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One Detroit > Stories > History

It’s been called the Motor City, Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit Rock City, the 313 and more. Explore the rich history of Detroit and the surrounding region.

Stories from One Detroit

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One Detroit 1013 – Seg 1 – SW Detroit Oral History – Still3

Residents in Southwest Detroit are working to preserve the community’s Latino history by documenting stories of people who grew up there. Their oral history project is called VOCES, which is Spanish for voices. 
“Our history has not been documented the way other communities have documented their history,” said VOCES project committee member Martina Guzmán. 
VOCES has been collecting oral histories from natives of Southwest Detroit. As part of the project, Henry Ybarra talked about his father, Henry Ybarra, Sr., sharing that he worked at a Detroit restaurant in the old Fort Shelby Hotel. 
“He got a job dishwashing,” Ybarra said in his oral history interview. “And worked his way up to be the head chef.”   
Aaron Barndollar, Ybarra’s nephew, is also part of the VOCES project committee. So far, about ten oral history interviews have been collected, and there are plans to gather at least ten more in the next ten months, Barndollar said.   
He has a large collection of family photos and knows others also have pictures. People working on the VOCES project want to look at them, Barndollar said. 
“Folks are inheriting their family photos and are not sure with to do with them,” he said. “They’re actually really invaluable.”  
The VOCES initiative has received funding to gather stories and is seeking additional funding to keep the project going.  
“We’re just scratching the surface,” said VOCES committee member and community leader Ozzie Rivera. 
In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, One Detroit’s Bill Kubota reports on the oral history project underway in Southwest Detroit. The story is part of our ongoing Destination Detroit series, which explores the region’s rich history and the people who helped shape it.

Residents in Southwest Detroit preserve community’s past through oral history project

WOMEN IN JAZZ 02-min

For decades, Detroit wasn’t just a stop on the map for musicians, it was the destination. As jazz evolved and musicians migrated north during the Great Migration, Detroit became a place where the genre flourished. Venues like the Blue Bird Inn, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, and countless others created space for jazz musicians to play, experiment and make lasting connections.
Oral historian Veronica Johnson has partnered with the Detroit Sound Conservancy to help chronicle the women whose voices helped shape that legacy and whose stories are too often left out. The Detroit Women in Jazz Oral History Project includes interviews with prominent female musicians like <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/american-black-journal/detroit-jazz-legend-marion-hayden-named-2025-kresge-eminent-artist/">Marion Hayden</a>, Pamela Wise, Joan Belgrave, <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/one-detroit/gayelynn-mckinney/">Gayelynn McKinney,</a> Taslimah Bey and others, which are <a href="https://detroitsound.org/collections/oralhistory/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accessible to the public</a>. 
In the interviews, Wise reflects on the footing she found as a musician in Detroit, and Hayden recalls early support from artists including Wendell Harrison and Marcus Belgrave. Also, Bey shares how Detroit’s jazz community surrounded her with support during one of the hardest moments in her life. 
One Detroit <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/cecelia-sharpe/">contributor Cecelia Sharpe</a> of 90.9 WRCJ sat down with Johnson at Aretha’s Jazz Café to talk about the women who shaped Detroit’s jazz scene and how their stories are being preserved.  
Plus, Sharpe talks with Michelle Jahra McKinney, director of the <a href="https://detroitsound.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Sound Conservancy</a>, about efforts to <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/american-black-journal/historic-detroit-jazz-club-the-blue-bird-inn-set-for-grand-revival-by-detroit-sound-conservancy/">restore historic venues like the Blue Bird Inn</a> and keep Detroit’s music legacy alive for future generations.

Oral history project preserves the legacy of Detroit women in jazz

ONE DETROIT 950 LGBTQ History Still 1

It’s been 53 years since Michigan’s first Pride celebration took place in Detroit. For Pride Month this year, One Detroit’s Bill Kubota, Zosette Guir and Chris Jordan take an in-depth look at the state’s contributions to LGBTQ+ history and share the story behind that first celebration.  
It included a march on Woodward and was called Christopher Street Detroit ‘72. The name came from Christopher Street in Manhattan, where the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, is located. That’s where demonstrators clashed with police after a raid in June 1969. A year later, in 1970, New York had its first Pride march called Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day. Detroit’s march followed two years later. 
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Tim Retzloff, who teaches history and LGBTQ+ studies at Michigan State University, collaborated with artist Isabel Clare Paul to create a comic book dedicated to telling the story of the Christopher Street Detroit ‘72 celebration. It’s titled “Come Out! In Detroit.” 
“It’s the origin story,” Retzloff said. “That’s what comic books are known for &#8230; the origin stories. We know where Bruce Wayne and Superman and Spiderman come from.”
An exhibit about the comic book is on display at the Detroit Historical Museum through Aug. 24.
Merrilee Melvin, Jaye Spiro and Susan Swope participated in Christopher Street Detroit ‘72. Five decades later, they talked about challenges they faced as lesbians before the gay liberation movement spread and the march’s significance to them — then and now.  
“It’s really strange to get old and then what you did in your youth is actually history,” Swope said. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The legacy of Michigan #lgbtq advocate Jim Toy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JbwMClqP8kk" width="853" height="505" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Ann Arbor activist Jim Toy, who died in 2022, also participated in Christopher Street Detroit ‘72. Scott Dennis, the executor of Toy’s estate, recalled Toy’s tireless work to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, which included spearheading the creation of the Human Sexuality Office at the University of Michigan. It was the first of its kind and is now known as The Spectrum Center.  
Two years after the march in Detroit, voters in Michigan elected the nation’s first openly gay political candidate to office. Kathy Kozachenko won a seat on the Ann Arbor City Council in 1974.
One Detroit sat down with Kozachenko, who currently lives in Pittsburgh, to talk to her about what inspires her activism today, campaigning more than 50 years ago and her history-making win.
“We knew that it was a first,” Kozachenko said. “But there’s no way that I would have ever thought that I would be talking about it 50 years later.” 
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Michigan’s first Pride: LGBTQ+ historymakers look back on Christopher Street Detroit ’72 march

ONE DETROIT 946 Mary and Shinji Still 1

Mary Kamidoi and Shinji Takahashi are both second-generation Japanese Americans, known as “<a href="https://densho.org/catalyst/notable-nisei-born-100-years-ago/">Nisei</a>,” but their childhood experiences differ vastly.  
At 11 years old, Kamidoi and her family were forced by the government to relocate from their home in Stockton, California to a Japanese incarceration camp in Arkansas during World War II.  
Takahashi, whose parents came from Japan and settled in Ann Arbor a couple of decades after the war ended, was not steeped in that history growing up, but he is learning more about it now. 
Following the signing of <a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/executive-order-9066">Executive Order 9066</a> by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, approximately 120,000 people of Japanese descent <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/japanese-american-incarceration">were incarcerated</a> in 10 concentration camps across western states and Arkansas. Many of them were second- and third-generation Japanese Americans and U.S. citizens. They could only bring what they could carry, many giving up their homes and property in a hurry at a large financial loss.  
After the camps closed in 1945, Kamidoi and her family moved to Michigan, eventually settling in Detroit. 
As part of One Detroit’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/one-detroit/series/aapi-story-series/">AAPI Story Series</a>, Takahashi talked with Kamidoi about her experience in the incarceration camp and the lasting impact it had. Kamidoi discusses the fear many first-generation Japanese, “Issei,” like her parents, felt during the incarceration and the discomfort some Nisei have talking about their experiences today. 
Part Two: Shinji Takahashi on learning about the history of Japanese incarceration
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 Shinji Takahashi is currently based in Carmel, Indiana but has strong Michigan ties. His family moved to Ann Arbor in 1978. He graduated from Pioneer High School in 1983. He then completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan in 1987. Though he lives in Indiana, he visits Michigan frequently and is deeply involved with the University of Michigan’s alumni association.  
Takahashi sat down with Mary Kamidoi—both are “Nisei,” second generation Japanese Americans. Takahashi explains he was not familiar with the incarceration while growing up in Ann Arbor. He recounts his first exposure to the history of Japanese incarceration in 1980 while a student. He also shares that his personal definition of what it means to be Japanese American is something that he’s exploring more in his adulthood. 
Part Three: Impact of Vincent Chin’s killing 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="AAPI Stories Series | Kyunghee Kim and Leo Chen | Part One: How We Met" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J7lDCsVgdq0?si=Ret41Ydqjhlja2Ld" width="725" height="408" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">﻿﻿</iframe>
In 1982, Shinji Takahashi was in high school when news spread of Vincent Chin’s killing and the light repercussions—probation and a $3,000 fine—for his two attackers. The news galvanized the local Asian American community to band together in protest. At the time, Takahashi remembers feeling more connected to Asian Americans in Detroit and Ann Arbor, who were becoming more vocal and visible to demand justice. He also shares how the movement inspired him to learn Japanese in college in an effort to connect more with his Japanese identity.  
Mary Kamidoi recollects that many groups came together during that time because of Vincent Chin. Kamidoi attended the trial every day and supported Chin’s mother, Lily Chin, in her grief. She also talks about the lasting impact Vincent Chin’s killing had on her and those who became activists as a result. 
Part Four: Mary Kamidoi shares about life as a Japanese American in Detroit 
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In a conversation for the AAPI Stories series, Westland resident Mary Kamidoi sat down with Shinji Takahashi to talk about what life was like for her as a Japanese American in Detroit. Both Kamidoi and Takahashi are “Nisei,” second generation Japanese Americans.  
Kamidoi shares about the discrimination she and her sister faced from her sister’s supervisor and coworkers. She also talks about an incident that happened one day at work. Kamidoi also recollects how she talked with her boss to demand better treatment from her coworkers and the outcome that followed.

Two Nisei, two histories: Japanese Americans reflect on WWII incarceration and its lasting impact

One Detroit 936 – Nolan Migration – Still 2

The Great Migration — the Black exodus to the North and the American West — was a <a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">historical event</a> that has helped define some of America’s major cities, with Detroit as a primary destination for many of those individuals and families.
One Detroit has been collecting stories from people around Southeast Michigan, including those of its contributors <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/one-detroit/the-great-migration-stephen-henderson-family-story/">Stephen Henderson</a> and Nolan Finley, hearing how they and their families migrated to Detroit and the lives they created here. It’s part of Detroit PBS’ <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/events/destination-detroit/">Destination Detroit initiative</a>, which is documenting the history of Detroiters and the city itself. 
For Finley, who currently works as the editorial page editor at <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/staff/2646740001/nolan-finley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Detroit News</a>, his parents found their way to Detroit from southern Kentucky. Finley’s father spent time both in Detroit and Kentucky off and on before deciding to settle in Garden City. 
The Kentucky county where Finley’s family emigrated from had a population of approximately 17,000 people before World War II. After the war, the population dropped to 7,000, Finley said, with many headed north in search of greater prosperity.
One Detroit <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/bill-kubota/">Senior Producer Bill Kubota</a> sat down with Finley to talk about his family’s migration story and his roots on a tobacco farm near the Tennessee border. 
Detroit PBS’ Destination Detroit initiative was launched in February 2025 alongside events at The Station at Michigan Central celebrating Black History Month and the premiere of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.&#8217;s docuseries &#8220;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/great-migrations-a-people-on-the-move/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Great Migrations: A People on the Move.</a>&#8220; The four-part docuseries is available to watch on demand online now.

From Southern Kentucky to Garden City: Nolan Finley details his family’s history during the Great Migration

ONE DETROIT 935 Panel Still 1

From 1910 to 1970, six million Black Americans left the South fleeing racial oppression and seeking the promise of a better life for them and their families. An estimated half a million of them were bound for Detroit. And for many, their first stop was the historic Michigan Central Station. 
For three weekends in February, Detroit PBS and One Detroit partnered with <a href="https://michigancentral.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan Central</a> to offer a range of activities celebrating this chapter in the city’s history. These events were held in conjunction with the release of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s PBS <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/great-migrations-a-people-on-the-move/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">documentary series</a>, “Great Migrations: A People on the Move.” 
Attendees were able to watch screenings of the documentary series, purchase food and refreshments from Black-owned businesses, listen to live entertainment and share their family’s history with Detroit PBS’ <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/events/destination-detroit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Destination Detroit initiative</a>. The events culminated with a panel discussion moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and One Detrtroit contributor <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a>, host of &#8220;<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/american-black-journal/">American Black Journal</a>.&#8221;
Henderson talked with City of Detroit Historian <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jamonblackscrollhistorian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamon Jordan</a>, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History President &amp; CEO <a href="https://www.thewright.org/about/leadership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neil Barclay</a>, and <a href="https://www.daughterdialogues.com/product-page/karen-batchelor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karen Batchelor</a>, a genealogist, attorney and first Black member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. During an hour-long panel, they discussed what caused the Great Migration, why people chose Detroit, how they made a new life for themselves here, and the continuing influence of that mass movement. 
Watch an excerpt from the panel about how the increase of African Americans impacted labor and culture in Detroit and the migration’s continuing influence on the city today. Plus, the panelists share their personal migration stories and discuss how others can uncover their own family histories. 
Corporate support for &#8220;Great Migrations: A People on the Move&#8221; is provided by Bank of America, Ford Motor Company and Johnson &amp; Johnson. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support is also provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Inkwell Society together with many of its members, and by public television viewers. For a complete list of funders, please contact McGee Media.

Thousands visit Michigan Central to explore the Great Migration’s impact on Detroit

ONE DETROIT 935 Oral Histories Still 1

From 1910 to 1970, six million Black Americans left the South seeking the promise of a better life for them and their families. An estimated half a million of them were bound for Detroit. And for many, their first stop was the historic Michigan Central Station. 
In conjunction with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s PBS <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/great-migrations-a-people-on-the-move/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">documentary series</a>, “Great Migrations: A People on the Move,” Detroit PBS and One Detroit gathered at <a href="https://michigancentral.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Station at Michigan Central</a> to collect visitors’ migration stories, hearing how their families came to Detroit. 
Over three weekends in February, One Detroit heard stories of migration from the Deep South, Appalachia, Mexico, Honduras, Burundi, Germany, Laos, Vietnam and more. 
Participants shared their personal stories about how they and their families traveled to Detroit, the challenges and opportunities they faced when they arrived, and the lives they’ve created for themselves and future generations. 
One Detroit’s Bill Kubota highlights some of the stories shared with Detroit PBS’ <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/events/destination-detroit/">Destination Detroit initiative.</a>
Corporate support for &#8220;Great Migrations: A People on the Move&#8221; is provided by Bank of America, Ford Motor Company and Johnson &amp; Johnson. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support is also provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Inkwell Society together with many of its members and by public television viewers. For a complete list of funders, please contact McGee Media.

Dozens of Detroiters share their family’s migration stories at The Station at Michigan Central

ONE DETROIT 934 MLK’s Detroit Dream Still 1

A children’s book from historian and author <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharon.e.sexton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">S</a>haron Sexton is helping youth understand the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Detroit and its impact today. 
Titled “MLK Jr.&#8217;s Detroit Dream: Memoir of a Civil Rights Foot Soldier,” <a href="https://shop.detroithistorical.org/products/mlk-jr-s-detroit-dream-memoir-of-a-civil-rights-foot-soldier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the book</a> details the Civil Rights Movement through the perspective of an eight-year-old African American girl who recounts her experiences during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/american-black-journal/specials/detroit-walk-to-freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1963 march in Detroit</a>, where he delivered an early version of his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. 
The book chronicles significant events from 1963 to Dr. King’s assassination in 1968, presenting them in a way young readers can understand. Sexton began writing the memoir to share her personal history after being inspired by a group of library children’s curiosity on the subject.  
The story also highlights the importance of bridging generational gaps and encourages families to discuss both historical and current events. Sexton, who grew up in the 1950s and 60s, is passionate about making history accessible.  
One Detroit Producer <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/will-glover/">Will Glover</a> sat down with Sexton to talk about her new children’s book, making Black history accessible to youth and bridging generational gaps through storytelling.

Children’s book teaches youth about the Civil Rights Movement in Detroit 

Steve Gromek and Larry Doby Hugging

Featured photo by Bettman via Getty Images
It was an interracial hug between two baseball players who helped win a World Series game in 1948 and a photo that you might say went viral in its day.  
Cleveland Indians pitcher <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/steve-gromek/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Gromek</a>, a Hamtramck native, and his teammate, outfielder <a href="https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/doby-larry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Larry Doby</a>, embraced in a cheek-to-cheek hug in the locker room after Game 4. During the game, Doby hit a home run that gave Cleveland the lead and Gromek pitched the complete game. Both players were instrumental in helping the team win. The hug, captured in a photo published nationwide, showed the joys of victory and was also controversial at the time.
Doby was the second African American player to cross the color line in 1947, joining the Cleveland Indians a few months after <a href="https://jackierobinson.org/jackie-robinson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jackie Robinson</a> took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The photo of Gromek and Doby hugging has become an iconic image of that season and a lasting symbol against racism nearly 80 years later.
After their World Series win, both Gromek and Doby played for the Detroit Tigers. 
One Detroit’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/bill-kubota/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Kubota</a> talks with the sons of Steve Gromek, who live in metro Detroit, <a href="https://www.rofum.org/pastor-jeff-nelson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pastor Jeff Nelson</a> of Royal Oak First United Methodist Church who was inspired by the photo, Detroit Free Press <a href="https://www.freep.com/staff/2646714001/neal-rubin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">columnist Neal Rubin</a> who has been sharing the story, and Daily Detroit <a href="https://www.dailydetroit.com/author/fletcher/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sports reporter Fletcher Sharpe</a>.
Special thanks to video editor Joseph Barbarisi who resurrected some historic film for this story.

Iconic hug photo from 1948 World Series, a symbol against racism nearly 80 years later

ONE DETROIT 930 MIGRATING TO DETROIT STILL 1

The Great Migration — the historical event that has helped define some of America’s major cities, industries, music, food and politics — is the focus of a new PBS documentary series produced by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyd-acsIDnKWOJjCoHcpCwA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.</a> The new series, “<a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/great-migrations-a-people-on-the-move/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Great Migrations: People on The Move</a>,” premieres Jan. 28. It documents the Black exodus to the North and the American West, with Detroit as a primary destination for many of those individuals and families.
Scholars define the <a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Great Migration</a> as the period between 1910 and 1970, beginning before World War I, continuing through the Great Depression and World War II, and spanning into the Civil Rights era of the 1960s.
In conjunction with the series premiere, One Detroit has been collecting stories of families who came to the Motor City as part of the migration. One Detroit’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/bill-kubota/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Kubota</a> talked with Stephen Henderson, the host of “<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/american-black-journal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Black Journal</a>” and a One Detroit contributor, about how his family made their way to Detroit from Georgia and Mississippi and what happened when they got to the city.
They talk about the impact his grandfather had as a union official with the United Auto Workers during the early 1960s, including the historic <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/detroit-walk-to-freedom/">Detroit Walk to Freedom</a> with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plus, Henderson discusses his effort to find out more about the life of his father, Mose, who grew up in Natchez, Mississippi and later died in Detroit when Henderson was a teenager.

Down South to Detroit: Stephen Henderson details his family’s history during the Great Migration

ONE DETROIT 925 Judge Rosen Still 3

It has been 10 years since Detroit emerged from bankruptcy. 
During the bankruptcy, creditors were clamoring to get their hands on the valuable collections of the <a href="https://dia.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Institute of Arts</a>, the city&#8217;s only real asset, and were insisting city retirees forfeit their pensions to help settle $18 billion in debt. 
The so-called Grand Bargain rallied support to settle Detroit&#8217;s obligation. 
<a href="https://www.jamsadr.com/rosen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Judge Gerald E. Rosen</a>, who mediated the bankruptcy and conceived the deal that led to the settlement, has written a book about the process. He talks about “<a href="https://shop.detroithistorical.org/products/grand-bargain-the-inside-story-of-detroits-dramatic-journey-from-bankruptcy-to-rebirth?srsltid=AfmBOoog1IkWo726E5H8pFMIU_XzbLGX7dSxjKntGZ5y7UFDSwHDQ4Xj" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grand Bargain: The Inside Story of Detroit&#8217;s Dramatic Journey from Bankruptcy to Rebirth</a>” with One Detroit <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/nolan-finley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contributor Nolan Finley</a>, editorial page editor of The Detroit News.

