimate partner violence, rape or stalking. This places men in a very unique place in which they can discuss, amongst themselves, both the impacts of violence on victims and discuss how their experiences could lead to violence. Haven, a non-profit in Oakland County, has been calling on men to raise their voices on this issue. The organization aims to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault and provides resources to survivors in their time of need. Haven is currently recruiting 100 men to lend their voices and support their communities in eliminating domestic violence. There's a Men of Haven recruitment event coming up on Thursday, Oct. 23 from 6-8 p.m. at Haven's headquarters in Pontiac. Christine Kinal is the CEO of Haven. She joined the show to discuss men’s roles in addressing this very important issue.

Detroit is a city with many musical connections. But one musical connection might be helping pay for your retirement.  Between 2010 and 2019, Michigan's treasury pension fund invested $1.1 billion into music royalties. It significantly invested in Concord, an entertainment company that holds the copyrights to over 300,000 songs.  Its catalog includes timeless acts like Billie Holiday, Phil Collins, Cyndi Lauper, and more modern artists like Brent Faiyaz and Tyla. Every time their songs are streamed, Michigan pensions grow.  These investments are becoming more popular thanks to streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music.  It raises questions about how an influx of financiers could impact the music industry. And considering so few artists own their catalog, what does it mean for the earnings disparity between the musicians who make the music and the investors who profit from it? Helping us sift through this is the founder of CAD Management, Clayton Durant. He is also an adjunct professor of music business at New York University.  

The city has started enforcing new truck routes in Southwest Detroit this week.  For many years, residents have been blowing the horn on trucks clogging up residential streets, shaking homes, and emitting pollution in Southwest Detroit.  Detroit’s Chief of Infrastructure Sam Krassenstein said on The Metro, community input has led to these changes in one corner of the city. This is a step in the right direction, but community groups like The Trucks Off Our Street Coalition are calling for a citywide ordinance to address truck troubles in more neighborhoods.  Changes in Southwest Detroit were previewed at The Trucks Off Our Street Coalition meeting last week. Producer Jack Filbrandt got into these changes and community concerns with Detroit Documenters Katerli Bounds and Noah Kincade. 

Dance is typically understood as a physical artform. A non-verbal expression of creativity, emotions and narratives. Dance is a cultural pillar that brings communities together under shared goals: to create and perform.  Ajara Alghali is a cultural organizer who believes that dance can also be a tool for transformation and equity, and a connection between ritual and our shared environment. With these principles in mind, she co-founded the TéMaTé Institute for Black Dance and Culture in 2018.  The organization hosts an annual dance convening that demonstrates that vision through workshops and performances from experts who span the African diaspora. This year, it takes place October 18 and 19 at the Andy Art Center and Detroit School of Arts.  Ajara joined The Metro to discuss the upcoming event.