Detroit’s historic 'Chinatown' is making a comeback

In Detroit, the fallout from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's doubling down on aggressive tactics has shaken local communities. Just last month, a Detroit teen less than four credits from graduation was deported after getting stopped by ICE for a traffic violation. These are some of the tactics that led over 300 faith leaders and community members to march this week from Corktown to Detroit’s ICE field office. The goal of the demonstration — organized by the advocacy group Strangers No Longer — was to deliver a pastoral letter demanding humane enforcement. Immigrant rights and environmental justice advocate Odalis Perales is working with Strangers No Longer to break down barriers between faith communities, in schools, and among police about the challenges and tension of this moment. She joined The Metro on Thursday to talk about her progress and respond to ICE’s refusal to engage with the group's pastoral letter and demands.  Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Chinatown in Detroit was the destination for many Chinese immigrants who traveled to the city. Urban renewal and the construction of the Lodge freeway was then built through the neighborhood and Chinatown residents moved from Jefferson Avenue to the Cass Corridor. That’s where it existed up until Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine – a staple eatery in Chinatown for decades  — shuttered in 2000. Now, new investments are being made into the area to revitalize what was once a cultural staple in the city. And to celebrate and continue those efforts, Michigan Humanities is hosting a fundraising event on Friday, July 18. And later this month, the Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee is hosting its first annual Block party. Detroiter Curtis Chin is the co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City and the author of “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant” — an appropriate title given his family owned the historic Chung’s restaurant in Detroit’s Chinatown neighborhood. He joined The Metro on Thursday to discuss the history of the neighborhood and it's revitalization. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

"Black Power" is widely known as a political slogan — a rallying cry to mobilize Black Americans to attain social, political and economic power and fuel a sense of self-determination.  A lot of progress has been made since the Civil Rights Movement in the '60s and '70s, but Black Americans today still face major systemic obstacles. Black people are more likely to live in poverty and they have one-tenth the wealth of white Americans. Those factors are important indicators. But could directing attention to the gains Black people have made and replicating those circumstances offer better outcomes than comparing overall wealth? Andre Perry is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and the author of the new book, “Black Power Scorecard: Measuring the Racial Gap and What We Can Do to Close it.” In the book, he suggests that a reframing of this problem might help us rethink how we assess its solutions. Perry joined The Metro on Wednesday for a deep dive into the mentality behind this book. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The African World Festival is an annual event hosted by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. It’s a three-day experience with vendors, music and other performances that represent all the beauty and talent in the African Diaspora.  African culture is so rich and widely recognized here in the city of Detroit. The festival — taking place this Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20 in Hart Plaza — has been around for 60 years.  Zu Vernon, programming lead for the festival, joined The Metro on Wednesday to talk about what's in store at this year's event. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Since entering the Detroit mayoral race in December, City Council President Mary Sheffield has become a frontrunner in the race. According to recent polling, she's leading the charge in front of Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig. As the daughter of Rev. Horace Sheffield III — the leader of the Detroit Association of Black Organizations — and the granddaughter of Detroit labor leader Horace Sheffield Jr., Sheffield has been steeped in politics and the Black church for her entire life. She was also the youngest person elected to Detroit City Council when she was just 26 years old.  Today, the millennial candidate is very social media savvy, often using TikTok and Instagram to connect with city residents. She's also gained favor from many young people, including big-name Detroit rappers like Sada Baby and Skilla Baby — who both appeared at her annual “Occupy the Corner” events. But behind Sheffield's popularity, what does she stand for? She joined The Metro on Wednesday to talk more about the priorities of her campaign and what she'd bring to the table as Detroit's next mayor. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Affordable housing has been a major issue for many voters in Detroit. In fact, according to recent University of Michigan surveys, housing affordability is a top priority for residents. In the majority renter city that is Detroit, 60% of those renters are cost-burdened — meaning they spend over 30% of their income on housing costs. A lack of affordable housing is considered one of the root causes of homelessness. In 2024, a one-night count conducted by the city of Detroit and two local nonprofits showed a 16% increase in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park’s homeless population compared to the year before. Ted Phillips, executive director for the United Community Housing Coalition, and Nushrat Rahman, economic mobility reporter for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit, joined the show to discuss the drivers of and possible solutions to this growing problem. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The world can learn a lot from Detroit. Last week, the nonprofit Global Citizen came to the Hudson’s building to do just that. The convening featured panels and discussions with Detroit artists and changemakers — but also some names that people recognize around the world — people like Wyclef Jean and Mark Cuban.  The Metro’s Tia Graham attended the Global Citizen NOW Detroit summit and spoke with featured panelist, celebrity chef, restaurateur and author, Marcus Samuelsson about Detroit's global food scene and its ability to bring cultures together. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Public media began as classroom radio in the 1920s. It was dry, instructional, and pretty boring. Most only thought of news as newspapers or the anchors you see on your parents' favorite channel every morning. But it evolved to combine entertainment, education, and lessons in democracy. That evolution helped shape National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service into platforms that elevate untold community stories and give us and our kids the tools to live better lives. NPR and PBS not only tells us the news happening locally and nationally, they give children a safe avenue for early learning. Josh Shepperd is a historian and author specializing in public media at the University of Colorado Boulder. He joined The Metro to talk about the history of public media in the United States, and the Trump administration's current attacks on public broadcasting. President Donald Trump has asked Congress to pass a rescission package that would claw back funding for foreign aid programs and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The package has already passed the House and now the Senate has until July 18 to approve it. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand. Read more: Learn how to support WDET if the rescission cuts to public broadcasting are enacted

Detroit City Council recently approved changes to city ordinances to make the licensing process easier and less cumbersome for small businesses. The changes, which were unanimously approved by the council, will reduce administrative burdens by cutting redundant licensing requirements that "do not protect health and safety"; allow businesses to renew their business licenses every two years instead of annually; improve the city’s permitting and licensing processes and more. Hassan Beydoun, group executive of Economic Development for the city of Detroit, joined The Metro on Tuesday to elaborate on what these new resolutions mean for small businesses in Detroit. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Last week, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison joined Mayor Mike Duggan and other officials in announcing the launch of a new teen violence prevention plan. Under the new plan, minors age 15 and under must be with a parent after 10 p.m. The curfew for children ages 16 and 17 is 11 p.m. The plan also calls for increased curfew enforcement, illegal block party enforcement, and higher fines for breaking curfews. The "crackdown" on curfew violations is in response to recent shooting incidents involving children in the city. But how effective can that be in stopping violent crime, and what else is the city doing to stop violence at the root? Bettison joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss the city's new violence prevention plan and talk about why violence tends to spike during the summer months. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.