Ten years after Detroit exits bankruptcy, a new book details the city’s Grand Bargain and rebirth

ONE DETROIT 918 Pastor Barry Still 2

The Church of the Messiah, at the corner of East Grand Boulevard and East Lafayette Street in Detroit, will commemorate its 150th anniversary this year with a <a tabindex="0" href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-church-of-the-messiah-150th-anniversary-dinner-celebration-tickets-1015614198407" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">special gala event</a> Nov. 1 at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit. This year’s anniversary theme, “The Audacity of Faith,” celebrates the church’s 150 years of service and community building.  
Founded in 1874, the original church suffered a fire, and at that time a new one was scheduled to be built. The mission was built from the remains of the charred former Church of the Messiah, giving the ministry its name and structure. Today, the church serves a diverse congregation of members in Detroit’s Islandview neighborhood.
But <a tabindex="0" href="https://churchofthemessiahdetroit.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the church’s</a> mission extends far beyond worship. It offers vital services such as affordable housing, employment assistance, medical care, and free internet access for residents. Additionally, the church has an 84-member marching band that promotes literacy. Each year, Church of the Messiah <a tabindex="0" href="https://churchofthemessiahdetroit.org/leadership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pastor Barry Randolph</a> organizes the <a tabindex="0" href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/american-black-journal/hundreds-in-attendance-at-17th-annual-silence-the-violence-march-to-end-gun-violence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Silence the Violence march and rally</a>, one of the largest anti-gun violence events in the country.
One Detroit has covered stories originating from the church about the lives of young men living in Islandview, affordable housing initiatives and successful entrepreneurs. <a tabindex="0" href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/one-detroit/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One Detroit’s Will Glover</a> looks back at those stories. And Randolph talks about the church’s milestone anniversary, its community engagement efforts, its support of local entrepreneurs and more.
<h3>Explore One Detroit&#8217;s Church of the Messiah stories: </h3>
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One Detroit looks back at Church of the Messiah’s community impact for 150th anniversary

ONE DETROIT 916 – Seg 1 – Movie Houses – Still 9

Southeast Michigan has been home to hundreds of movie theaters over the years. Several of them have closed their doors but some remain open, finding new ways to bring in revenue and keep the foot traffic flowing. Among those still open is the renowned <a href="https://redfordtheatre.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Redford Theatre</a>, which opened in 1928 in northwest Detroit.
“We really do try to create an experience here as much as we can going to the movies like you would have in the 1940s and 50s,” said John Monaghan, a film expert and volunteer at the Redford. Theater visitors can also buy merchandise related to the movies and participate in a 50/50 raffle to help keep the theater’s doors open.  
About 45 minutes west of Detroit, in Livingston County, is the <a href="https://www.historichowelltheater.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Historic Howell Theater</a>. Like the Redford Theatre, the independent movie house also opened in 1928 and features independent movies, but to help keep filling the cashbox, owner Tyler DePerro hosts other events too. 
“We’ve had concerts, improv comedy, we have church here every Sunday in this theater,” DePerro said. 
Then, there’s the <a href="https://www.algertheater.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alger Theatre</a> on Detroit’s east side. The beloved theater has sat idle for nearly four decades, but today the nonprofit Friends of the Alger is trying to give the theater new life. Friends of the Alger keeps the theater’s bills paid by renting out the theater’s marquee, which serves as a community billboard. The nonprofit hopes the theater can be revived as a community gathering space. 
“We’ve probably put, right now, into this building, which the public doesn’t really know, close to a half million dollars,” Jackie Grant of Friends of the Alger said. “It doesn’t show because you don’t see plumbing outside. You don’t see electrical.” 
One Detroit’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/one-detroit/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Jordan</a> and <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/one-detroit/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Kubota</a> visit some of metro Detroit’s remaining movie theaters to learn how independent cinema is surviving in the post-COVID, streaming-centric world. Plus, Jordan talks with Monaghan, DePerro and Grant about why saving these old theaters is so important, now and into the future.

Michigan’s independent movie theaters are finding alternative ways to stay alive

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The new documentary “Marqueetown” follows film lover Bernie Rosendahl’s years-long quest to save and restore The Nordic, Marquette’s long-closed single-screen art-house movie theater. The 1930s movie palace was a technologically groundbreaking and architecturally bold art-deco theater. It had been a fixture of downtown Marquette until it closed in the 1990s, and it was one of the two theaters in the city where Rosendahl fell in love with cinema.  
Joseph Beyer and Jordan Anderson, who co-wrote and directed the film, use Rosendahl’s quest as a window to explore the rich history of Michigan’s independent movie theaters, their rise and decline throughout the 20th century, and the cultural importance of movie theaters as gathering spaces. “Marqueetown” airs on Detroit PBS at 9 p.m. Oct. 17 and at 12 p.m. Oct. 20.   
The filmmakers recently took the film on the road to more than 30 independent theaters, offering their insights on what they learned about the state of these venues. 
One Detroit’s Chris Jordan spoke with Beyer and Anderson about the documentary, movie theater history, and the journey that Rosendahl took them on. They also spoke about the changing business landscape that movie theaters face today, including the struggles movie theaters face in a post-COVID, streaming-dominated world, and how theaters are using diverse business models to survive.

New documentary ‘Marqueetown’ follows film lover’s quest to save a historic Michigan movie theater

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The restoration of the near century-old monument of Italian poet Dante Alighieri has been unveiled by the <a href="https://consdetroit.esteri.it/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Consulate of Italy in Detroit</a> and the <a href="https://www.dantemichigan.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan</a>. The monument sits on <a href="https://www.michigan.org/property/belle-isle-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit’s Belle Isle</a> near Shed 12. 
Consul Allegra Baistrocchi; Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan President Lia Adelfi and members of the Society; and representatives of Belle Isle’s DNR Parks and Recreation Division and the mayor’s office attended the unveiling, which celebrated Alighieri’s legacy and Detroit’s vibrant Italian American community. 
<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/dante-alighieri" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alighieri</a> was an Italian poet born in 1265 and is known as the father of the Italian language. The monument was first erected on Belle Isle in 1927. 
One Detroit’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/one-detroit/about/">Will Glover</a> visited the unveiling ceremony to learn more about Alighieri’s legacy and how the monument’s restoration impacts the local Italian American community.

Near century-old monument of Italian poet Dante Alighieri in Detroit gets restored

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September is Black Reading Month, an observance that began in Detroit in 1980, celebrates its 45th anniversary this year with the goal of getting people to read at least one book written by a Black author.  
The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlackReadingMonth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">month-long observance</a> encourages readers to explore literary works by Black authors and gain a deeper understanding of Black experiences and perspectives. In 1985, Detroiter Njia Kai introduced the “Turn Off the TV” challenge in tandem with September is Black Reading Month to encourage participants to unplug and immerse themselves in reading.
In recent years, the annual observance has expanded beyond Detroit with activities and celebrations now reaching other states and even international communities. Schools, bookstores, and organizations are hosting lectures, book signings, and reading contests to engage readers and highlight Black voices in literature. 
<a href="https://www.onedetroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/contributors/">Host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with September is Black Reading Month <a href="https://www.instagram.com/beblackandgreen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Co-Founder Malik Yakini</a> about the observance’s history, its goals for this year, and literacy issues in America. Plus, Yakini and Henderson recommend books written by Black authors.
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @OneDetroit_PBS, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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September is Black Reading Month encourages people to turn off the TV and read Black authors

Residents of Detroit’s Indian Village preserve historic neighborhood for next generation of homeowners

Indian Village, a neighborhood on Detroit’s east side bordered to the south by the Detroit River, has a storied past. <a href="https://historicindianvillage.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The neighborhood</a> is just three mansion-lined streets wide, but they’re a mile long, stretching north to Mack Avenue.  
At the turn of the last century, Indian Village was the place some of Detroit’s business leaders made their homes as the city began to grow into an industrial powerhouse. Families including <a href="https://www.fordhouse.org/the-ford-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Fords</a> of Ford Motor Company and Scripps of the <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit News</a> owned homes here. Visitors to the neighborhood will likely find a lot of maintenance and repair work underway for the uniquely designed houses. In recent years, property values have surged. 
<figure id="attachment_36252" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-36252" style="width: 400px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-36252" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Indian-Village-01-Mark-Reynolds-with-his-American-Thatch-roof.jpg" alt="Indian Village resident Mark Reynolds shows off his house's American Thatch roof." width="400" height="225" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-36252" class="wp-caption-text">Indian Village resident Mark Reynolds shows off his house&#8217;s American Thatch roof, which is costly to repair. Reynolds has lived in the historic Indian Village neighborhood since 1997. | Photo by One Detroit</figcaption></figure>
Mark Reynolds moved to the neighborhood in 1997.  He’s with the Indian Village Association that works to preserve it. His home has a unique roof made of thatch which is costly to repair. As for all the homes here, “They take a lot of work,” Reynolds said. There are no tract homes in Indian Village. Each home in Indian Village comes with its own design. 
Prominent architects designed houses there, including <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/remembering-the-legacy-architect-albert-kahn-left-in-detroit/">Albert Kahn</a>, known as “the father of modern factory design” and Louis Kamper, who planned the <a href="https://www.historicdetroit.org/buildings/book-cadillac-hotel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book Cadillac Hotel</a> in downtown Detroit. The 352 homes in Indian Village have collectively been designated a national historic district.
“We don’t own these homes, they own us,” said <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Deborah_Lewis_Langston" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Judge Deborah Lewis Langston</a>, an Indian Village homeowner who has served on Detroit’s 36th District Court. In recent years, she’s seen property values rise like never before. Now some of them are being sold in the million-dollar range. “We’re just maintaining them for the next generation, maintaining our heritage here in Detroit,” Langston said. 
One Detroit’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/#bill">Bill Kubota</a> toured the neighborhood and discussed the history of the national historic district with residents. 
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @OneDetroit_PBS, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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Father Solanus Casey, a Catholic priest who served Detroiters from the <a href="https://www.thecapuchins.org/ministries/detroit/st-bonaventure-monastery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">St. Bonaventure monastery</a> on the city’s east side, died in 1957 but many still feel the impact of his service. When Casey passed away at age 86, 10,000 people came to pay their respects. 
&#8220;They feel his presence,” said Brother Steven Kropp, Director of the <a href="https://www.solanuscasey.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Solanus Casey Center</a>, “His oneness with people and his desire to participate in their life somehow.” 
Casey was elevated to the status of Blessed by the Vatican in 2017 and he is one step away from being named a saint. Casey would become the first male born in the United States to attain sainthood, which could come at any time Kropp believes. “I truly believe it’s going to happen&#8230; It’ll happen sooner than later,” he said.
Casey came from humble beginnings, growing up in Wisconsin. He’d worked as a streetcar conductor, bricklayer and a prison guard before joining the priesthood. But there he was not initially well-regarded. He was held back from duties other priests usually took on.   
“So instead of being in the confessional for three or four minutes with somebody he would spend as much time as anybody needed at the front desk,” Brother Kropp said. “Anyone who came, when they were in front of him, he was their full attention.”  
Casey’s reputation grew. He served not only in Detroit but spent years in New York and Indiana before returning to St. Bonaventure in Detroit’s Islandview neighborhood. 
“Solanus identified closely with the average person. He said himself his two greatest loves were the sick and the poor,” Kropp said. 
In the decades since Casey’s passing, there have reportedly been a number of miraculous events connected to people who have prayed at his tomb, which can be seen at the Solanus Casey Center attached to the monastery. 
One Detroit’s Bill Kubota visited the Solanus Casey Center to learn about Casey’s life, legacy and potential elevation to sainthood.
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @OneDetroit_PBS, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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Late Detroit priest Father Solanus Casey could become first U.S. born male to attain sainthood

Detroit’s Chinatown gets $1 million for streetscape renovation 

“The first recorded Chinese immigrant who moved to Detroit was a man named Ah Chee,” said Michigan State Senator Stephanie Chang (D-3rd District, Detroit). Ah Chee moved to Michigan in 1872.  
Since then, thousands of Chinese have made Detroit and southeast Michigan their homes, but the city’s Chinatown district on Cass Avenue just south of M.L. King Boulevard lost its Chinese population to the suburbs decades ago.   
There’s an effort now to bring recognition to the Asian Americans in Chinatown and encourage Asian American businesses to locate there. 
 <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2024/07/30/asian-american-leaders-celebrate-1m-chinatown-appropriation">Chang led a news conference on Monday to announce one million dollars</a> will be provided from the state to improve the Chinatown streetscape. 
State senators Mary Cavanaugh (D-6th District, Redford Township) and Sarah Anthony (D-21st District, Lansing) also spoke in support of the funding. 
<figure id="attachment_36118" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 1024px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-36118"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-36118 size-large" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ONE-DETROIT-CHINATOWN-UPDATE-STILL.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-36118" class="wp-caption-text">Detroit’s Chinatown gets $1 million for streetscape renovation</figcaption></figure>
 Senator Anthony said that in the last 40 years, many communities have been left out, but with the recent Democrat majority, there has been a commitment for projects like this.  
“Part of that commitment was telling the stories, the diverse history that make Michigan an amazing state,” Anthony said. 
The announcement on July 29 coincided with the demolition of an historic structure on Cass Avenue exactly one year ago.  
Related: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/aapi-news/historic-building-in-detroits-chinatown-demolished-despite-community-backlash/">Historic Detroit Chinatown building razed despite city council, Asian American community backlash</a>
The condemned and long-vacant building owned by Olympia Development had been the offices of the Chinese Merchants Association and the Shanghai Cafe, a popular Chinese restaurant.  
The demolition happened despite the pleas of some Asian American groups.
Midtown Detroit will be overseeing the streetscape improvements which are expected to begin next year. 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @OneDetroit_PBS, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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August 9 will mark the 50th anniversary of Gerald Ford becoming U.S. President. The <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://fordschool.umich.edu/">Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy</a> at the University of Michigan is named after the country’s only president to hail from Michigan. One Detroit contributor Zoe Clark of Michigan Public sat down with <a href="https://fordschool.umich.edu/faculty/celeste-watkins-hayes">Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes</a> and <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://fordschool.umich.edu/faculty/jenna-bednar#:~:text=Jenna%20Bednar%20is%20a%20professor,the%20stability%20of%20federal%20states.">Jenna Bednar</a>, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Faculty Director of <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://fordschool.umich.edu/news/2024/bednar-named-faculty-director-umich-votes-and-democratic-engagement">UMICH Votes and Democratic Engagement</a>, to talk about President Ford and the election process half a century later.<span class="EOP SCXW173808871 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @OneDetroit_PBS, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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Commemorating the 50th anniversary of President Ford’s inauguration

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In the summer of 1967, Detroit and several other major cities erupted in uprisings by Black residents protesting police brutality, racial injustice and social and economic disparities. <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/riot-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The documentary </a>“The Riot Report” looks at the work of the Kerner Commission, formally known as the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, which President Lyndon Johnson empaneled to investigate the cause of the civil uprisings that erupted, claiming 43 lives during that time.
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<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/the-riot-report-documentary-at-2024-freep-film-festival/">New documentary at 2024 Freep Film Festival reexamines civil unrest in Detroit and other cities</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/documentary/the-riot-report-documentary-details-1967-civil-uprisings-in-detroit-and-other-major-u-s-cities-2/">Watch the extended interview with &#8220;The Riot Report&#8221; co-producer and writer Jelani Cobb</a></li>
</ul>
The documentary <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/live-tv/wtvs-hdtv/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airs on Detroit PBS </a>Friday, July 26 at 8 p.m. It was directed by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0274109/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michelle Ferrari</a>, who also co-wrote and co-produced it with well-known author and journalist, <a href="https://journalism.columbia.edu/faculty/jelani-cobb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jelani Cobb</a>. It features a trove of archival material on the commission and interviews with commission staffers, including its sole surviving member Senator Fred Harris. The commission’s final report in 1968 examined race relations in the U.S. and was highly controversial when it was released.
One Detroit contributor and “American Black Journal” host <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/#stephen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> spoke with Cobb about the historic uprisings that took place 57 years ago and how they help us understand where we are as a country today. Plus, they discuss the social and political strife that occurred in the years and decades leading up to the uprisings and the messages to be taken away from “The Riot Report.” 
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @OneDetroit_PBS, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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‘The Riot Report’ documentary details 1967 civil uprisings in Detroit and other major U.S. cities

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For several decades, Detroit style pizza – thick and baked in rectangular pans – was known only to Detroiters and those who had visited the region, but today, the city’s signature pizza style has grown in popularity, nationally and worldwide. 
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/digging-into-detroit-style-pizzas-origins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It all started in 1946</a> at a tavern on Detroit’s east side with the end of World War II. Pizza wasn’t a popular dining option yet, but the dish started to catch on. Buddy’s Rendezvous Pizzeria began making what it called Sicilian style pizza, baked in rectangular, high-sided steel pans originally used in auto plants to give it a thicker crust.  
The Sicilian style would become a staple at a handful of restaurants over the next few decades including <a href="https://www.pizzarestaurantsouthfield.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shield’s Pizzeria</a> in Detroit, <a href="https://cloverleaf-pizza.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cloverleaf Pizza</a> in east Detroit – now Eastpointe – and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/louispizza/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Loui’s Pizza</a> in Hazel Park. By then, it received the official Detroit style moniker and most of those restaurants added additional locations. 
RELATED:
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<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/from-detroit-to-jackson-to-flint-coney-dogs-have-their-own-unique-origin-stories/">From Detroit to Jackson to Flint, coney dogs have their own unique origin stories</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/the-history-of-corned-beef-egg-rolls-an-iconic-dish-originating-in-detroit/">The history of corned beef egg rolls, an iconic dish originating in Detroit</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/velvet-peanut-butter-rise-and-fall-one-detroit-history/">The creation and history of Detroit’s Velvet Peanut Butter brand</a></li>
</ul>
The original recipe was based on Wisconsin brick cheese and pepperoni, usually underneath the cheese and a thicker, crunchy crust. In the past decade, Detroit style has become more popular worldwide while other restaurants have been adapting the recipe with new flavors and tastes. 
One Detroit’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/">Bill Kubota</a> discovers how Detroit style pizza has taken its place in the culinary world. He visits <a href="https://www.michigantrumbullpizza.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan &amp; Trumbull</a> in Detroit, a pizzeria that despite its name got its start in Pittsburgh, and <a href="https://www.amarpizza.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amar’s Pizza</a> in Hamtramck, which offers pizza that’s Detroit-Bangladeshi style.
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @OneDetroit_PBS, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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The next generation of Detroit style pizza brings new flavors to the city’s signature style

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The origin of Detroit’s Coney Island hot dogs goes back more than 100 years, thanks to some Greek immigrants who ventured first to Coney Island New York, sampled hot dogs there, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/made-detroit-coney-island-craze-av1iqp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">came to Detroit and started selling them</a>. However, Coney Island hot dogs in Flint and Jackson have a different origin. 
In his book, <a href="https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/9781467150460" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“The Flint Coney, A Savory History,”</a> Michigan Coney dog historian Dave Liske explains the Coneys there were created by Macedonians, not Greeks, and that difference comes out in the presentation and flavor of the hot dog toppings.
Liske said the chili sauce in Flint is based on a Macedonian stew. He recounted how the Balkan Wars of 1908 and 1913 drove both Greeks and Macedonia out of their countries, some coming to the U.S., explaining how Coney Islands came to Michigan. 
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<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/velvet-peanut-butter-rise-and-fall-one-detroit-history/">The creation and history of Detroit&#8217;s Velvet Peanut Butter brand</a></li>
</ul>
Meanwhile, in Jackson, Macedonian immigrants established the <a href="https://www.jacksonconey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jackson</a> and <a href="https://www.virginiaconey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Virginia Coney Island</a> restaurants near the train station there. Local accounts say Jackson’s Coney Island hot dogs date back to 1914, a few years before Detroit’s <a href="http://americanconeyisland.com/home.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American</a> and <a href="https://lafayetteconeyisland.site/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lafayette</a> Coney Islands got started.
Brittany Craig manages Jackson Coney Island. “I’ve heard all kinds of different stories,” she said. “I wasn’t here in 1914 so I can’t confirm any of them.” 
Virginia Coney Island owner Joe Matthews said he’s had to rely on what he’s been told. “The documentation was destroyed at city hall when they had a fire years ago,” he said. 
One Detroit’s Bill Kubota headed to Flint, Lansing and Jackson to learn more about Michigan’s Coney Island hot dogs. He checks out Flint-style coney dogs at <a href="https://www.gilliesconeyisland.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gillie’s Coney Island</a> in Mount Morris and <a href="https://www.starlite1966.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Starlite Coney Island</a> in Burton, two locations adjacent to Flint, but if you’re looking for a place to do a side-by-side taste test, <a href="https://www.spartysconeyisland.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sparty’s Coney Island</a> in Lansing offers both Detroit and Flint style coney dogs.
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From Detroit to Jackson to Flint, Coney dogs have their own unique origin stories

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This post was originally published on May 25, 2023. It was updated and republished on May 24, 2024. 
Since 1868, Memorial Day has been a time to honor fallen soldiers from every branch of the United State Military. The holiday holds deep personal significance for Michigan’s veterans, as it serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by their fellow servicemen and women. For individual veterans across the state, the day is a time of reflection, remembrance and honoring the memories of their comrades. 
The annual holiday also serves as a reminder to the broader community of its ongoing duty to support living veterans. It spotlights discussions about the challenges Michigan&#8217;s veterans face, from physical and mental health issues to housing insecurity and more, and encourages the community to rally behind them with compassion and resources.  
In recognition of Memorial Day, One Detroit contributor <a href="https://twitter.com/BryceHuffman313" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryce Huffman</a> sat down with three veterans at the <a href="https://vfw1669.org/di/vfw/v2/default.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Royal Oak Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1669</a> — 103-year-old World War II Army veteran Houston Pritchett, Vietnam Air Force veteran Mike Sand and Vietnam Marine Corps veteran Phillip Smith — to learn what the holiday means to each of them and how they commemorate it.  
Plus, they talk about where each of their military service journeys began, what family and friends thought about their decision to enlist, the impact of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_guilt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survivor&#8217;s guilt</a> and whether they’ve felt it personally, and how they choose to honor fallen veterans beyond the annual holiday. 
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Bryce Huffman, Reporter, BridgeDetroit: Since 1868, Memorial Day has been a time to honor fallen soldiers from every branch of the U.S. military. At the VFW or Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Royal Oak, we sat down with three veterans to talk about how each of them commemorates the holiday. So, Houston, tell me again, how did you begin serving? 
Deborah Pritchett: How did you begin serving in the Army? 
Houston Pritchett, WWII Army Veteran: I began to serve in the army, in 1943. When they drafted me. 
Bryce Huffman: This is Houston Pritchett, a 103-year-old World War Two veteran, and his daughter, Deborah. Pritchett is hard of hearing, so his daughter helped relay my questions. To his right are Mike Sand and Phillip Smith. Both are Vietnam veterans. And Mike, how did you begin serving? 
Mike Sand, Vietnam Air Force Veteran: I was drafted, and rather than be drafted, I enlisted in the Air Force for four years as opposed to two. 
Bryce Huffman: All right. How about you Phill? 
Phillip Smith, Vietnam Marine Corps Veteran: The draft was going on. My neighbor or friend of mine came to my door, knocked on it and said, what are you doing? I said, well going to work. He said no you&#8217;re not. Let&#8217;s go down the Marine Corps and join. And I did. 
Bryce Huffman: So tell me, when you first joined, how did friends and relatives respond to that? 
Houston Pritchett: Friends and relatives didn&#8217;t respond too good when I first went in the Army. They were kind of upset.
Bryce Huffman: Why is that? 
Houston Pritchett: I never did get around to figuring that out because I was scared about going. 
Bryce Huffman: And when you joined, what did people think in your life? 
Mike Sand: Well, of course, the 60&#8217;s was a difficult time. You had the Peaceniks and the Patriots. And my father was World War Two. My uncles were Korea. And I felt it was my obligation to serve. And I figured if I was going to serve, I&#8217;d gain something out of it. So the Air Force was kind enough to accept and a lot of my friends. I was kind of drafted when the war was really picking up 1967, and I had been dating my high school sweetheart for two and a half years. And rather than be drafted, I joined. So I said, um, I won&#8217;t be I won&#8217;t be back for four years. Do you think we should get married? Before I said marriage she said yes. So we married right out of high school and spent four years together in the military. 
Bryce Huffman: Nice. And how about you, Phill? How did people in your life respond? 
Phillip Smith: It&#8217;s kind of funny because a recruiter thought I wasn&#8217;t old enough. I wasn&#8217;t 18, and I was. And he told me I had to get a signature from my parents to go in. I said, I&#8217;m already 18. It doesn&#8217;t matter. You don&#8217;t look old enough.  So I got my stepfather to sign the paperwork. My dad was already in the Army. He was a stone guard. He was a P.O.W. prior to World War Two, and he was proud. He didn&#8217;t think I would ever make it in the Marine Corps because of how they are. But I got through the basic and went on. So. But everybody was proud. 
Bryce Huffman: Tell me about a friend you served with who unfortunately didn&#8217;t get to make it back home. 
Mike Sand: I was involved in the air war, spent time in Thailand, and we did the bombings of North Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Operation Rolling Thunder. We lost many pilots, many pilots. We had two reconnaissance aircraft crash. One had 19 guys on board. The other one had 21 guys on board. So there&#8217;s a lot of folks on the wall that I didn&#8217;t have personal contact with, but they&#8217;re with me today. So I can just say that I&#8217;m sad. I&#8217;m sad about it. 
Bryce Huffman: Veterans are sometimes filled with survivor&#8217;s guilt, feeling bad that they came home while others did not. Smith says instead of feeling guilty, he just remembers those who didn&#8217;t come home. 
Phillip Smith: And I we continue on, and I dealt with a lot of veterans. The job I had, I was a veteran service rep. And you deal with those all the time. And you still remember some a lot of them, especially members in your organizations that have passed on. 
Bryce Huffman: All right. And how about you, Mike? Did you ever deal with survivor&#8217;s guilt? 
Mike Sand: Well, I&#8217;m glad to be here. And I feel for those who haven&#8217;t. I&#8217;ve Been to the wall twice in Washington, D.C., We named my VFW post after World War One guy and a World War two hero. And I guess you could say we feel guilty because we&#8217;re here and they&#8217;re not. But we did what we had to do, and that&#8217;s why we served the manner that we do. 
Bryce Huffman: Did you ever experience that and how did you process that? 
Deborah Pritchett: Did you experience survivor&#8217;s guilt? And if you did, how did you handle it? 
Houston Pritchett: No. Nothing to feel guilty about. I didn&#8217;t figure. I was doing the best I could, get the job done and come home with my family. I didn&#8217;t feel guilty about it at all. 
Bryce Huffman: How do you honor your fallen comrades and other veterans in your everyday life? 
Houston Pritchett: Just to get down to it. I just let the everyday life go on. Nothing I could do about it. I&#8217;ve done the best I could. And I&#8217;m glad it&#8217;s over and I hope nothing like that don&#8217;t happen again.
Bryce Huffman: And I just have one more question. How do you personally celebrate Memorial Day and why is it important? 
Phillip Smith: Memorial Day is a day of remembrance of those who have went before us the ones who have fallen. I celebrate, I guess I go to Memorial Day Parade, Dearborn. I&#8217;m part of that. Probably of the last, I don&#8217;t know, ten, 12 years or more. 
Mike Sand: I encourage people to go out and celebrate Memorial, not just shopping at the store, not just having picnics, not just get together, but appreciate what we call the guardians. And I don&#8217;t care if the guardians are your police and fire, your National Guard. Homeland Security, our military people. They put their lives on the line and we&#8217;re going to be participating in the St. Clair Shores 70th Parade. They honor veterans like you wouldn&#8217;t believe. There&#8217;s 14 conflicts that Detroiters have served in over the years, and we&#8217;re not appreciated. 
We have the Montford Point Marines, we have the Tuskegee Airmen, we have the Triple Nickel Airborne Fellows. We have 1,500 junior ROTC cadets marching our Veterans Day parade. Why aren&#8217;t they being recognized? And I&#8217;m asking the city of Detroit to help us provide a veterans memorial in the city in a prominent place so we can recognize all these people and encourage our young junior ROTC cadets and our young Marines and our Air Force cadets because the service I will tell you, the service probably saved my life. And I&#8217;ve gained so much from that, and I&#8217;ve given it back. 
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Michigan veterans commemorate Memorial Day with reflection and remembrance

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Detroit journalist and Metro Times restaurant critic <a href="https://www.metrotimes.com/author/tom-perkins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tom Perkins</a> knows Detroit-style egg rolls. As Perkins has reported, the root of it all was corned beef, made popular in Detroit a century ago. 
“There’s a big Jewish population in Detroit,” Perkins said. “They opened all these corned beef shops and then the Jewish folks left town, African American folks moved into the neighborhoods, enjoyed corned beef so some of the restaurants that were there that have been around for 60 years stayed in business.” 
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In the late 1970s, a woman from Vietnam, Kim White, started putting corned beef into egg roll wrappers and fried them up. She called them Asian corned beef egg rolls and now has several stores around the city. She’s generally credited with inventing the dish. 
More recently, other corned beef egg rolls have popped up around metro Detroit. An Allen Park restaurant, <a title="https://sistaroles.com/" href="https://sistaroles.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sista Roles Street Eats</a> sells extra-large egg rolls full of different fillings served on a stick like a corndog, with varieties that include chicken broccoli alfredo, chicken and beef shawarma, chicken fajita, lamb, stuffed salmon and veggie hibachi. Food aficionados nationwide are taking note.
One Detroit Senior Producer <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/detroit-pbs-journalist-bill-kubota-finalist-for-2023-journalist-of-the-year-award/">Bill Kubota</a> explores the history of the dish that has evolved into a deep-fried multicultural array of different food presentations across the Motor City – a story that’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/trulydetroit/">Truly Detroit.</a>
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The history of corned beef egg rolls, an iconic dish originating in Detroit

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Detroit’s riverfront is one of the city’s main attractions. <a href="https://detroitriverfront.org/riverfront" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The riverfront</a> attracts an estimated 3.5 million people each year, according to the <a href="https://detroitriverfront.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Riverfront Conservancy</a>. Along with a popular riverwalk, which has been named the nation’s best riverwalk by USA Today for three years running, there are multiple parks and a famous concert venue right on the river. However, back in the late 90s, there was another plan for the riverfront. 
Former Detroit <a href="https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/archer-dennis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mayor Dennis Archer</a> planned to build a casino district along the river, which would have not only changed the view Canadians living in Windsor have, but it would have also impacted Detroiters living east of downtown near the river. A grassroots effort led by Detroiters called the Riverfront East Alliance – or REAL – came together to help put an end to that casino district plan. 
REAL comprised Detroiters from about a dozen neighborhoods, mostly on the city’s east side. The members said adding casinos to the riverfront would ruin the natural beauty of the area. There was also a concern about the noise, traffic, and crowds that might accompany casinos along the river.  
One Detroit contributor <a href="https://twitter.com/BryceHuffman313" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryce Huffman</a> talks with members of the Riverfront East Alliance about their preservation efforts. 
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Riverfront East Alliance reflects on 20-year beautification of Detroit Riverfront

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The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, located in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, is an integral part of the Motor City’s legacy. Built in 1904 by Henry Ford, <a href="https://www.fordpiquetteplant.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the plant</a> was the birthplace of the Model T. “It was really the Silicon Valley of its day,” Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum President and COO Jill Woodward said. 
Visitors to the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum can see over 65 rare vehicles including a collection of Ford’s letter cars that preceded the Model T plus a rebuilt version of the secret experimental room where Ford made the very first one.  
This year, the plant — now a U.S. National Historic Landmark and nonprofit museum — turned 120 years old. Recently, the plant was awarded a $500,000 challenge grant from the <a href="https://www.neh.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Endowment of the Humanities</a> to support infrastructure improvements and increase accessibility to its visitors.  
The volunteer group behind the nonprofit that turned the plant into a public museum has also taken on a $10 million capital campaign for renovations and preservation of the historic structure for the future. <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/#chris">One Detroit’s Chris Jordan</a> took a tour of the museum with Woodward to learn about the iconic collection of Detroit automotive history that sits within its walls.  
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Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum working to preserve Detroit’s automotive history with new funding

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The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills has opened its newly renovated core exhibit, which now puts Holocaust survivors’ and victims’ stories at the forefront. <a href="https://www.holocaustcenter.org/">The exhibition</a> uses new technology and updated historical information to recount their memories and honor their legacy. It re-opened Jan. 28 to a crowd filled with community members and local survivors, who took the stage for the ribbon cutting ceremony with Holocaust Center CEO Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld. 
As a guest enters around the Holocaust sign just past a real box car used during the transportation of people to concentration camps, they’re taken into the lives of Jewish people before the Holocaust. Torahs, shoes, toys, artifacts and quotes from local survivors tell the stories of Jewish people living through the Holocaust. About 400 survivors are living in Michigan currently. 
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“One of the things that we&#8217;ve included in that last exhibit is that these kinds of terrible things happen because of our context,” says Mayerfeld. “It takes at first a society that is just so extended, broken, and then people find ways to try to take advantage of that. And so, we want people to recognize that and figure out how do you improve a society.” 
One Detroit’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/#sarah">Sarah Zientarski</a> attended the opening ceremony to learn about the changes to the museum and hear from local survivors who were there. She talks with Zekelman Holocaust Center Director of Education Ruth Bergman and Director of Cultural Affairs Mark Mulder, and hears a speech from Holocaust survivor Irene Miller. 
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Zekelman Holocaust Center re-opens newly renovated exhibit now focused on local survivor stories

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This story was edited and republished on December 14, 2023. It originally aired on Dec 23, 2019.
It’s a holiday tradition that’s bigger in Detroit’s Polish community than Christmas Day itself. The Polish Christmas Eve dinner celebration known as Wigilia has been around for centuries, and it has been celebrated annually right here in metro Detroit. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wigilia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Polish holiday</a> tradition features 12 different Polish dishes, all meatless, including perogies, red borscht, mushroom soup, sauerkraut, poppy seed cake, and plenty more.  
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One Detroit visited <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wsupolishclub/">Wayne State University Polish Club</a>‘s Wigilia celebration at the <a href="https://www.polishvillagecafe.us/">Polish Village Cafe</a> in Hamtramck in 2019 to learn more about the tradition’s history and cultural significance, and how Wigilia has helped Detroit’s Polish community find deeper connections to their family and heritage. 
<h3>Full Transcript: </h3>
Christy McDonald, One Detroit, DPTV: A December weekend in Hamtramck, the Polish Village Cafe, where there&#8217;s a Wigilia celebration about to begin.
Alina Klin, Senior Lecturer, Wayne State University: OK, well, we&#8217;ll figure it out.
Christy McDonald: Alina Klin hosts the gathering.
Alina Klin: Wigilia, the word comes from the Latin, which means &#8216;to watch.’ So it&#8217;s waiting for, watching out, waiting for Christ to be born, which we celebrate, of course, Christmas Day.
Christy McDonald: Klin came from Poland 30 years ago. Now she teaches Polish history and culture at Wayne State University.
Alina Klin: It is the most traditional, the most celebrated of all Polish holidays. So anywhere&#8230;
Christy McDonald: While Christmas Day is big in Polish homes, Wigilia is bigger, held on Christmas Eve.
Jessica Wendt, Alumna, Wayne State University: Wigilia is one of the most important Polish traditions that we have, and so I found it very important to be here today, to support Wayne State and to promote and keep these traditions alive.
Christy McDonald: Gillian Demeter studies Polish at Wayne State.
Gillian Demeter, Student, Wayne State University: I thought it would be fun, so I invited my family as well.
Event Participant: This is my sister&#8230;
Charles Bemiss, Student, Wayne State University: I&#8217;m second generation Polish. I grew up knowing bits and pieces but studying the language and getting a degree in that language has given me so much more, and I&#8217;ve been able to now reconnect with my cousins who live in Poland, my family of Polish roots. So it&#8217;s exciting to be able to be a part of that.
Alexander Clegg, Student, Wayne State University: On Christmas Eve, we want to be with our families and friends, and we also want to be at our best behavior, to be sure that the next year will bring us health and prosperity.
Christy McDonald: In Poland, the run up to Wigilia means fasting, but not too much.
Alina Klin: They try to eat very lightly, a little bit throughout the day, maybe two little meals, and then they would sit down to this very sumptuous, however meatless dinner. And this meatlessness of this dinner is because it&#8217;s still fast before Christmas. It&#8217;s not Christmas yet.
Christy McDonald: Some might think Hamtramck, as far as local Polish history goes. Many Poles came to work at the Chrysler assembly plant, the massive Dodge main complex that closed back in 1980. But the Polish story in Detroit starts even before that.
Alina Klin: Since Polish women at the beginning of the 20th century, a lot of them worked in cigar industry, and not many people know then before Detroit had that automotive industry, of which Detroit is so famous, of cigar industry, which Detroit was famous of.
Christy McDonald: Poles came not just to Hamtramck and the East Side. They established parishes on the West Side along Michigan Avenue. Laurie Gomulka Palazzolo documents the Polish American experience there.
Laurie Gomulka Palazzolo, Polish American Historian: With me, my interest really piqued when my dad passed away. My dad was a Polish American musician. He was quite famous in the Detroit area. His name was Ted Gomulka. He was a trumpeter.
Christy McDonald: Polish-American jazz musicians created polka music, popular in Detroit. Ted Gomulka appeared regularly on radio and television. He was a Decca Records recording star.
Laurie Gomulka Palazzolo: He had his own polka band for many, many years. And when he passed away in 1998, he had this sort of sense, this feeling, that nobody was going to care and nobody was going to remember anything that he had accomplished in his life.
Christy McDonald: Preserving history can be a challenge. In the century past, Polish immigrants weren&#8217;t treated so well, in part because many did not speak English.
Alina Klin: They were also Catholics. That was the time when Catholics were not really looked at the very favorably.
Christy McDonald: Many also despised and ridiculed Polish Catholics, fearing their allegiance was to the pope and not to their new country.
Carey Vigor-Zierk, Hamtramck Native: We really didn&#8217;t celebrate Wigilia when I was growing up. When I was very little, we lived in the attic of my grandfather&#8217;s house, not far from here. I grew up in a Polish-speaking household and I&#8217;m now fairly fluent in Polish. But I was forbidden to speak Polish because my father&#8217;s family back in the 50s didn&#8217;t want anyone to know that we were Polish.
Christy McDonald: Back in the kitchen, Marta Birowka and Zaucha Khurais coordinate the delivery of the delicacies.
Marta Birowka, Wigilia Cook: Oh, we don&#8217;t microwave anything, we don&#8217;t even have a microwave! No, it’s just got to be freshly baked or fried. Traditional Wigilia is twelve dishes. Twelve is the limit. You can&#8217;t have any more. You&#8217;re not able to eat anymore.
Christy McDonald: First up, there&#8217;s opłatki. That&#8217;s plural for opłatek, a thin, rectangular wafer.
Jessica Wendt: My most favorite tradition is the opłatek, where you share the Christmas wafer before the meal and you go around the room with a wafer, you break off a piece of theirs, they break a piece of yours, and you reconcile any differences you may have had throughout that year and wish peace and happiness and all the prosperity for the new year to come. So everyone starts in a fresh slate.
Event Participants: (inaudible)
Christy McDonald: While the traditional Wigilia meal doesn&#8217;t have meat, fish is included. Starting with śledzie: pickled herring in a cream sauce.
Alina Klin: This śledzie reminds us also of the fact that it is still fast, it&#8217;s not Christmas, yet.
Christy McDonald: Another Wigilia requirement: soup. Here it&#8217;s borscht, made from beets. Then there&#8217;s pierogi, sweet and savory filled dumplings.
Alicia Bemiss, Founder, Old World Gluten-Free: And we host our Wigilia at our house every year. And yes, we have gluten-free pierogi, and everybody loves them. Nobody knows the difference.
Christy McDonald: Here, the Bemiss family tells their own Wigilia pierogi story. Alisha&#8217;s son Wayne State student Charles, he can&#8217;t eat gluten.
Alicia Bemiss: We got to the point where when he was diagnosed at the age of 12, he said, &#8216;oh my gosh, mom, I&#8217;m never going to have pierogi again.&#8217; He said &#8216;find a way to make them gluten free.&#8217;
Christy McDonald: Alisha did. Now the Bemiss (family) run a gluten-free pierogi factory in St. Clair Shores. Their pierogis are available in stores across southeastern Michigan.
Alicia Bemiss: It&#8217;s our busiest time of the year.
Christy McDonald: Wigilia&#8217;s main course includes potatoes, sauerkraut and more fish. In Poland, it might be a carp fillet, but here cod is served.
Alina Klin: And for dessert, we will have for sure poppy seeds raw, because poppy seeds is one of this magical components in Wigilia, which goes way back to assure prosperity. Next year, you need to eat some poppy seeds at Wigilia.
Event Participants: (Singing)
Christy McDonald: This Wigilia event has been going on for decades, and now Wayne State alum Jessica Wendt sees more interest in the old traditions, thanks to new technology.
Jessica Wendt: We have social media, so social media helps to really kind of promote and educate friends, spark interest and questions, and then people really kind of are reaching back to the roots of where they came from.
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The history of Wigilia, a Polish Christmas Eve celebration, and how it’s celebrated in Detroit

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This story was updated on February 1, 2024.
<a href="https://twitter.com/IamRobEdwards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rob Edwards</a>, a Detroit-born screenwriter best known for Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” and “Treasure Planet,” and the TV shows “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “In Living Color,” has a new graphic novel set to release in February 2024 detailing a little-known, yet highly prominent figure of America’s Black history: Robert Smalls.
Titled “Defiant,” <a href="https://join.legionm.com/robert-smalls-defiant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the graphic novel</a> chronicles the <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/which-slave-sailed-himself-to-freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extraordinary life of Smalls,</a> who as a 23-year-old slave successfully commandeered a Confederate Civil War ship and surrendered it to the Union Army, before joining the Union Army and becoming a war hero himself. Smalls went on to run for Congress five times, and won, the longest-serving Black congressman during Reconstruction, among several other successes.  
Volume One of Edward’s graphic novel is set for a digital release in late February, during Black History Month. The release date for a  physical copy of “Defiant” has not yet been announced. Subsequent volumes of the graphic novel are expected to be released throughout the year.
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<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/1d-episode-clip/one-detroit-ken-quattro-discusses-comic-artist-book-invisible-men/">Comic Book Historian Ken Quattro’s Journey to Writing ‘Invisible Men’</a></li>
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“He started a printing press. He started a railroad. He’s the reason why we have Black people in the military, because they showed courage, you know, intelligence and strength. He’s the reason why we have public schools,” Edwards said during an interview with One Detroit’s Chris Jordan. It’s a story Edwards felt compelled to tell as a Black author and one that readers were hungry to get their hands on. The graphic novel has been backed by almost 2,000 supporters, bringing more than $150,000 on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/legionmofficial/defiant-the-story-of-robert-smalls/community" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kickstarter</a> to help fund the project.  
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/#chris">One Detroit’s Chris Jordan</a> caught up with Edwards on a recent visit home to Michigan, at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/Comics-More-100051183056045/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Comics &amp; More</a> in Madison Heights, where they talked about “Defiant,” the support he’s received through Kickstarter, and why a comic book is a perfect, if unorthodox, way to teach kids Black history. 
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Rob Edwards’ graphic novel details a little-known story in America’s Black history

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Unveiling a tapestry of forgotten tales, the Detroit Historical Museum&#8217;s <a href="https://detroithistorical.org/detroit-historical-museum/exhibitions/special-exhibitions/detroits-chinatowns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest exhibit</a>, “Detroit&#8217;s Chinatowns,” navigates the 150-year journey of the city&#8217;s Chinese community. Assistant Curator Lily Chen and Chief Exhibitions Officer Tracy Irwin have woven together the narrative of a once-thriving but now vanished community in the heart of Detroit. The exhibit, on display in the Community Gallery through January 7, 2024, chronicles the immigrant experience from Ah-Chee&#8217;s arrival in 1872 to the vibrant businesses and communal life that characterized the 1970s and 80s. 
Visitors can interact with artifacts, photos, videos, and oral histories that vividly recreate <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/aapi-news/historic-building-in-detroits-chinatown-demolished-despite-community-backlash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the restaurants</a>, laundries, and stores that once flourished there. Attendees can engage with a Chinese mahjong table, mark their family&#8217;s roots on a world map, and delve into the Detroit Historical Society&#8217;s video collection in a dedicated screening area. The exhibit not only traces the geographical evolution from the original enclave on 3rd Avenue to the relocation in the Cass Corridor, but also delves into the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/aapi-news/curtis-chins-new-memoir-chronicles-life-lessons-learned-in-a-chinese-restaurant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">daily lives of immigrant families</a> who built a bustling community. 
<figure id="attachment_33260" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33260" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-33260" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ONE-DETROIT-821-seg1-still4.jpg" alt="Detroit's Chinatowns exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum" width="650" height="366" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-33260" class="wp-caption-text">Assistant Curator Lily Chen (left) and Chief Exhibitions Officer Tracy Irwin (right) walk through the Detroit Historical Museum&#8217;s exhibit &#8220;Detroit&#8217;s Chinatowns,&#8221; which chronicles the 150-year history of the city&#8217;s Chinese population. | Photo by One Detroit</figcaption></figure>
From church and Chinese school attendance to weekend picnics on Belle Isle, the exhibition captures the rich traditions and challenges faced by Detroit&#8217;s Chinese residents. The exhibit serves as a poignant testament to resilience, illuminating overcoming adversity, cherished traditions, and the profound sense of home within Detroit&#8217;s Chinatowns. One Detroit contributor <a href="https://www.chienanyuan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chien-An Yuan</a> talked with Chen and Irwin about how the exhibit connects the Chinese immigrant community to Detroit’s larger history.
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Preserving Detroit’s vanished Chinatowns: A journey through 150 years of Chinese American history

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<a href="https://www.curtisfromdetroit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Curtis Chin</a>, a multifaceted talent known for co-founding the <a href="https://aaww.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asian American Writers&#8217; Workshop</a> and his work as a filmmaker and social justice advocate, is about to unveil a deeply personal and illuminating chapter of his life in his upcoming memoir, &#8220;Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant.&#8221; <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/everything-i-learned-i-learned-in-a-chinese-restaurant-curtis-chin/1143031737?ean=9780316507653" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The book</a>, scheduled for release on Oct. 17, paints a vivid portrait of the Detroit that was and the restaurant that anchored a community, shedding light on the invaluable life lessons that sprang from this unique corner of the Motor City. 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/aapi-news/historic-building-in-detroits-chinatown-demolished-despite-community-backlash/">Historic Detroit Chinatown building razed despite city council, Asian American community backlash</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/aapi-news/artist-anthony-lee-commissions-new-vincent-chin-mural-for-detroits-former-chinatown/">Artist Anthony Lee commissions new Vincent Chin mural for Detroit&#8217;s former Chinatown</a>
<figure id="attachment_32774" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32774" style="width: 130px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-32774" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screen-Shot-2023-10-12-at-4.39.04-PM.png" alt="Everything I learned, I learned in a Chinese Restaurant book cover" width="130" height="200" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-32774" class="wp-caption-text">&#8220;Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant&#8221; by Detroiter Curtis Chin is set to release on October 17, 2023.</figcaption></figure>
Nestled at the crossroads of Cass Avenue and Peterboro Street, Detroit&#8217;s once-thriving Chinatown, a bustling hub of culture and community, held countless cherished memories. One long-standing meetup location in the neighborhood was <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2022/08/17/curtis-chin-new-book-chungs-cass-corridor-chinatown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chung&#8217;s Restaurant</a>, which stood for over six decades as a gathering place for an eclectic array of patrons. For Chin, however, it was more than his family’s restaurant. It was there that Chin, an American-born Chinese man, learned to navigate the intricate facets of his identity. 
Structured around the very menu that graced the tables of Chung&#8217;s, &#8220;Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant&#8221; invites readers to grow up alongside Chin, embracing his experiences, his identity, and the profound life lessons he garnered from this remarkable place—a place where perhaps even the &#8220;secret menu&#8221; of life&#8217;s wisdom is shared. 
One Detroit senior producer <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/#bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Kubota</a> and contributor <a href="https://www.chienanyuan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chien-An Yuan</a> spoke with Chin about the lessons he learned growing up in a Chinese restaurant, what Detroit’s Chinatown looked like at its peak in the 1980s, and the history of Chinese communities in Detroit, including their connection the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/vincent-chin/through-a-new-lens-revisiting-who-killed-vincent-chin-asian-american-civil-rights-nearly-40-years-later/">Vincent Chin case</a>.
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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Curtis Chin’s new memoir chronicles life lessons learned in a Chinese restaurant

From Detroit’s Walk to Freedom to the March on Washington: 60 years of civil rights legacy

As the nation commemorates the 60th anniversary of the historic <a href="https://www.si.edu/spotlight/1963-march-on-washington#:~:text=On%20August%2028%2C%201963%2C%20more,Philip%20Randolph." target="_blank" rel="noopener">March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom</a>, a pivotal event in the civil rights movement, attention turns to the significant role that Detroit played in shaping this transformative moment. The march, renowned for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech, not only symbolized the quest for equality but also marked a turning point in the fight for civil rights.  
Reflections on the powerful connection between Detroit and Dr. King come to the forefront as local leaders, historians, and communities celebrate the indelible impact the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom just two months earlier had on the historic Washington March. 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-walk-to-freedom/">Explore One Detroit&#8217;s coverage of the Detroit Walk to Freedom 60th anniversary events</a>
Both events spotlighted the collective will of countless individuals who demanded an end to racial injustice and inequality. Through peaceful protests and Dr. King’s eloquent call for racial harmony, both marches galvanized a generation, spurring legislative reforms that would resonate for years to come. 
The presence of influential figures in Detroit such as the Reverend C.L. Franklin and Rev. Albert Cleage, Jr. and the support of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union under Walter Reuther’s leadership, helped solidify the momentum needed for the Civil Rights Movement. 
<figure id="attachment_32318" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32318" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-32318" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/One-Detroit-808-MLK-Walk-to-Freedom-Still-5.png" alt="Detroit Walk to Freedom 60th anniversary " width="650" height="365" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-32318" class="wp-caption-text">Hundreds of people march down Detroit&#8217;s Woodward Avenue taking part in the 60th anniversary Detroit Walk to Freedom on Saturday, June 24, 2023. | Photo by One Detroit</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/community-posts/detroit-naacp-commemorates-60-years-of-fighting-for-civil-rights-with-june-jubilee-celebrations/">At a commemorative march two months ago</a>, hundreds of Detroiters honored their legacy by walking down Woodward Avenue — a living testament to the courage and resilience displayed during those transformative years six decades ago. The echoes of the 1963 events still flow through the streets, and the spirit of Detroit’s Walk to Freedom lives on as the next generation of residents relive and memorialize this history.
One Detroit <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/#bill">Senior Producer Bill Kubota</a> explains the tie between these two historic events and how they changed civil rights in America.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Bill Kubota, Senior Producer, One Detroit: The 1963 march led by Dr. Martin Luther King and that &#8220;I Have a Dream&#8221; speech in Detroit commemorated two months ago along Woodward Avenue. Hundreds taking part.
Leon Russell, Chair, NAACP National Board of Directors: I hope that as you step out into the street this morning, you are making a commitment, a commitment to organize our community.
Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, State of Michigan: It&#8217;s a generational moment and it&#8217;s personal for me. My father marched 60 years ago as a six-year-old in this march.
Shawn Fain, Detroit, United Auto Workers: Organized labor and the civil rights movement are inextricably intertwined. We stand together and it is a great, great, prestigious honor to be a part of this.
Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II: We see people banning books. People want to ban the book that talks about Dr. King. This march would not be acceptable in Florida under the current government, under the current legislation.
Teferi Brent, Community Activist: You can never stop marching. It&#8217;s critically important that we have fixed policy to protest. Protest without policy is pure performance.
Bill Kubota: The fight now? The fight back then. Then it was the Walk to Freedom, Detroiters, and Dr. King. Historic. Some say the beginning of a change that was going to come.
Orlando Bailey, Engagement Director, BridgeDetroit: Why is it a little-known fact that Dr. King rehearsed the &#8220;I Have a Dream&#8221; speech here in the city of Detroit first before he took it to D.C.?
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Professor, Author and Activist: Well, you know how it is, man. You&#8217;re getting your sing on at one place before you go sing-
Orlando Bailey: You&#8217;re working it out?
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson: That&#8217;s right. You&#8217;re working out the kinks and stuff. And this ain&#8217;t no small place, Detroit. If you can do it in Detroit, then you can withstand all kinds of critique because people here are rigorous about performance, about intelligence, about oratory and the like.
Orlando Bailey: Charity, you were intentional with bringing your daughter here. Why?
Charity Dean, CEO, Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance: Well, she has to see this in action. And she also gets to see mom at work in a number of ways. She also needs to see mom marching down and she needs to get the opportunity so that ten years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now, she will be able to say she participated in the march as one of the first steps toward her own fight for freedom for all of us.
Gregory Gunn, Retired DPSCD Teacher: This is commemorating the Detroit downtown walk from Woodward to Cobo Hall in 1963. I was six years old when I was in the first March in 63.
Orlando Bailey: You were in the original march in 1963-
Gregory Gunn: My dad brought me.
Bill Kubota: Memories 60 years on for Gregory Gunn and for Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge.
Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge, Civil Rights Activist: It was a beautiful, beautiful day. And no one expected these many people to show up.
Bill Kubota: An estimated 125,000. Aldridge was 20 years old in 1963. She&#8217;s talking with One Detroit contributor, Bryce Huffman.
Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge: You asked if there were a lot of white people there. It was well integrated. And at the time, the mayor of Detroit, Mayor Cavanagh, was a white person. So there was no conflict between Blacks and whites as such. No.
Bill Kubota: One Detroit spoke to the late Reverend Dr. Joann Watson just before this year&#8217;s Detroit walk.
Rev. Dr. Joann Watson, Civil Rights Activist: It meant a lot because the injustice that was happening around the country was not just in the South. It also included the north. There were housing issues, employment issues, issues just related to the quality of your life.
Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge: In 1963, of course, there was the question about police harassment, police brutality of the young people in Detroit. Now, one other thing I want to add is that Medgar Evers had just been killed in Jackson, Mississippi.
Bill Kubota: Medgar Evers, an NAACP official, assassinated by a white supremacist less than two weeks before.
Ken Coleman, Detroit Journalist and Historian: And it was a motivating force that caused people to come out to the march that may not have had Evers not been killed only days before.
Jamon Jordan, Historian, City of Detroit: That march was organized by the Detroit Council for Human Rights, which was led by Reverend C.L. Franklin. And of course, if you don&#8217;t know C.L., you probably know his daughter, the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Reverend Albert Cleage, who would become the founder of the Shrine to Black Madonna and change his name to Jaramogi Abebe Agyeman. Benjamin McFall, the owner of McFall Brothers Funeral Homes and James Del Rio, who would go on to become a judge.
Ken Coleman: Reverend Cleage and Reverend Franklin decided to start the Detroit Council for Human Rights with the idea that there really hadn&#8217;t been enough improvement for African Americans since the 1943 race riot and the March, the Walk to Freedom, was the first major event that the organization organized.
Bill Kubota: The local NAACP not in on the planning. Seemed to them these activists were pushing too hard, too fast.
Ken Coleman: Some thought that Reverend Cleage was clearly more radical than the Detroit NAACP, and at times so was Reverend Franklin.
Bill Kubota: The NAACP did bring protest signs, but the United Auto Workers union was a real driver of the march.
Ken Coleman: There&#8217;s no doubt that the Walk to Freedom could not have happened without the UAW under the leadership of Walter Reuther.
Gavin Strassel, UAW Archivist, Reuther Library, Wayne State University: These are some really cool objects from the march.
Bill Kubota: UAW archivist Gavin Strassel sits on a wealth of research material at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University.
Gavin Strassel: The records really reflect that as figures like Martin Luther King start to make inroads in American society, you can see that the UAW takes notice and becomes a major financial contributor and supporter of the civil rights movement.
Bill Kubota: Dr. King spoke before the union&#8217;s membership two years before the march. The UAW&#8217;s was Lillian Hatcher was a Walk to Freedom organizer.
Gavin Strassel: I think having the UAW involved in the planning probably went a long way in letting Martin Luther King know that this is a legitimate event and that this is something that he wants to take part in.
Ken Coleman: So Reuther and King had a great bond. In fact, there is some thought that King might have written some of the &#8220;I Have a Dream&#8221; speech at Solidarity House, UAW&#8217;s headquarters in Detroit.
Bill Kubota: So with the UAW and Reverend C.L. Franklin, there was Dr. King&#8217;s other Detroit connection.
Ken Coleman: Berry Gordy Jr., the founder of Motown Records, had met King, we know several years before 1963, probably the late 1950s.
Robin Terry, CEO, Motown Museum: And what came from that was Berry Gordy actually covering payroll for Dr. King to pay his staff. And my understanding is that happened more than once. So in so many ways, not only was Motown organically helping the civil rights movement and being a catalyst for bringing people together, but also in a very intentional way, they were supporting the efforts of Dr. King.
Bill Kubota: The Detroit speech at Cobo Hall, preserved on record by Motown.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Segregation is wrong because it is nothing, but a new form of slavery covered up with certain niceties of complexity.
Bill Kubota: Dr. King would finish his speech in Detroit with the words, perhaps he&#8217;s most remembered, &#8220;I have a dream. Free at last.&#8221; Words he&#8217;d take to Washington two months later.
&#8220;The March,&#8221; 1963, National Archives: They came from Los Angeles and San Francisco. They came from Cleveland, from Chicago-
Bill Kubota: And they came from Detroit. August 1963, the March on Washington. Detroiter Edith Lee-Payne was there with her mother.
Edith Lee-Payne, Marched in Detroit and Washington, 1963: She decided that we would go to Washington. She would always stress to me how important it was for me to be the best that I could always be, and I could achieve and be whatever I wanted to be. It helped me be more of an American, which is what I am. The fact that I&#8217;m a Black American is secondary. That doesn&#8217;t define me, and our color should never define us. Dr. King didn&#8217;t want our color to define us. He wanted our character to define us and who we were as a person.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: And in Birmingham, Alabama, and all over the South and all over the nation, we are simply saying that we will no longer sell our birthright of freedom for the mess of segregated parties.
Ken Coleman: Historians have written and said often that had there not been those two marches, we may not have achieved the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Without those marches which take place just before the passing of that landmark two pieces of legislation.
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ONE-DETROIT-805-Chinatown-Still-2

A historic building in Detroit’s Chinatown has been torn down, even as advocates were attempting to save it. Despite backlash from the Asian American community, 3143 Cass Avenue was demolished July 29. The historic building was at the heart of Detroit’s Chinatown and held historical and spiritual significance to the neighborhood.
City officials said the building was a public safety hazard, and the building’s current owners, <a href="https://www.olympiadevelopmentmi.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Olympia Development of Michigan</a>, the Ilitch family organization&#8217;s real estate firm, obtained a permit to tear it down despite a unanimous vote by the Detroit City Council to halt the demolition. The building had stood there for 140 years.
<figure id="attachment_32119" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32119" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-32119" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ONE-DETROIT-805-Chinatown-Still-3.jpg" alt="activists and residents in front of the demolition of a historic building in Detroit's Chinatown" width="650" height="366" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-32119" class="wp-caption-text">Residents, activists and Detroit City Council members stand in front of 3143 Cass Avenue, the site of a historic building in Detroit&#8217;s Chinatown, advocating for the building to not be demolished. | Photo by One Detroit</figcaption></figure>
The building was known as the Chinese Merchant Association building, according to <a href="https://www.americancitizensforjustice.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Citizens for Justice</a> President Roland Hwang. When the building was in use, the ACJ organized there following the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/vincent-chin/through-a-new-lens-revisiting-who-killed-vincent-chin-asian-american-civil-rights-nearly-40-years-later/">killing of Vincent Chin in 1982</a>. Its demolition marks the continuation of an all-but-lost Chinatown in Detroit nowadays. Detroit’s first Chinatown was moved in the 1960s due to the construction of the Lodge Freeway, and many Asian Americans opted to move to the suburbs of Detroit in the 1970s.
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/#bill">Producer Bill Kubota</a> visits a press conference at the demolished site where activists and residents talk about what this loss means to the Asian American community in Detroit, as well as ways to preserve the history of Chinatown and what some want to see happen in the future. 
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Bill Kubota, Senior Producer, One Detroit: Detroit City Council had requested the decrepit building be temporarily spared from demolition. 3143 Cass Avenue, considered the heart of what was once Chinatown. Asian-American groups called a press conference last week for this Monday to try to save it. Too late. It had been smashed down over the weekend.
Gabriela Santiago-Romero, Detroit City Council Member, District 6: I&#8217;m an immigrant. I deeply understand the importance of knowing our history so that we don&#8217;t repeat the wrongs of our past. And quite frankly, I did not expect the administration in Olympia to play hardball with history. I expected us to slow down a little.
Hayg Oshagan, Immigration Task Force, Detroit City Council: Arrogance is not a good trait in politics. Neither is greed. Neither is cynicism. And all three were at play here, unfortunately, at the expense of part of the history of this city.
Bill Kubota: History? Things that happened not that long ago.
Nicole MacDonald, Filmmaker, &#8220;Last Days of Chinatown&#8221;: This is the lower corridor, part of the larger Cass Corridor.
Bill Kubota: Filmmaker Nicole McDonald told some of the story in her 2018 documentary &#8220;Last Days of Chinatown,&#8221; an examination of Human Displacement.
Nicole MacDonald: They run along Cass Street, in the center of the lower corridor.
Bill Kubota: Olympia Development of Michigan and Ilitch Company owns this property. The city has wished it torn down for years.
Arthur Park, Central United Methodist Church, Detroit: Many might say, why make a fuss over an old crumbling building? The fuss is not so much over a building but over the spiritual loss of a once alive and vibrant community. Our feeling of loss is not unlike that which the African-American brothers and sisters felt when Black Bottom and Paradise Valley, Detroit&#8217;s cultural and musical hub were urbanized.
Bill Kubota: I-375, took out those black neighborhoods in the early 1960s, around the time Detroit&#8217;s first Chinatown was displaced by the city too, making way for the Lodge Freeway.
Nicole MacDonald: Chinatown had markets and schools set up, a clinic, there were 53 restaurants, and over 3,000 Chinese people living there.
Bill Kubota: So then the business district moved to Cass Avenue, south of Mack.
Nicole MacDonald: They set up markets and restaurants again and had festivals in the new spot. But the new Chinatown never became what the original place had been. And a lot of Chinese felt their neighborhood had been destroyed in the move.
Don Yee, former Chinatown resident: I think, basically, during the eighties, it was shutting down. Chinatown was dissolving.
Bill Kubota: Here&#8217;s Chinatown then, as seen in the 1987 film &#8220;Who Killed Vincent Chin?&#8221;
Carolyn Chin Watson, Granddaughter of restaurant owners: My grandfather came here in the thirties. And think about just the race relations at the time. So getting a job was difficult so they did what they knew, which was cook. They cooked.
Bill Kubota: Carolyn Chin Watson&#8217;s family owned The Shanghai Cafe in the 3143 building.
Carolyn Chin Watson: Actually, it was James&#8217;s family that sold the restaurant to my family. Long story short is that they were able to live and grow a family, and that&#8217;s just one of the many family stories that come from Detroit&#8217;s Chinatown.
James Lee, Grandson of Restaurant Owners: There&#8217;s no disputing the progress that&#8217;s been made in this area, but there&#8217;s a cost to that progress. You compare Detroit to other cities like Chicago. They have a respect for their history. It&#8217;s obvious when you walk through the city. And I think one of the underlying problems in the Metro Detroit area is the fact that we don&#8217;t have a connection to the past, we don&#8217;t have an agreement, or understanding with each other about our past, our shared past, and consequently our ripe to misinformation and misunderstanding.
Bill Kubota: Roland Hwang leads A.C.J. The American Citizens for Justice.
Roland Hwang, President, American Citizens for Justice: And it was actually at 3143, the Chinese Merchant Association building at the time, that had its inaugural meeting where A.C.J. got its name. There are so many memories that are just rekindled by what&#8217;s happened over the last few days.
Bill Kubota: A.C.J. emerged after Vincent Chin was killed in 1982 as anger was directed at the Japanese, whose imports hurt domestic car sales. Asian Americans joined together and found a voice in the protests.
Jasmine Rivera, Co-Executive Director, Rising Voices: This is a ground that is historic because it actually was key to a movement that centered around Vincent Chin, but then spread nationwide.
Stephanie Chang, Michigan State Senator, 3rd District: Seeing the demolition on Saturday was devastating for many of us. But I really believe that the city and Olympia have an opportunity, if they choose to take it, to work hand in hand with the Asian-American community, with the descendants of Detroit&#8217;s Chinatown, to actually celebrate history and to recognize the importance of the community.
Bill Kubota: What&#8217;s left? The long-closed Chung&#8217;s restaurant, a couple more buildings, and a few reminders of the Chinatown that was.
Gabriela Santiago-Romero: I&#8217;m dedicated and committed to ensuring that we do designate Chinatown as historic. It is not yet, and we need to. It is a must. We have to do that moving forward.
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Historic Detroit Chinatown building razed despite city council, Asian American community backlash

One-Detroit-802-375-Still-1

Detroit’s Interstate 375: It’s considered to be the shortest highway in the country, stretching just over one mile long, and when it was constructed, it led to the destruction of two thriving African American communities, Black Bottom and Paradise Valley, in the city. Now, state and city officials have <a href="https://detroitmi.gov/departments/planning-and-development-department/neighborhood-plans/central-design-region/i-375-reconnecting-communities-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plans to redevelop the highway</a> into a more traversable boulevard, but will the redevelopment efforts be able to return what was once there?  
Current plans for the highway’s removal are slated to begin in 2025, after <a href="https://www.bridgedetroit.com/mdot-i-375-project-detroit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal officials approved a $104.6 million grant</a> just before the new year to speed up the process. Six lanes of street-level boulevard with wide sidewalks and bike lanes will be added in the highway’s place, and the roadway will narrow to 4 lanes as it approaches the Detroit Riverwalk. Approximately 25-31 acres of land will also become available for development.  
BridgeDetroit reporter <a href="https://www.bridgedetroit.com/author/jena-brooker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jena Brooker</a>, who has been following MDOT’s I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project closely, teams up with One Detroit producer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/willofmichigan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Glover</a> to break down the project’s goals and how members of the community are reacting to the plans.  
Brooker talks with freelance urban planner <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulTheUrbanist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul Jones III</a>, chair for the Detroit City Planning Commission <a href="https://www.laurenahood.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lauren Hood</a>, and <a href="https://detroitgreenways.org/projects/i-375-alternatives/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Greenway Coalition</a> Executive Director Todd Scott about MDOT’s redevelopment plans, the racial history embedded into the highway’s story, and whether they believe the plans will achieve what state and city officials have said it will.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Jena Brooker, Reporter, BridgeDetroit: I-375, the highway that destroyed a thriving epicenter of Black life in Detroit is going to be filled in and replaced by a six-lane street-level boulevard with bike lanes and wide sidewalks. Once filled in, approximately 30 acres of prime real estate will open up. Last year, the city began hosting monthly meetings with stakeholders and community members about the process. Federal and state officials say the boulevard will reconnect the community destroyed by the highway and be a reparative process. But various community members have concerns ranging from the physical design to if the process will really be reparative.
Paul Jones III, Freelance Urban Planner: I think we&#8217;ve all kind of swayed around with the idea of getting rid of 375 for a long time. The fact that this is happening in a way now, I think is both exciting, but also it makes me a little anxious because at all I don&#8217;t know that all the things have aligned here to make this project as transformational as it should be.
Jena Brooker: At a February meeting, more than 50 residents and stakeholders shared their thoughts on the project. Some already feel like it isn&#8217;t properly centering equity injustice.
Lauren Hood, Chair, Detroit City Planning Commission: As urban planning practitioners, you&#8217;re not required to have a social justice background or a critical consciousness about race. So it should be no surprise that when we get to projects like this, there&#8217;s a whole line of thinking that isn&#8217;t included because those people aren&#8217;t trained with that. So is it their fault? I don&#8217;t know where the problem needs to be addressed, but it&#8217;s a recurring theme, especially in cities like Detroit, where our community development and urban planning is so deeply intertwined with race and justice.
Jena Brooker: An analysis was done of the intergenerational wealth lost when a highway similarly displaced a Black community in Saint Paul, Minnesota at the same time Detroit&#8217;s highway went in. The analysis found that at least $270 million of intergenerational wealth was lost. So given that and that history, do you think that it&#8217;s possible that this project could actually be reparative?
Lauren Hood: It can be again because I feel like those technicians that are leading this charge are open to receiving different kinds of ideas. I think you have to make a data-driven case, though. I used to think in racial justice work you could appeal to people&#8217;s moral compass, their empathy; that ain&#8217;t going to do anything. You need to make a data-driven case for those folks to behave differently and I think it&#8217;s possible.
Jena Brooker: Others have critiques of the physical design of the boulevard, that the state is prioritizing traffic over connectivity, pedestrians, and safety. With nine lanes at some points, it&#8217;s wide and replicates the effect of a highway. So can you touch on that? Do you think that it will lessen the divide that the highway currently creates between the neighborhoods?
Todd Scott, Executive Director, Detroit Greenways Coalition: In some ways, yes. In other ways, we still have some concerns. I&#8217;d say one of the biggest benefits is going to have is the reconnection of downtown to Eastern Market. Because right now I often say that if you&#8217;re in downtown and someone asks you for directions to Eastern Market by bike or walking, it&#8217;s basically, no one really knows.
Jena Brooker: According to Todd Scott of the Detroit Greenways Coalition, there will be a nice connection from Ford Field to Eastern Market. And during off-peak traffic hours, it should be more pedestrian and biking-friendly. So what do you think of the current redesign of the highway right now? And what would you want it to look like?
Paul Jones III: I would want it to look very different. So I would say, it&#8217;s not a smart design, it&#8217;s not an urban- it&#8217;s not a design that really lends itself to any level of vibrance, urban vitality, and density. In a lot of ways, the road design that they presented would be more dangerous for pedestrians than the current configuration as a freeway.
Jena Brooker: Paul Jones III, freelance urban planner, remains skeptical of transportation leaders pointing to the Woodward Avenue Q-Line project that left many Detroiters disappointed. What are some of the things that are realistic to come out of this project that could be reparative?
Lauren Hood: I&#8217;ve heard folks talking about land trust. I think that could be interesting. So there are supposed to be 31 acres of developable land that are a result of the highway resurfacing. It would be great if we could figure out how Detroiters could financially benefit from that.
People are also talking about, could we have a Black business corridor in honor of the Black businesses that were destroyed in Black Bottom/Paradise Valley. That&#8217;s a thing. I really would like to hear what ideas citizens have. I think planners like to talk to planners. I want to hear what people that are differently oriented have to say. I want to hear what artists- We just need some more creative thinkers on what is possible.
Todd Scott: I think the most important thing is that you have a facility where you can bike or walk without a lot of delays. And when that happens and you increase bike-ability and walkability, you can go much further for the same amount of time. What we don&#8217;t want to do is have a facility where you have to stop every block, push a button, and wait a minute or two to get a walk signal to continue on, because it&#8217;s going to take you a long time to get anywhere. And so, I mean, on paper, those plans look like you&#8217;re connecting things but given the amount of delay they can introduce to people walking and biking, they&#8217;re really not connecting with them.
Jena Brooker: The highway is expected to be removed by 2027. Until then, state officials are hosting monthly meetings with community members and stakeholders to get input on the design and the process. Despite stakeholder requests to reduce the width of the boulevard at every step of the project, state officials have noted that they will not do so. One major decision that is still up in the air though, is who gets the 30 acres of land that will open up valued at $50 million. This decision and more will shape if the project can really address the harm caused by the highway.
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Will Detroit’s I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project restore a once thriving Black corridor in the city?

Detroit NAACP commemorates 60 years of fighting for civil rights with June Jubilee celebrations

The <a href="https://www.detroitnaacp.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Branch NAACP</a> hosted its vibrant and momentous “<a href="https://naacp.org/events/june-jubilee-celebration-freedom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June Jubilee: A Celebration of Freedom</a>” during the June 22-25 weekend, four days of events honoring the historic 60th anniversary of the Detroit Walk to Freedom. The celebration paid homage to the pivotal civil rights march that took place in the city on June 23, 1963, setting the stage for the well-known March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. 
Bringing together community and civil rights leaders, politicians, activists and residents from across Southeast Michigan, the events commemorated the spirit of unity, resilience and progress that characterized the inaugural Detroit Walk to Freedom. It served as a reminder of the march’s profound impact on the civil rights movement and fight for racial equality in America.  
<figure id="attachment_31848" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31848" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-31848" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-Walk-to-Freedom-Still-1.jpg" alt="Detroit NAACP unveils Martin Luther King Jr. statue" width="650" height="366" srcset="https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-Walk-to-Freedom-Still-1.jpg 1024w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-Walk-to-Freedom-Still-1.jpg 300w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-Walk-to-Freedom-Still-1.jpg 768w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-Walk-to-Freedom-Still-1.jpg 1536w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-Walk-to-Freedom-Still-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-31848" class="wp-caption-text">(Left to Right) City of Detroit Arts &amp; Culture Director Rochelle Riley, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and several others celebrate the unveiling of a new bronze Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Hart Plaza. | Photo by One Detroit</figcaption></figure>
The weekend celebrations kicked off Friday morning with the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/history/detroit-to-receive-life-size-bronze-statue-of-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-in-hart-plaza/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiling of a new Martin Luther King Jr. Statue</a> in Hart Plaza, followed by the 60th commemorative Walk to Freedom the day after. One Detroit joined both events to capture these historic moments.  
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-walk-to-freedom/">Explore One Detroit and American Black Journal&#8217;s coverage of the Detroit Walk to Freedom 60th anniversary</a>
Watch highlights from the Detroit NAACP’s June Jubilee events, where contributor Orlando Bailey, engagement director for BridgeDetroit, spoke with <a href="https://twitter.com/jordan_jamon?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit historian Jamon Jordan</a>, <a href="https://mdbba.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance</a> CEO Charity Dean, <a href="https://ohsweetfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Ossian Sweet Foundation</a> CEO Daniel Baxter, Michigan 6th District <a href="https://debbiedingell.house.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congresswoman Debbie Dingell</a>, <a href="https://michaelericdyson.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson</a>, and several residents — Imani Foster, Gregory Gunn, Sandra Richardson Smith and Dr. Sharonlyn Harris — who attended the 1963 Walk to Freedom as children.  
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ONE-DETROIT-756-GiGis-50th-Still-4

As the oldest gay-owned bar in Detroit, Gigi&#8217;s <a href="https://pridesource.com/article/gigis-celebrates-50-years-the-oldest-gay-owned-gay-bar-in-detroit-is-now-a-half-century-old/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrates its 50th anniversary</a> this year, commemorating a long history as a cultural staple and haven for Detroit’s LGBTQ+ community. 
Gay bars have historically played a crucial role as safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community, providing a sanctuary where individuals can gather, socialize and express their identities freely. That place in Detroit is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gigisgaybar/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gigi’s</a>, which opened in 1973, just four years after the <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/lesson-plan/stonewall-uprising" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stonewall uprising</a> that ignited the modern gay rights movement.  
<figure id="attachment_31838" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31838" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-31838" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-GiGis-50th-Still-1.jpg" alt="Gigi's gay bar" width="650" height="366" srcset="https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-GiGis-50th-Still-1.jpg 1920w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-GiGis-50th-Still-1.jpg 300w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-GiGis-50th-Still-1.jpg 1024w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-GiGis-50th-Still-1.jpg 768w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-756-GiGis-50th-Still-1.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-31838" class="wp-caption-text">Patrons sit at the bartop at Gigi&#8217;s the oldest gay bar in Detroit. | Photo by One Detroit</figcaption></figure>
Gigi’s has played a pivotal role in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and has fostered a vibrant queer culture that continues to thrive today. It’s also home to Michigan’s oldest drag pageant, and the oldest gay bar drag competition title in the country, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MISSGIGISPAGEANTS/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the annual Miss Gigi’s contest</a>.  
One Detroit’s Chris Jordan sat down with Gigi’s co-owner and general manager Luis Mandujano, who bought the bar in 2020 after being a regular there for more than twenty years, Gigi’s Cabaret show director Nickki Stevens, and bar manager Randy Markoz Santiago to discuss the bar’s history, legacy, and place within the Detroit LGBTQ+ community.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257,&quot;335559991&quot;:0}"> 
<h2>Full Transcripts:</h2>
Nickki Stevens, Cabaret Show Director, Gigi’s: Gigi&#8217;s has always been a place. It&#8217;s predominantly gay, but everyone&#8217;s welcome. Everybody is welcome. It doesn&#8217;t matter who or what you are, color or creed. It doesn&#8217;t matter. Everyone is welcome except narrow-minded people.
Chris Jordan, One Detroit: Gigi&#8217;s is Detroit&#8217;s oldest gay-owned and operated bar, located on Warren Ave, just off of Southfield. This year, Gigi&#8217;s has celebrated a major milestone, 50 years in business. Having opened in 1973, just four years after the Stonewall uprising in New York City.
Luis Mandujano, Co-Owner and General Manager, Gigi’s: People think that this is just a bar and it&#8217;s not. It&#8217;s a community haven for not only the gay community but anyone that feels different than their surrounding area. We speak the language of love. We don&#8217;t ask at the door who you love, who you want to love, who you are, who you want to be. We just accept you for who you are, and we offer you a place to be able to come and socialize.
Chris Jordan: Co-owner Luis Mandujano bought the business in 2020, but before that, he had been a regular at Gigi&#8217;s since the 1990s and even met his husband there.
Luis Mandujano: I have been coming here for over 20 years. At that point when I was approached, I had been retired out of the army. I spent a little over 30 some odd years in the Army.
Being in the military, I was under the don&#8217;t ask, don&#8217;t tell. So it was very difficult to find a happy space for myself in the military. And so this gave me an opportunity to come here and be free, be who I was and be who I actually felt comfortable being around. And in the late nineties, I met my husband here. So I take great pride in what we try to do here, not only for my sake but for the sake of the community and for the sake of all the customers that have walked these halls and continue to walk these halls. We&#8217;ve got to just remember where this establishment started.
In 1973, if you were female, you couldn&#8217;t wear anything male. If you were male, you couldn&#8217;t wear anything female. It was illegal. You could have, basically, gone to jail. And so a lot of that history that we have in the Ms. Gigi’s Contest started as a Halloween gimmick. During Halloween, it was kind of, okay, you can be whoever you want to be because for that night it&#8217;s acceptable. And that&#8217;s how we evolved into a pageant, a contest. And now, to this day, we are one of the biggest contests in the Midwest.
Chris Jordan: Nickki Stephens has directed the drag shows in Gigi&#8217;s Cabaret space for 31 years, ever since she was crowned Miss Gigi&#8217;s in 1992.
Nickki Stevens: The old show director, who has now passed, was one of the old owners. When I won on Sunday, October 10th, 1992, Monday, October 11th, she said to me, you are now the show director. So included in winning the title, I had to take over the shows. Ms. Gigi’s is the longest gay bar title in the nation. We&#8217;re going to be celebrating, in October, our 50-year anniversary. We know all of our old title holders and the ones that are able to and the ones that are still with us come back each and every year.
When I started here, we were going through the AIDS epidemic, and you would be sitting next to somebody and two weeks later they would be gone. We would put on shows and benefit shows for research and trying to find the cure and trying to bury some of our friends their families had abandoned them because of their sexual orientation or whatever. There were people dying that couldn&#8217;t even get buried. They were in Wayne County. And so we did all that fighting, trying to fight for our rights. And it&#8217;s come a long way. But there&#8217;s more that can be done and needs to be done.
Randy Markoz Santiago, Bar Manager, Gigi&#8217;s: I love listening to all their stories. It&#8217;s so empowering and it&#8217;s so freeing listening to how it was back in the day to compare to now. It&#8217;s like, the struggles and how much freedom I have now&#8230; It&#8217;s crazy.
Chris Jordan: Randy Markoz Santiago has been the bar manager for 15 years.
Randy Markoz Santiago: The owner before, his name was Paul Mongeluzo. I asked him one day, and I was like, why don&#8217;t we ever put money outside? Why don&#8217;t we ever make the building look nice? And back then, they would graffiti, they&#8217;d throw bottles at the walls, they&#8217;d destroy the bar on the outside because it&#8217;s gay. It was so much hate back then. He said they would never put money on the outside. But now it&#8217;s 2023 and we finally put flags up on the roof. We&#8217;re making it well known that this is what we are and it&#8217;s okay.
I&#8217;ve been here 15 years. I&#8217;ve seen people get thrown out of their homes, with nowhere to go, so they&#8217;ll come to the bar to spend a piece of mind that no one&#8217;s going to hurt them here. The only thing that they have to worry about is where they&#8217;re going to go after the bar is closed, they&#8217;d have to go to a friend&#8217;s house, from one person to another until they figure it out because their family don&#8217;t want anything to do with them. I&#8217;ve known some people that committed suicide because of it. It&#8217;s really sad. So there is never a stop to fighting for equality and all of that.
Luis Mandujano: One of the things that we pride ourselves on is that we are one of the only establishments that allow 18 and over. Not because we want to try and get anything out of them, but because we want them to have a safe space. It&#8217;s very difficult for an 18, 19, or 20-year-old to find a safe space that they can go in and find other people that accept them for who they are. Once you come through the door, it is a magical experience. You will experience nothing but acceptance when you walk in through our doors. And you will leave a very happy person because you obviously came here to enjoy yourself and I can guarantee you that&#8217;s what you would do.
Randy Markoz Santiago: Even though I work here, I still feel like I can be myself here. I don&#8217;t have to worry about the hate out there. There&#8217;s still hate out there. I can&#8217;t walk down the street holding my husband&#8217;s hand and not have people stare at us weirdly or look at us funny. I can&#8217;t give him kisses outside of&#8230; At Belle Isle, we can&#8217;t sit at the park and just hold hands because people are going to look at us weirdly. Here, I can kiss them on the face, I can kiss him on the cheeks, I can be whatever. But out there, it&#8217;s still crazy to me that people still hate. Like, it&#8217;s 2023. Move on.
Luis Mandujano: We&#8217;re working hard to try and hopefully make this a historical site one day. I mean, it&#8217;s 50 years. 50 years is about the same time that Stonewall has been around, and we know that that&#8217;s a historical site now. So at one point I had a conversation with the governor of Michigan and asked her how long or when has the last LGBTQ site been a historical site in Michigan. And there isn&#8217;t one. There aren&#8217;t any. And I think that this qualifies for it. Yes, it is a bar, but it&#8217;s more than a bar. It allowed me to be who I wanted to be and enabled me to meet the person that I love now and that I live my life with.
Nickki Stevens: The ones that want to criminalize us and everything else. That gives me a lot of joke material. But we go on with what we do, unapologetic. This is for people that are looking for a good time and entertainment. Everyone&#8217;s welcome. Come see me, the crazy Peroxide Piranha.
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Detroit’s oldest gay bar, Gigi’s, celebrates 50 years as haven for city’s LGBTQ+ community

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Detroit is getting its very own Martin Luther King Jr. statue. As part of the <a href="https://www.detroitnaacp.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Branch NAACP’s</a> June Jubilee: A Celebration of Freedom events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-walk-to-freedom/">Detroit Walk to Freedom</a>, the organization unveiled a bronze sculpture of Dr. King in Hart Plaza Friday, June 23
The sculpture was created by Utah-based artist Stan Watts and donated to the city after Watts learned more about Dr. King’s connection to Detroit through the historic Walk to Freedom 60 years ago. There, Dr. King gave <a href="https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/martin-luther-king-cobo-hall-speech-june-23-1963/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an early version of his famed “I Have A Dream” speech</a> to more than 25,000 people inside Cobo Hall before reciting the famous speech standing atop the Lincoln Memorial at the March on Washington two months later.  
RELATED:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-naacp-previews-june-jubilee-a-celebration-of-freedom-events/">Detroit NAACP President Rev. Wendell Anthony previews June Jubilee: A Celebration of Freedom events</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/walking-down-memory-lane-two-detroit-women-reflect-on-attending-the-1963-walk-to-freedom/">Walking down memory lane: Two Detroit women reflect on attending the 1963 Walk to Freedom</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/history/rev-dr-joann-watsons-life-changed-after-the-1963-detroit-walk-to-freedom/">From attendee to activist: Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson’s life changed after the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.bridgedetroit.com/detroit-naacp-celebrates-60th-anniversary-of-walk-to-freedom-with-mlk-statue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit NAACP celebrates 60th anniversary of Walk to Freedom with MLK statue</a></li>
</ul>
The City of Detroit’s <a href="https://www.detroitchamber.com/bios/rochelle-riley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arts and Culture Director Rochelle Riley</a> was key to securing the sculpture for the unveiling this week as part of the Detroit Branch NAACP commemorative June Jubilee: A Celebration of Freedom through June 25  
<figure id="attachment_31719" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31719" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-31719" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-755-MLK-Statue-Still-2-1.jpg" alt="Artist Stan Watts works on a Martin Luther King Jr. Statue" width="650" height="366" srcset="https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-755-MLK-Statue-Still-2-1.jpg 1920w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-755-MLK-Statue-Still-2-1.jpg 300w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-755-MLK-Statue-Still-2-1.jpg 1024w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-755-MLK-Statue-Still-2-1.jpg 768w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-755-MLK-Statue-Still-2-1.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-31719" class="wp-caption-text">Artist Stan Watts works on the head of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue that now sits at Hart Plaza in Detroit. | Photo by One Detroit</figcaption></figure>
Ahead of the unveiling, One Detroit contributor <a href="https://twitter.com/orlandopbailey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Orlando Bailey</a>, engagement director for <a href="https://www.bridgedetroit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BridgeDetroit</a>, talked with Watts and Riley about the statue unveiling, how art can be used as a way to reflect history, the historical importance of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Detroit, and how the statue will serve as a centerpiece for the community.  
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Orlando Baily, Engagement Director, BridgeDetroit: Tell us this story because this is rather fascinating. So you were at the event at the Wright and you had begun to think about and done some investigation about Dr. Martin Luther King&#8217;s history here in the city of Detroit.
Stan Watts, Artist and Sculptor: So I was invited to this unveiling at the Wright Museum, and that was my first time being there. And while there, I said, did Martin Luther King ever do anything in the city? The mayor was there and Rochelle Riley and the curator of the museum. And they said, as a matter of fact, don&#8217;t you know he gave the speech here first? No, I didn&#8217;t know that. So I approached the mayor, and I said I would like to place a Dr. King here and I believe I can get a donor if we can find a place.
Orlando Baily: Rochelle Riley, the City of Detroit&#8217;s arts and culture director, has worked closely with Watts throughout the process.
Rochelle Riley, Director of Arts and Culture, City of Detroit; He said, you know, I&#8217;ve got some other statues. And I said, Oh, really? You&#8217;ve got a lot of statues? What have you got? And he said I&#8217;ve got this Martin Luther King statue and the person who owns it wants to donate it to someplace very special, donate it to a city, or to some spot.
I said we want it. We want it. And he said, oh, well- yeah, we could do it. And I said, No, no, no. There&#8217;s a very special reason we would want it. Dr. King gave his &#8220;I Have a Dream&#8221; speech here two months before he gave it in Washington, D.C., and that historic moment that was seen by everybody. But we had 125,000 people who marched down Woodward and saw it here and heard it here.
Orlando Baily: Talk a little bit about art being a documentary and a record of his being here.
Stan Watts: You only have so many statues. Dr. King was one of those that I had the honor of doing. Great men and great stories and they&#8217;re untold from the black community because there&#8217;s still- they survived through horrific situations to now. And our job is to bring the horrific situations to light and honor the people that documented, that learned to read when you couldn&#8217;t teach them to read because it&#8217;s illegal.
Rochelle Riley: Stan Watts is an amazing artist. We had the best conversations about African American history, which is a part of American history. We had great talks about his aesthetic and what he likes to do, and he likes to do a lot of statues of African Americans who deserve their place in history. When you see the statue, you&#8217;ll see that not only does he know what he&#8217;s doing, but he really puts his heart into it. These things mean something to him.
Stan Watts: I&#8217;m going to say something that I believe in my heart. The longest-lasting form of medication for healing is bronze because it lasts for 4000 years. So when you honor somebody doing something good that did something that changed lives, you can actually be a better person for having seen great artwork. We need great artwork done with respect.
Orlando Baily: Normally, artists are sort of commissioned in this kind of work. You were not. You went out and found the funding to be able to do this. I want to ask you about- upon learning this history, what moved on the inside of you that prompted you to want to do this without being commissioned, but to ask to do this?
Stan Watts: Great artists need to understand why they&#8217;re doing what they&#8217;re doing and what they&#8217;re doing. They&#8217;re not doing it for money. I&#8217;m not doing it for money. I need to get paid, but I&#8217;m doing it because it needs to be done.
Orlando Baily: The statue of MLK will find its new home in the heart of downtown Detroit at Hart Plaza.
Rochelle Riley: As soon as we decided and as soon as they agreed to let us have it here, there was no place else for it to be. Hart Plaza is our community space in Detroit. It&#8217;s like New York&#8217;s Times Square. It is where, connected to the nation&#8217;s best riverwalk, the place for things to happen. We have Movement there. We have the jazz festival there.
Everything big for our entire community happens there. The placement of the statue is so important. There is a transcending monument that&#8217;s at Hart Plaza that people don&#8217;t always pay attention to that represents labor. No matter who&#8217;s walking down that plaza, they&#8217;ll be able to walk right up to that statue, right on that plaza, at Hart Plaza, our community space.
Orlando Baily: What are you most looking forward to when you make your way here to the city?
Stan Watts: It&#8217;s the unveiling and the humble opportunity to honor somebody of the magnitude of Dr. King and his purpose is for just bringing the Constitution to fruition. He had a mission to take. Don&#8217;t just say that. Don&#8217;t just change the laws. Enforce them. He was a great man. He knew the spirit, I believe, of our country. Once everything was exposed on television- That the spirit wouldn&#8217;t allow- Our country couldn&#8217;t allow ourselves to say something and then not back it. And I think we were given a check that balanced is how he described it.
Orlando Baily: Yeah, he describes that in the beginning stanzas of his famous &#8220;I Have a Dream&#8221; speech with the March on Washington. He said, &#8220;The check has been returned as insufficient funds.&#8221;
Stan Watts: Very exact. I&#8217;m looking forward, humbly, to be in this event and to know that my talents were used for a good purpose. And the people will be able to— 500 years later, they&#8217;ll still know that this wonderful man had a dream, and we all are just from the same family.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

Detroit NAACP unveils life-size bronze statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Hart Plaza

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Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson, senior pastor of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2792809324181174/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">West Side Unity Church in Detroit</a>, was 12 years old when her grandparents picked her up on a summer afternoon in June 1963. Little did she know that day she would find her passion for activism and purpose in life. 
Her grandparents took her to the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/the-60th-anniversary-of-detroits-1963-walk-to-freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom</a>, the largest civil rights demonstration up to that point with 125,000 people attending, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King gave an early version of his “I Have a Dream” speech there before his famous national address two months later in Washington, D.C. 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/the-60th-anniversary-of-detroits-1963-walk-to-freedom/">The 60th anniversary of Detroit’s 1963 Walk to Freedom coming in summer 2023</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-branch-naacp-june-jubilee-walk-to-freedom/">Detroit Branch NAACP commemorates 1963 Walk to Freedom with June Jubilee events</a>
In commemoration of the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom, the Detroit Branch NAACP has organized a weekend-long slate of <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-branch-naacp-june-jubilee-walk-to-freedom/">June Jubilee events</a> June 22-25, including an unveiling of a Martin Luther King statue at Hart Plaza, the <a href="https://www.detroitnaacp.org/mlk-walk">60th-anniversary commemoration of the Freedom Walk</a>, and the 68th annual <a href="https://www.detroitnaacp.org/68th-dinner">Fight for Freedom Fund dinner</a> at Huntington Place. The Freedom Fund dinner will feature keynote speaker <a href="https://www.warnock.senate.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock</a> of Georgia. 
<figure id="attachment_31531" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31531" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-31531" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-754-NAACP-Presser-Still.jpg" alt="Detroit Branch NAACP President Rev. Wendell Anthony " width="650" height="366" srcset="https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-754-NAACP-Presser-Still.jpg 1920w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-754-NAACP-Presser-Still.jpg 300w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-754-NAACP-Presser-Still.jpg 1024w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-754-NAACP-Presser-Still.jpg 768w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ONE-DETROIT-754-NAACP-Presser-Still.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-31531" class="wp-caption-text">Detroit Branch NAACP President Rev. Wendell Anthony announces the 2023 Fight for Freedom Fund dinner keynote speaker and awardees at a press conference Tuesday, June 13, 2023. | Photo by One Detroit</figcaption></figure>
Reflecting on her experiences at the 1963 march and her career in public service, Rev. Watson shares her memories from that historic day and its impact on her life trajectory with One Detroit contributor <a href="https://www.wrcjfm.org/about/staff/cecelia-sharpe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ</a>. Plus, they talk about Rev. Watson’s influence on the <a href="https://www.americangirl.com/collections/melody" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Melody American Girl doll</a> and how people can commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Detroit Walk to Freedom.  
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Cecelia Sharpe, Host, 90.9 WRCJ: I am here with Reverend Jo Ann Watson. And we are talking about the 60th anniversary of the Detroit Walk to Freedom that occurred in 1963. And you were there for that event. What was your experience on that day?
Rev. Jo Ann Watson, Senior Pastor, Westside Unity Church: It was a magnificent day. I was 12 years old, and my grandparents unexpectedly picked me up. I had no idea where I was headed. We were headed to Cobo to hear Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to see the largest crowd I had ever seen in my life. It was just truly a triumphant event because you felt lifted up by the crowd. You felt energized by the excitement. And my grandmother held my hand tightly as we searched through that huge crowd. And for some reason, I never felt tired. We were there a long time, but I felt lifted up.
Cecelia Sharpe: So the march or the Walk to Freedom was to generate awareness and raise funds for the Southern Christian Leadership Council.
Rev. Jo Ann Watson: Well, the signs all said &#8220;jobs, justice, peace,&#8221; which I later learned was the mantra for Dr. King&#8217;s events, but that march really changed my life. And it still touches me today to think about Dr. King&#8217;s voice, how it reverberated for those loudspeakers, how the crowd hung on every word. Nobody left without talking about Dr. King&#8217;s speech. It was mesmerizing.
Cecelia Sharpe: Now, this was the first time that he gave the &#8220;I Had a Dream&#8221; speech before Washington.
Rev. Jo Ann Watson: That&#8217;s true.
Cecelia Sharpe: Which people forget. What did the Walk to Freedom mean to the people in Detroit at that time?
Rev. Jo Ann Watson: It meant a lot because the injustice that was happening around the country was not just in the South. It also included the North. There were housing issues, employment issues. We had police brutality in Detroit, and it was unaddressed. And I remember walking to choir rehearsal as the eldest of ten. The girls never got stopped, but the boys in my family would get stopped frequently by police for nothing. Nothing. And so, we witnessed injustice and there was a need to have a march in Detroit. We felt that Detroit was part of the movement. So not only organized labor, but block clubs, community groups, youth groups. We felt a part of it. We felt a part of what was happening.
Cecelia Sharpe: You&#8217;ve had a career in public service serving for the Young Women&#8217;s Christian Association (YWCA) as the executive director for the Detroit branch, the assistant executive director for the National YWCA, served on City Council, the community liaison for Congressman John Conyers. At 12 years old, did you know this was going to be your path?
Rev. Jo Ann Watson: I had no idea. Didn&#8217;t know what I was going to be doing. I just knew that I was going to try to make a difference in my life. Reverend Dr. C.T. Vivian was a mentor of mine, and he was one that Dr. King called the greatest preacher who ever lived.
I was certainly mentored by Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, who I loved and respected. She was actually the highest-ranking black woman in the YWCA of the USA. But she saw all of us as her mentees. We were all her children. I was mentored by Mother Rosa Parks, who I loved and respected. She lived in Detroit more years than she lived in Montgomery, Alabama. And we both worked for Congressman John Conyers. She would go to reparations conferences with me. So I&#8217;m very blessed, very blessed.  I didn&#8217;t ask for it. Could not have hoped for it, but it came into my life.
Cecelia Sharpe: But you continue to share that legacy and you continue to pass it on to the next generations and to the community and to impact change. Can you talk about some of the ways that you have made those changes and the people that you have helped to nurture and mentor and guide?
Rev. Jo Ann Watson: There&#8217;s a wonderful organization in Detroit called We the People of Detroit, and they have gone door to door making sure people have access to water in Detroit and Flint. They have been galvanizing and organizing around the country and, of course, in Detroit to make sure that people keep their water on; have access to water. So I&#8217;ve made water as a human right an important part of my legacy and made sure that there&#8217;s somebody following me who will carry that on in a generational way.
Cecelia Sharpe: Something people may not know about you, as you spoke of youth, is that you were on the board of American Girl.  The doll company. And you had an impact on one of the dolls that was created, Melody. Tell us a little bit about Melody and the inspiration for Melody.
Rev. Jo Ann Watson: They were looking for someone who could help them understand what life was like for a girl in the sixties who was embracing the Motown music sound, which I did. The Mattel folks and the American Girl people, when they came to Detroit- and I drove them all around the city to show them all the things that made Detroit so unique and special and also to talk about how Detroit was proudly a part of that 63 March.
Cecelia Sharpe: What can people do today to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Detroit Walk to Freedom?
Rev. Jo Ann Watson: I think they should identify acts that will help change. We&#8217;re not just here to take care of ourselves. What have you done to help somebody today? If I can help somebody along the way, then my living has not been in vain.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
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From attendee to activist: Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson’s life changed after the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom

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Detroit’s iconic Boblo Boats have made their film debut. The two sister steamboats, the Ste. Claire and the SS Columbia, the oldest in America, are center stage for a new Aaron Schillinger directed documentary, <a href="https://www.bobloboatsfilm.com/">“Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale.”</a> 
Taking viewers back to the wonderland of the Boblo Island Amusement Park between Detroit and Canada, and the Boblo Boat ferry rides that brought people there, the film also explores the current restoration efforts of the two steamships after nearly 85 years of operation and sitting unused since 1993. <a href="https://www.marthareevesofficial.com/">Motown legend Martha Reeves</a> narrates the film.
<figure id="attachment_28068" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28068" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-28068" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ONE-DETROIT-722-Boblo-Still-4.jpg" alt="Boblo Boats" width="700" height="394" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28068" class="wp-caption-text">The Ste. Marie steamboat, one of the Boblo Boats that used to transport passengers to the Boblo Island Amusement Park, sits docked in the Detroit river. | Photo by One Detroit</figcaption></figure>
Director Aaron Schillinger talked more about the film’s release and the story it tells. One Detroit contributor Daijah Moss has more on the history that can be learned from the documentary, including the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/history/uncovering-sarah-elizabeth-ray-detroits-other-rosa-parks/">civil rights story of Detroit’s Sarah Elizabeth Ray</a>, the efforts it took to produce the documentary over the span of seven years, and the adoration former Boblo boat riders shared with Schillinger through the filming process. 
<a href="https://secure.michtheater.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=756886~c76be4f4-22b5-4bed-a89c-7def863b8c53&amp;epguid=83683564-3500-4e9a-8221-b074c769a042&amp;">Watch the documentary</a> in theaters on Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Michigan Theater, or <a href="https://watch.eventive.org/bobloboats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stream it online on-demand</a> now.  
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
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‘Boblo Boats’ documentary tells Detroit ferry tale of America’s oldest steamships

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Underground sound: Detroit’s punk rock history on display at the All-Star Garage Rock Punk Revue

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A Michigan historical marker has been installed at the site of the Birwood Wall, which at one time <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/the-legacy-of-detroits-birwood-wall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stood as a symbol of racism</a> and housing segregation in Detroit, in the Eight Mile-Wyoming neighborhood. Known also as the Wailing Wall or the Eight Mile wall, for its location, the wall was erected in 1941 by a real estate developer in an effort to separate his housing development for white residents from the adjacent African American neighborhood nearby.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/the-legacy-of-detroits-birwood-wall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Symbol of Racial Divide: The Legacy of Detroit’s Birwood Wall</a>
By the 1950’s, Black families lived on both sides of the Birwood wall. The wall has since been painted to symbolize the resilience and resolve of African Americans in the area. One Detroit senior producer <a href="https://twitter.com/BKubota56" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Kubota</a> and contributing producer Daijah Moss visited the unveiling of the Birwood Wall historical marker to learn more about the city’s and residents’ efforts to move forward.
<figure id="attachment_27180" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27180" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-27180" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ONE-DETROIT-709-Birwood-Wall-Still-3.jpg" alt="Birwood Wall" width="700" height="394" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-27180" class="wp-caption-text">Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan address community members at the installation of a Michigan Historical Marker at the Birwood Wall site in Detroit&#8217;s Eight Mile-Wyoming neighborhood. | Photo by One Detroit.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Will Glover, Host, One Detroit: A Michigan historical marker has been installed at the site of a one-time symbol of racism and housing segregation in Detroit. The Birwood Wall, located in the Eight Mile and Wyoming area, was built by a White real estate developer in 1941 as a means of separating his housing project for White residents from the adjacent African-American neighborhood.
Mike Duggan, Mayor, City of Detroit: Well, this is a special day and a recognition that is long overdue. It is really important to remember the history of discrimination in this city. It still casts its shadow today.
Angela Calloway, Detroit City Council Member, District 2: The wall erected in 1941 was intended to be something negative. But it&#8217;s ending up being something quite positive because look at all of us here today.
Jamon Jordan, Detroit City Historian: Housing discrimination, which this wall symbolizes, is not just racism. It is that, but it is also environmental racism. We are living with the legacy of that, but we&#8217;re also living with the legacy of people who, despite all of that, kept moving forward.
Brian Egen, President, Michigan Historical Commission: These markers commemorate the events, the people, places that define Michigan, what it&#8217;s all about. They are physical reminders of our values, ideals of service and sacrifice, of tragic stories, of celebratory achievements. They educate and they inspire, and hopefully that they will inspire more stories to come out.
Teresa Moon, Resident, 8 Mile-Wyoming Neighborhood: My whole passion is about making sure that the quality of life is good for the people that I live around. Making sure that it&#8217;s understood that we deserve equality just like everybody else. Make sure that you know the love and the commitment and the strength that was passed down from the people who had the tenacity to keep this community together, never die. So it&#8217;s all about Eight Mile for me.
Will Glover: By the 1950s, Black families lived on both sides of the Birwood Wall. And today the wall is an artistic symbol of the city&#8217;s strength and efforts to move forward.
Carol Jackson, Social Worker/Detroit Resident: Now it&#8217;s a positive thing. We painted the wall. We can&#8217;t knock the wall down because the wall is designated here now. But now it&#8217;s a celebration that it means to me that we are all equal.
Kelly T. Shack, Detroit Resident: When that plaque came up, it just made us&#8230; We always knew we were legit, but it just made us to the world say, this is something that happened. We&#8217;re not going to let it go.
Martin Armstad, 8 Mile Community Detroit Resident: I&#8217;m glad to see that the wall is still standing because if the wall was torn down, then the memory of the wall will be gone. So I&#8217;m glad to see that the remembrance of what happened over here is still being carried on.
Sandra Epps, Detroit Resident &amp; Owner, Sandy&#8217;s Land: The kids who play basketball, who don&#8217;t have a clue, you know, they don&#8217;t have a clue of what this is all about. I mean, literally, these young people that live here, they don&#8217;t know. But having this plaque and they&#8217;re playing that basketball and they walk by, they will know the history of this wall here. Yeah.
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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Remembering A Racist Wall’s Past: Detroit’s Birwood Wall Receives Michigan Historical Marker 

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Antisemitism Now and Then: Michigan’s Response to the Holocaust and Rising Antisemitism Today

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Detroit radio fans likely know the name Dick Purtan, the<a href="https://www.dickpurtan.com/"> Detroit radio legend</a> and community philanthropist known for his whimsical mix of radio satire, one-liners and deadpan jokes, but do you know how the Detroit radio legend made his way to the Motor City? Before gaining fame at Detroit&#8217;s<a href="https://wknrfm.com/"> WKNR &#8220;Keener 13&#8221; station</a>, Purtan found his start at stations in Buffalo, NY, Jacksonville, FL and Cincinnati.
A new episode of Detroit Public Television&#8217;s &#8220;Detroit Remember When&#8221; documentary series looks at Purtan&#8217;s road to Detroit. One Detroit premiere&#8217;s an excerpt from<a href="https://www.dptv.org/2022/detroit-remember-when-a-tribute-to-dick-purtan/"> &#8220;Detroit Remember When: A Tribute to Dick Purtan&#8221;</a> with narrator, friend and on-air co-host &#8220;Big Al&#8221; Muskovitz sharing how Purtan found his way to Detroit and created his trademark radio style. 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/topics/art-culture/robin-seymour-the-pioneer-of-detroit-rock-n-roll/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robin Seymour: The Pioneer of Detroit’s Rock ‘n Roll Radio</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/entertainment/bill-bonds-detroits-most-opinionated-newsman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Remembering Bill Bonds: Detroit’s Most Opinionated Newsman</a>
Purtan talks about his early fascination with radio at a young age, and his desire to pave his own path in Detroit&#8217;s radio industry. Plus, a host of Detroit media personalities — broadcast journalist Ted Koppel, Detroit Ad man Michael Seltzer, radio archivist Art Vuolo and Purtan&#8217;s former WKNR partner Tom Ryan — share insights into Purtan&#8217;s life and career.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Dick Purtan, Detroit Radio Legend: My dad bought a floor model radio with a record player in it and a microphone. So when I saw that come in the house, I started to pick up the newspaper and read in the microphone. My parents would listen to me and they thought I was really good. So I believed them.
Dick Purtan: And from that point on, I just was fascinated by radio. And I still am, tell you the truth. When I was about eight or nine years old, I would take the bus from Kenmore five miles to downtown Buffalo. I thought it was more like 50 miles to you the truth at that age.
Dick Purtan: I get off the bus, go to the Statler Hotel, go up to the 18th floor where Clint Buehlman was broadcasting at WBEN in Buffalo which my parents listened to. That&#8217;s why I knew the station.
Clint Buehlman, Host, The Clint Buehlman Show:  Hello, everyone. Good morning to you and welcome to The Clint Buehlman Show.
Dick Purtan: If the engineer answered the door. I would explain who I was. And that I was just wanting to see Clint broadcast his show, but he wouldn&#8217;t let me in. Then when Clint would answer the door he&#8217;d always let me in.
Dick Purtan: So I did that about three, four, five times. And then I&#8217;d take the bus back to Kenmore. And I never told my parents I did that because I was afraid they were going to say, You&#8217;re not allowed to do that.
Bill Kubota, Senior Producer, One Detroit: Dick headed to Syracuse University, but most weekends you&#8217;d find him hitchhiking back to his high school sweetheart, Gail. He excelled in what else? Radio. Where he was a couple of years ahead of Ted Koppel.
Ted Koppel, Network Television Journalist: You know, those of us who were underclassmen in those days, we really, really, really did look up to Dick Purtan. He was an idol. I think he had a show on a commercial radio station in downtown Syracuse W.O.L.F., WOLF. And Dick had a morning show.
Bill Kubota: It turns out Dick was a funny radio morning man right from the get-go.
Ted Koppel: The kind of morning shows that would later be done by people like Bob and Greg. I think Dick Purtan was doing that before they ever even came on the scene.
Bill Kubota: Dick did some time in the Army, rising to captain. Later, a master&#8217;s degree then on to stops on the airwaves in Buffalo, Jacksonville and Cincinnati.
Dick Purtan: I moved from Jacksonville to Cincinnati because it was too hot. The summers in Florida I had never experienced before. Oh, is it hot.
Bill Kubota: It was 1964. Cincinnati. Dick the afternoon man at WSAI. An Indianapolis radio station tried to hire him. Dick didn&#8217;t go, but he did get the inside track on an upcoming Beatles Tour of America.
Dick Purtan: A radio station in Indianapolis were sponsoring the Beatles in Indianapolis. I said, Really? He said, You know, you could do that for Cincinnati, I suppose. I said, Yeah, I suppose I could.
Bill Kubota: Dick Purtan and WSAI, brought the Beatles to Cincinnati.
Dick Purtan: We sold out naturally. And we knew we would. We knew we&#8217;d get our money back. So we met The Beatles and in the green room and all that kind of stuff. And it was quite a thrill. It wasn&#8217;t as big a thrill for us guys, I think, as it was for about 15,000 young girls who populated the venue.
Dick Purtan: The top ticket price for the Beatles was $5.50. Then it was like $4.25, and then it was three something, then two something, and that was it. That&#8217;s what they paid the kids to see The Beatles. I wanted to come to the Motor City. And the reason was my dad and his line of work would come to Detroit a lot from Buffalo. On occasion, he would invite me to come along with him.
I just got to know the city of Detroit. It always stuck with me. Guy named Gary Stevens who happened to be from Buffalo. But he was doing the afternoon show at WKNR. They did a good job and they said they went from worst to first in the ratings in like 30 days. Anyway, I called up Gary in Detroit and I said, Hey, I&#8217;m looking to get out of Cincinnati. I understand you&#8217;re leaving. And who do I talk to?
Bill Kubota: WKNR wanted Dick Purtan. And they made him an offer.
Dick Purtan: And I turned it down. And they said, you flew up here, weren&#8217;t you interested in the job. And I said, Yeah, but I said, I&#8217;m not sure I&#8217;m right for three to six in the afternoon. That&#8217;s more teen time on the radio, at least on that station at Keener. Then they offered me seven to 10 at night, I turn that down. Then they offered me 10 to one at night. This was over a period of about a month. And ended up doing the late night, 10 p.m. to one a.m. show.
Michael Seltzer, Retired Ad Man: Well, like everybody in Detroit, I grew up listening to Dick on our beloved Keener 13, WKNR.
Steve Schram, Exec. Dir./General Manager, Michigan Radio &#8211; Univ. of Michigan Former General Manager – WOMC: I remember as a young fellow, 11, 12 years old, listening to this new show. And I thought, what a talent.
Dick Purtan: Scotty Regen preceded me at Keener 13. And they had a contest, a big contest about him and so forth on the station.
Art Vuolo, Radio Archivist/&#8221;Radio&#8217;s Best Friend&#8221;: Scott Regen comes in with a skateboard contest and Dick Purtan says, I got to follow this guy. I don&#8217;t have a contest. What am I going to do?
Art Vuolo: Cause I had an 8 by ten glossy from WSAI in Cincinnati from where he came. I was crushed because I knew I had the best picture, but he probably knew that I had cheated.
Dick Purtan: I was kind of doing the same thing when I got to Jacksonville. When I got to Cincinnati and when I got to Detroit. It was I decided that the radio that I was hearing, that I was even doing a lot of myself, I didn&#8217;t think was very good. So when I got to Detroit, I researched the city as best I could. From the mayor and the city council. Just anybody and anybody who had a name that I might have some fun with. It felt like I knew the city. And so it felt like home, it just did.
Tom Ryan, Dick&#8217;s Partner &#8211; WKNR, WXYZ, CKLW: The switchboard was right across from the main studio, and Dick liked to keep the door open. He, you know, it was just easier, and he and I could see each other.
Dick Purtan: And I was doing the 10 p.m. to one a.m. show for the first two months that I was here. And so I got to know Tom and I got to realize that Tom did voices, he did characters.
Tom Ryan: He loved to put people on the air because that&#8217;s the way he was. He loved to talk to people and they requests records. So we would get occasionally somebody who sounded pretty weird or everything, and I would give Dick&#8230; Call line two, take line two. And then occasionally on a slow night, nothing was happening. I&#8217;d get on the phone from the switchboard and I&#8217;d say, Dick, line three, there&#8217;s a guy there. And he&#8217;d say, okay. He would tape the call and I would say, Hey, Mr. Purtan, that&#8217;s it from Taylor. And I went and he would lead me on. Then he realized it was me.
Dick Purtan: I would then start the bit, and then Tom would join in with the voice. And that&#8217;s all it was.
Tom Ryan: Swingin&#8217; Sweeney was our morning man. He gets fired. So WKNR says to Dick, you&#8217;re going to be the new morning man. And Dick said, &#8220;I want that switchboard guy to be my voice man and producer.&#8221; And that&#8217;s how we started.
Dick Purtan: Hello, this is Dick Purtan on the air every morning on Keener from five until nine, goodbye.
Tom Ryan: I remember one time at Keener, we had a program director who told him not to do this certain thing. He said, &#8220;That&#8217;s me. That&#8217;s what I do.&#8221; And he said, &#8220;If you don&#8217;t like it, I&#8217;ll tell you what. I&#8217;ll quit. I&#8217;ll leave. I&#8217;m out the door. I&#8217;ll leave tomorrow. I&#8217;ll go back to Cincinnati, where I was from,&#8221; and the guy panicked and said, &#8220;Oh, no, no, no, you go ahead and do it.&#8221;
Dick Purtan: You have to fight your own battle. I did it my way.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
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‘Detroit Remember When’ Documentary Details Radio Legend Dick Purtan’s Rise to Notoriety in Detroit

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A new, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/great-muslim-american-road-trip/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three-part PBS documentary series</a>, &#8220;The Great Muslim American Road Trip,&#8221; follows one young Muslim American couple,<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themostmona/"> Mona Haydar</a> and Sebastian Robins from Ann Arbor, on a journey of self-discovery along the iconic Route 66, but what they find from the nearly 2,500-mile drive is more than a couple weeks of vacation. They explore what it means to be Muslim in America today. 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/community-posts/introduction-to-islam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Religious Diversity Journeys | Islam: Contributions, Prayer, and Celebrations</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/great-muslim-american-road-trip/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch &#8220;The Great Muslim American Road Trip&#8221; on PBS</a>
One Detroit&#8217;s Senior Producer<a href="https://twitter.com/BKubota56"> Bill Kubota</a> catches up with Haydar and Robins on the heels of the series premiere to hear more about the making of &#8220;The Great Muslim American Road Trip;&#8221; what the couple learned about the<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/community-posts/introduction-to-islam/"> Muslim faith</a>, the people they met on their dozen-plus stops, and also about their marriage along the way. Plus, Haydar and Robins discuss the potential to create a Michigan Muslim Road Trip documentary series next.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Sebastian Robins, Co-host, The Great Muslim American Road Trip: We thought we knew something. We thought we were smart people. And this show is very humbling in that way. &#8230; Just blowing our minds.
Bill Kubota, Senior Producer, One Detroit :
The Great Muslim American Road Trip, a three-part PBS series.
Sebastian Robins: We’re the host of this show ostensibly but really we’re the students of this show and we’re the students of the people who took us in and gave us tours, who schooled us.
Bill Kubota: Talking to Sebastian Robins, Mona Haydar in Ann Arbor. Husband and wife. Muslims who have managed to grab some quality time in an SUV, their young kids back home with their grandmother.
How do you find yourself rolling down the road from Chicago to California? How did you get involved with all of this?
Sebastian Robins: Well, you know, it was really this opportunity to reconnect as a couple after a long period of COVID, almost two years of being home, we have two small boys between remote learning and homeschooling and the business of our lives. It started off as this idea to just take this trip through a part of America we didn&#8217;t really know anything about. That&#8217;s what we thought we were getting into.
Speaker 1: The American story is the Muslim story.
Bill Kubota: You start in Chicago, but here you are in Ann Arbor. And I think there&#8217;s a history of Flint in all of this, too. [Laughs]. Couldn&#8217;t you fit some more of Michigan into your show.
Mona Haydar, Co-host, The Great Muslim American Road Trip: I feel like we would love to, but I really believe that Michigan deserves its own entire show. You know, we&#8217;ve been talking about the idea of doing an entire Michigan based road trip show and how fun that would be. I mean, that&#8217;s its own three-part series all by itself.
Bill Kubota: Haydar and Robins first met at a New Mexico retreat where this trip, it&#8217;s another stop along the way. They make an interesting couple for the people they meet.
Mona Haydar: When I met Sebastian, he just became a dear friend.
Sebastian Robins: You know, she was not looking to have me become Muslim, and I wasn&#8217;t looking to have her teach me. But just by virtue of our friendship, it was like the door opened. I think it was the way you practiced, the way you prayed and the way you held your&#8230;faith. Like, beautifully. But it was sort of this invitation.
Mona Haydar: We got to go to places that are not your typical destinations. And I think because of that, people were really warm and welcoming and excited to share their stories because they don&#8217;t get a lot of those kinds of visits.
Senada Grbic, Sous-Chef, Grbic Restaurant: Hi, how are you?
Sebastian Robins: How are you doing?
Senada Grbic: Good. Senada Grbic and you are?
Mona Haydar: Mona.
Sebastian Robins: Sebastian.
Sebastian Robins: We ate some of the best food in our lives in Saint Louis, and we spent a day at the Grbic Restaurant with a beautiful family that had welcomed in refugees after the Bosnian War in the early 1990s and were pillars of their community.
Senada Grbic: At our house there was. I have 50 people at any given time. Any day. Just everywhere.
Sebastian Robins: That was just one day. You know, out of three weeks of those kinds of encounters.
Bill Kubota: Route 66 takes them through Oklahoma. Leading them to Tulsa jazzman, Leon Rollerson.
Leon Rollerson: And I&#8217;ve heard a lot of Muslim musicians in my band. A lot of people think that, well, Muslims don&#8217;t like music. Well, that&#8217;s far from the truth.
Mona Haydar: I think I always had a sense that Muslims were very active within the arts community. I was so blessed to grow up in Flint, Michigan, where there was a vibrant artist community. So the legacy of that is still very strong in a place like Flint.
Bill Kubota: Flint. Mona Haydar&#8217;s hometown. She&#8217;s a spoken word artist, a poet, Hip-hop lyricist. Michigan&#8217;s own known far and wide.
In Tulsa, Haydar finds a connection as an artist to jazz musicians. It&#8217;s a process the struggle they have in common. Through Rollerson, she learned the long list of Muslim jazz players names like Blakey, Coltrane, Lateef
Mona Hayar: You know, jazz and jazz music and the influence of Muslims on jazz and jazz music. They came from deeply spiritual places. It was incredible to hear it straight from the mouth of a jazz musician.
Leon Rollerson: It takes you into another dimension.
Mona Haydar: Yes.
Bill Kubota: Another stop along the way, not far from where the couple first met in New Mexico, where a Muslim came through these lands in the 1500s.
Kenny Bowekaty: Estevanico is the one that almost created America.
Bill Kubota: Estevanico from North Africa, enslaved by the Spanish. He&#8217;d become a North American explorer. Archeologist Kenny Bowekaty is keeping his story alive.
Kenny Bowekaty:  Literally opening those gateways for the rest of the world to now filter in, to what is now North America.
Sebastian Robins: This is amazing history that very few of us have heard about. One of the first people to come in was this enslaved African Muslim.
Bill Kubota: What would you like people to get from all this? What&#8217;s the ultimate message here from you, too?
Mona Haydar: I hope people come away from this show being able to laugh a little bit and also learning the way that we learned, you know, by opening our hearts to different peoples&#8217; stories.
Sebastian Robins: Someone said recently, you know, you&#8217;re a white guy and Mona is Syrian-American. And what&#8217;s it like being married and do a lot of cultural differences come up in your marriage? And I said, look, every marriage is a connection between two people who are different.
Mona Haydar: You can just say your dream. Just say your dream.
Sebastian Robins: Oh, no. I might say something else first. I think traveling. Traveling is that sort of revelatory experience.
So that&#8217;s sort of the micro experience that Mona and I portray as hosts. I mean, I don&#8217;t want the show to be about us. It&#8217;s really about the people we meet. Every person we met somehow used their faith and used their life to want to do good on this planet.
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Ann Arbor Couple Takes ‘The Great Muslim American Road Trip’ Along Route 66 

DETROIT-67-02

As the Detroit 1967 riots began, a revelation was brewing in the city, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--lpyezBw9A&amp;t=18s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">what rose from the ashes of the rebellion</a> has ultimately shaped the city and how it functions today. In<a href="http://dominiquemorisseau.com/"> Dominique Morisseau</a>&#8216;s production of &#8220;Detroit &#8217;67,&#8221; the questions of race, social justice and progress that took center stage during the Detroit 1967 riots turn inward to see how the civil disturbance intertwined and impacted the lives of one African American family.
<a href="http://dominiquemorisseau.com/detroit-67/">The play</a> ran from May 11 &#8211; June 5, 2022 in the General Motors Theatre at the<a href="https://www.thewright.org/"> Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History</a>, courtesy of the<a href="https://www.detroitpublictheatre.org/detroit-67-1/#itemId=5f0cbe8248f771570c1630df"> Detroit Public Theatre</a>.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/?s=Detroit+1967+" target="_blank" rel="noopener">View all of One Detroit/American Black Journal&#8217;s coverage of the Detroit 1967 riots</a>.
<figure id="attachment_25141" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25141" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-25141" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DETROIT-67-01.jpg" alt="Detroit '67 Play" width="700" height="394" srcset="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DETROIT-67-01.jpg 1920w, https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DETROIT-67-01-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DETROIT-67-01-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DETROIT-67-01-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DETROIT-67-01-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-25141" class="wp-caption-text">A scene from Dominique Morisseau&#8217;s &#8220;Detroit &#8217;67&#8221; play, performed in the General Motors Theatre at the Charles H. Wright Museum, courtesy of the Detroit Public Theatre.</figcaption></figure>
One Detroit contributor<a href="https://twitter.com/AJWalkerNews"> AJ Walker</a> sits down with<a href="https://twitter.com/DetPubTheatre"> Detroit Public Theatre</a> Co-Founder and Co-Producing Artistic Director Courtney Burkett to talk about the compassion for community and humanity audiences get from watching the play and how Burkett believes &#8220;Detroit &#8217;67&#8221; adds to Detroit&#8217;s arts and culture scene, and its overall narrative. Plus, Burkett shares news about a new Detroit Public Theatre space opening in the fall of 2022 in<a href="https://visitdetroit.com/midtown-detroit-neighborhood/"> Detroit&#8217;s Midtown</a>.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Aj Walker, Contributor, One Detroit:  From your perspective, what is &#8220;Detroit 67&#8221; about?
Courtney Burkett, Co-Founder and Co-Producing Artistic Director, Detroit Public Theater: Well, &#8220;Detroit 67&#8221; is about the Poindexter family. It takes place in the family of the Poindexter&#8217;s home. The brother and sister have recently inherited this home from their parents and their legacy from their parents. And so, they are really figuring out what the next steps are for them as a family. And while they&#8217;re going through kind of a transformational moment as a family, our city is also going through a really transformational moment. And the conflicts that the city is having, find their way right into the Poindexter&#8217;s basement. So, it&#8217;s really about a family, but it becomes about our whole city.
This is the third time we&#8217;ve produced &#8220;Detroit 67&#8221;, actually. And this is a piece that we plan on going back to time and again. The rebellion, obviously, that took place in our city in Detroit in 1967 has shaped a lot of who we are as a city and how we function. The questions that come up with this play and with what happens in the Poindexter family and in the community in Detroit in 1967 is really powerful, really brings history to life, and gives us kind of a much more intimate understanding of what the people who were really affected by the rebellion and who lived in the neighborhood, what happened in these homes.
Aj Walker: What would you want audiences to take away from having watched this production?
Courtney Burkett: Well, I hope that they would want to see more work by Detroit Public Theater, and I hope that they would really look into who Dominique Morisseau is and what her other plays are about, I&#8217;d have to say. I want people to also look at the community differently, to really understand how some of these things happen, how people are affected by the choices that we make. So, really a deeper understanding of our own humanity, is what I would hope for our audience members, and for the humanity of the people around us, and the people in our communities. So, we always hope that our work helps us connect, helps audiences connect with their humanity and with what&#8217;s happening in the world.
Aj Walker: I know Dominique can&#8217;t be with us today, but is there anything that you think she would want to say if she were able to be here?
Courtney Burkett: I mean, I think that she would tell people to check out Detroit Public Theater. She&#8217;s the Executive Artistic Producer of Detroit Public Theater. We&#8217;re building a new space in midtown and we&#8217;ll be opening with her play, &#8220;Mud Row&#8221; in the fall. So, if you missed &#8220;Detroit 67&#8221; this time, you can come see Dominique&#8217;s play &#8220;Mud Row,&#8221;. Her play &#8220;Ain&#8217;t To Proud&#8221;, the musical that she&#8217;s doing&#8211; that she did on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award for, will also be in Detroit this summer with Broadway in Detroit.
Aj Walker:  How do you think productions, like &#8220;Detroit 67&#8221;, add to Detroit&#8217;s theater scene and the arts and culture scene of Detroit today?
Courtney Burkett:  Yeah, I mean, I think these productions are really important. I mean, Dominique&#8217;s plays are being produced all over the country and all over the world. It&#8217;s really important to her that these stories are being told in the city. She writes so much about us, about Detroit.
Courtney Burkett:  Detroit Public Theater hopes that people will start understanding that the quality of the work that we&#8217;re doing here, that we&#8217;re able to produce here at Detroit Public Theater, you don&#8217;t have to travel for that. You can just come right downtown and see the plays at Detroit Public Theater. So, we&#8217;re really trying to produce work that is of the highest caliber and give Detroit audiences the work that they deserve.
Aj Walker: Thank you so much, Courtney. I really appreciate your time today.
Courtney Burkett: Well, thank you so much. It&#8217;s really nice to talk with you. I appreciate the time and look forward to seeing you at the theater soon.
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Detroit Public Theatre Performs ‘Detroit ’67’ Production Based on Detroit 1967 Riots

Vincent-Chin-Protest-Detroit-1-scaled-1

PBS NewsHour | 40 Years After Vincent Chin’s Death, Activists Work to Keep Legacy From Fading

VCLN-Newsletter

Rise of Anti-Asian Hate Revives Asian American Civil Rights Movement Sparked by Vincent Chin’s Murder

Through A New Lens: Revisiting ‘Who Killed Vincent Chin?’, Asian American Civil Rights Nearly 40 Years Later 

ONE-DETROIT-616-WRIF-still-1

We all have them— loyalty cards stuffed in our wallets or key tags hanging from our keychains, but the<a href="https://wrif.com/"> WRIF</a> D.R.E.A.D. card may have just been the first loyalty program made specifically for rock &#8216;n roll music lovers.  Known for its long history of zany, innovative radio personalities and unique marketing promotions, the WRIF D.R.E.A.D. card was the icing on the radio station&#8217;s promotional cake, circulating hundreds of thousands of cards across Detroit. 
One Detroit senior producer<a href="https://twitter.com/BKubota56"> Bill Kubota</a> and “Detroit Remember When: Made in the Motor City” host Erik Smith sit down with several former members of WRIF Radio to hear more about the radio station&#8217;s rise to popularity in the late 1970s and 1980s and examine how it became one of the most well-known Detroit rock radio stations still to this day.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Erik Smith: These days, we don&#8217;t really give a second thought about all those loyalty programs, you know, the card you got in your wallet, those barcodes on your key. Well, ideas like that have to start somewhere, right? And maybe it was right here in Detroit. So, we&#8217;ll begin this story, let&#8217;s say, around 1976. That’s when Detroit got its first wacky FM rock morning guy. The guy who did all those crazy voices that he made up in his head over at WABX.
George Baier, WRIF 1979-1985:  I stumbled on Steve Dahl at ABX, and he was doing something that nobody had ever done.
Anne Carlini, WRIF Radio: I didn&#8217;t wake up without listening to Steve Dahl. You know, he was the one who started doing all those funny voices, doing all the funny skits.
George Baier: The funny thing about Steve, he was doing these voices, right? And you could tell it was Steve doing all the voices.
Erik Smith:  George Baier was just 20 years old, going to Wayne state and working at a gas station, and he did some funny voices to. Soon Baier turned up on the air, part-time with Dahl and talking like a pro wrestler at W4, another FM rock station.
George Baier: I Started doing, &#8220;The Bruiser&#8221; because Steve needed a bodyguard. In his, you know, in his radio world, he&#8217;s becoming so popular, he needs a bodyguard, who&#8217;s going to get four bodyguards? Just pick, &#8220;The Bruises&#8221;, he&#8217;s a wrestler from Detroit. Well, what does he do? I don&#8217;t know what he does, Steve, but he talks like this.
Erik Smith:  Well, when Steve Dahl left for another job in Chicago, Jim Johnson stepped in playing straight man to Baier&#8217;s characters, and thus became the famous, &#8220;J.J. &amp; The Morning Crew&#8221;.
George Baier: I was from east Detroit, Jim was from Redford, so why couldn&#8217;t we talk to somebody who&#8217;s was listening from Taylor?
George Baier: That was a part of the success, was the Detroit-ness of the show.
Erik Smith:  It didn&#8217;t take long for things to heat up. In 1979, WRIF pulled out every stop in the books in the FM ratings war.
Fred Jacobs, WRIF 1981-1983: Jim and George really started making it happen at W4. And it became very, very clear to us that, that was really the missing piece of the radio station. I mean, we always had good morning shows, but we never really had that breakout show.
Erik Smith:  ABC actually owned WRIF at the time, and, well, they also just happened to own Channel 7 as well.
Fred Jacobs: And if you remember the &#8220;We Got Who You Wanted.&#8221; campaign, right? Where they paired up Bill Bonds and John Kelly and Marilyn Turner.
Jim Johnson, WOMC Radio, WRIF 1979-1985: But then they decided, wait a minute, if it worked for our TV stations, why can&#8217;t this work for our radio stations.
Fred Jacobs: Really, in one day, we brought in Karen Savelly, and we brought in J.J. &amp; The Morning Crew, which was really the big deal.
Erik Smith:  Ken Calvert and Steve Kostan joined the team and thus began some very memorable promotions.
Steve Kostan, WMOC Radio, WRIF 1981-1995:  It came out in the fall of 1979. Everybody was talking about that. It really had a big impact.
Anne Carlini: They called the commercial, &#8220;The Mouth&#8221;.
Jim Johnson:  That probably was the best radio ad in the history of radio ads.
Erik Smith: Meantime, over in Chicago, Steve Dahl was causing quite the stir. Blowing up a bunch of disco records at a baseball game.
Steve Kostan: Disco had its run. It looked like it was going to take over the world and run the Aerosmith&#8217;s and the Led Zeppelin&#8217;s right out of business. It didn&#8217;t happen, of course, but it just was the right thing at the right time, and boy, it just took off
Erik Smith: With all that sudden disdain for disco, J.J. &amp; The Morning Crew started their own special club.
Jim Johnson: You know, everybody steals promotions, and we thought this would be a good one to steal. Here in Detroit, we&#8217;ve got at least one or two disco stations, so why not go on the attack?
George Baier: Well, we got to call it something. OK, what are we going to call it? Let&#8217;s get Detroit in it, let&#8217;s get Detroit, and let&#8217;s get rockers in it, &#8220;Detroit Rockers That Hate Disco&#8221;, the RD&#8230; no, that doesn&#8217;t, that doesn&#8217;t sound like anything. What are you going to do?
Steve Kostan:  D.R.E.A.D. It turned out to be, Detroit Rockers
Anne Carlini: Engaged in the Abolition of
Ken Calvert, WCSX, WRIF 1979-1991: Disco. I think Georgie came up with the with the card.
George Baier: Got to have your card! How can you be a card-carrying member if you don&#8217;t have a card?
Erik Smith: On morning radio, George Baier&#8217;s &#8220;Bruiser&#8221; was taking on really a life of its own. And soon, well, the real Dick Bruiser even came out to promote the station.
Fred Jacobs: When we put together, &#8220;The Bruiser Band&#8221;, which really turned out to be one of the greatest promotions ever.
Erik Smith: The Bruiser Band actually opened for a number of national acts, with George Baier singing parody songs, as you know, The Bruiser.
Ken Calvert: J.J. And the morning crew, Jim and George were really, really driving the radio station, and there&#8217;s no doubt about it. The credo of radio is, &#8220;So goes your morning, so goes your radio station&#8221;.
Erik Smith: Meanwhile, those D.R.E.A.D cards were such a hit, they were being upgraded to gold D.R.E.A.D Cards with actual serial numbers on them.
Jim Johnson: Somebody came up with a genius idea, I don&#8217;t know who it was, why don&#8217;t we combine this promotion with our advertisers, and offer people with these cards’ discounts at various retailers around town?
Fred Jacobs: It was great. You could go into Harmony House, which was the big record chain in those days, flash your WRIF gold card and they would knock a buck off any album. And we had the, you know, &#8220;Gold D.R.E.A.D card stickers accepted here&#8221;.
George Baier: So, then it kind of evolved to Detroit Rockers engage in the acquisition of discounts.
Erik Smith: Tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of those D.R.E.A.D cards actually circulated throughout Metro Detroit. Maybe there&#8217;s one still in your wallet or in one of your drawers somewhere, a reminder how a crazy radio promotion actually worked its way into our pocketbooks and sure into our hearts as well.
&nbsp;
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WRIF’s D.R.E.A.D. Card: Detroit’s First Loyalty Program for Rock Music Lovers

Spectacle-Reef-Lighthouse

Lake Huron and Lake Michigan come together in the Straits of Mackinac—long considered one of the most treacherous waterways on all of the Great Lakes. For nearly 150 years, the Spectacle Reef Lighthouse has guarded ships passing through the Straits. It sits twelve miles and a world away from the mainland. Today, the lighthouse needs restoration efforts if it&#8217;s going to survive.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/lighthouse-restoration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lighthouse Restoration: A volunteer effort that requires labor, love and millions of dollars</a>
<a href="https://www.greatlakesnow.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Great Lakes Now</a> talks with Pat McKinstry, president of the <a href="https://spectaclereef.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spectacle Reef Preservation Society</a>, and Carl and Marcia Jahn, two lighthouse keepers of the Great Lakes, about the Spectacle Reef Lighthouse, and the preservation efforts and initiatives going into restoring the historic, iconic site.
<h2>Full Transcripts:</h2>
Narrator: Lake Huron and Lake Michigan come together in the straits of Mackinac, long considered one of the most treacherous waterways on all of the Great Lakes. For nearly 150 years, the Spectacle Reef Lighthouse has guarded ships passing through the straits. It sits 12 miles and a world away from the mainland.
Patrick McKinstry, President, Spectacle Reef Preservation Society:  You can see the strains of it all up there.
Narrator: Patrick McKinstry is the president of the Spectacle Reef Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization he and a group of lighthouse enthusiasts created to restore and preserve the light.
Patrick McKinstry: So, Northern Lake Huron Buoy has six-foot seas, strait Buckeye has 4, which means the light right now has four to five. The lighthouse was sold at auction in 2014 to a private individual who is a friend of mine, and he offered me the lighthouse. I wanted to buy the lighthouse for myself, but I believe that it should be in public hands because these were built with taxpayers&#8217; dollars to save the lives of the public, and the people who lived there should be remembered as public servants. We put a team together of lighthouse historians, restoration enthusiasts, and the society raised the cash to purchase the lighthouse.
Narrator:  When we caught up with him. Patrick and a group of volunteers were getting ready to take the 17-mile trek from Sheboygan to the lighthouse, hoping to make up some restoration work before the weather makes such trips too dangerous.
Patrick McKinstry:  This crew is a very good crew and all of our volunteers are fantastic. We got 157 volunteers that joined the organization to save them, all their knowledge and skill sets, they all play a role. And what has impressed me is just the amount of passion that people have for this organization and saving his lighthouse.
Narrator:  But working on a lighthouse that&#8217;s this far off the shore isn&#8217;t easy. The first challenge, just getting there.
Patrick McKinstry: My greatest fear is the same thing that the keepers&#8217; experience, it&#8217;s the weather out here. There are days where you think it&#8217;s great and then the storm kicks up.
Narrator:  And though the weather on this day looked pleasant enough, the threat of a sudden storm with high winds and heavy seas, forced the crew to return to the marina. The lighthouse would have to wait. Fortunately, by the next day, conditions had improved.
Patrick McKinstry:  If you look down the water, you&#8217;ll see the reef plain as day.
Narrator: Spectacle Reef Lighthouse gets its name from the shallow reef it was built on. There are two shoals with a ridge between them that resemble a pair of eyeglasses. The design of the lighthouse makes it even stronger in severe weather.
Patrick McKinstry: The lighthouse is built out of giant limestone blocks that are 2 foot tall, and their width and the radius differs based on where they&#8217;re at in the light tower. But the way it&#8217;s built, they have these edges that are cut almost like puzzle pieces, so that when the waves hit the tower, it actually smashes it all together, making the joints stronger over time.
Narrator: Spectacle Reef was considered a technical marvel when it was built in 1869, and it became a model for lighthouses built throughout the Northern Great Lakes.
Patrick McKinstry: Technology and the base camp that was built for Spectacle on Government Island, built every other offshore lighthouse up in the straits Mackinac, particularly the Lake Huron side. But all the technology that was developed and engineered for Spectacle, makes her kind of the grandmother of every other offshore lighthouse on the Great Lakes land. We are on top of Spectacle Reef Lighthouse, about 97 feet above Lake Huron and the lower parapet, there&#8217;s two parapets, an upper and lower, we&#8217;re on the lower side right now.
The entire next level was just the lens, and the level below was the service room where they kept oil, wicks and material. Had their little office take care of their logs each night, you know, when the foghorn went off, that type of thing. So, when you&#8217;re out here at night, you&#8217;ll see this, I believe it&#8217;s 10 or 11 lighthouses fashioned out here at night. It gives it kind of a real idea why these are so important. You&#8217;re out in the middle of the lake, you know, and how the flash parents are all different, so people knew what they were looking at. Nowadays, it&#8217;s hard to tell because you got all these radio towers and whatnot, but when they were built, of course, it was pitch black out here and the only source of light you had was lighthouses.
Narrator:  The goal of the Spectacle Reef Preservation Society is to create a learning light where people can come and experience the life of a lighthouse keeper and learn about the history of lighthouses on the Great Lakes.
Patrick McKinstry: This thing is kind of cool, it says, force speck, ortho tooth iodide, people back then would use this as some type of toothache medication. So in 64, a guy had a baby on shore and the waves sent him the footprints of their child, and so these footprints are still here. The engineering and the history there is important, but really it&#8217;s the stories of the people that were tough enough to survive working at a lighthouse 18 miles away from port, 12 miles in the middle lake, with no human contact for months on end, and some of whom gave up their lives to protect sailors out there. Those stories need to be preserved and told over and over again. And the lighthouse is the perfect conduit for that, since that is where they were based and that was their home for years on end.
Narrator: The first step of renovation was making the station safe for the people working on it. That meant filling holes in the floor and remediating lead paint. Next came structural repairs, waterproofing and other basic fixes. It all paves the way for the restoration and cosmetic work that will happen in the future.
Patrick McKinstry: This one is cracked. It&#8217;s another one up top that&#8217;s cracked, we&#8217;ll replace those today, too. We&#8217;ll put some plexiglass on this yellow. But these five over here say, excuse me, five, they were all shattered with holes in them and we replaced all those last week with brand new glass. So it&#8217;s floodproof, allegedly, it should take power from the waves and the wind pretty good. But we are in the land room of Spectacle Reef, this is our beautiful light that&#8217;s out here. It&#8217;s an LED light, it flashes red every five seconds, so one second on, four seconds off.
Narrator: The light is still maintained by the US Coast Guard and can be seen for 11 miles. But the fresnel lens that was in place when the lighthouse was automated in 1972 had a far greater reach.
Carl Jahn &#8220;Keeper Carl&#8221;, Lighthouse Keeper Re-enactor/ Member, Spectacle Reef Preservation Society:  This piece comes to us from our light, Spectacle Read, this one piece of it and our lens had panels inside it that rotated around the eight-foot diameter light, that made it flash every four seconds.
Patrick McKinstry: The lens was a second over from now, and it had a red stroud attached to it on the outside. So as actually the heaviest fresnel lens ever used on the great leaves, and when it was installed, it could be seen for 29 miles.
Carl Jahn &#8220;Keeper Carl&#8221;:  Just needs a lot of tender loving care.
Narrator: Carl Jahn is known as &#8220;Keeper Carl.&#8221; He&#8217;s a lighthouse keeper re-enactor and a member of the Spectacle Reef Preservation Society.
Carl Jahn &#8220;Keeper Carl&#8221;: Makes you look a little more official. It&#8217;s a love for lights, for whatever reason, that draws people like me and Patrick and everyone.
Patrick McKinstry: It&#8217;s my weirdness, right? If you put your ear up against it sometimes, it is almost like she kind of talks to you.
Carl Jahn &#8220;Keeper Carl&#8221;:  We&#8217;ve got volunteers coming all the way from Texas, Wisconsin, families come over here to spend time to help us restore this light. Paint, scraping paint, sweeping floors, painting stuff, it&#8217;s enjoyable. Nobody comes out there and has to work six or eight hours that we can spend at the station. You&#8217;re there to have as much fun as you do and help us get the light preserved.
Mark Lee, Masonry Specialist:  Out here at the Lighthouse, it&#8217;s pretty much whatever you can do to make it work and make everything stick.
Narrator: Mark Lee lives 20 miles across Lake Huron from the light and he can see it from his home. He&#8217;s a masonry specialist who does foundation repair and brickwork, and he&#8217;s a volunteer.
Mark Lee:  Today, I patched a couple of holes that were pretty significant holes in the stairwell going up to the tower on the first floor. And then, I did a little bit of caulking and getting stuff ready for paint and making sure things are waterproof for the winter.
Narrator: The crew of volunteers had intended to stay and work until late in the day. But once again, the weather had other plans.
Carl Jahn &#8220;Keeper Carl&#8221;:  We&#8217;ve got a storm coming in right now. We&#8217;re trying to beat it back to shore and we lock her up in a couple minutes, and we&#8217;re out of here.
Patrick McKinstry:  Well, we got 20 minutes to leave before we may get caught in the weather. I&#8217;m still trying to get ahead of the weather. All right, guys, you guys might get wet on the way home, but I don&#8217;t want to repeat what we did 2 weeks ago, where we were out here in eight-foot seas for three hours because that was awful. Just offshore, at the 2nd most remote lighthouse on the Great Lakes and 3rd in the country, mother nature calls your shots.
Narrator: Patrick and his crew of volunteers will be back to continue their efforts to preserve the Spectacle Reef Lighthouse and to build a new generation of guardians of the Great Lakes.
Patrick McKinstry: What I want to achieve is to build that generation. So, when I can no longer walk and be in a wheelchair or whatever, you know, I can&#8217;t climb that ladder anymore, I know it&#8217;s in good hands. And she&#8217;ll still be there in great shape, teaching people the story and Spectacle Reef. Teaching people onshore some history, teaching techniques and methods on how to restore lighthouses. I can sit back in my retirement home and know she&#8217;s in good hands.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Lighthouse Preservation Efforts Underway for Spectacle Reef Lighthouse

DETROIT-VINEYARDS-03

While some might think owning and operating a vineyard in Detroit might be impossible, Detroit Vineyards shows it&#8217;s not. Believe it or not, making wine in the Motor City dates back to some of the earliest days of the city&#8217;s story. Grapes used to be grown in Detroit in the late 1700s, Detroit Vineyards Winemaker Kirk Reedy shared, and the last operating winery in the city closed more than 60 years ago, but that was before Detroit Vineyards opened up in 2014.
For <a href="https://www.detroitperforms.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove,&#8221;</a> General Manager Chris Southern and Reedy discuss the founding of their Detroit-based winery, its mission of investing in and giving back to the community, returning to the city&#8217;s wine-making roots, the wine-making process and where customers can go to <a href="https://easternmarket.org/district/detroit-vineyards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">get a taste</a>.
<figure id="attachment_21825" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-21825" style="width: 711px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-21825" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/DETROIT-VINEYARDS-02.jpg" alt="Detroit Vineyards grapes " width="711" height="400" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-21825" class="wp-caption-text">The grapes used for Detroit Vineyards&#8217; wine are locally grown and produced in Detroit&#8217;s city limits.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Chris Southern, General Manager, Detroit Vineyard: Our wines are kind of like the city, they&#8217;re a little edgy, but they have some class and polish.
Kirk Reedy, Winemaker, Detroit Vineyards: Establishing vineyards, making fine wine in Detroit. Some would say impossible. We&#8217;re here to say that it&#8217;s not.
Chris Southern: There hasn&#8217;t been a winery here in the city in sixty years. Detroit Vineyards was a project started in 2014, just based on the idea of the possibility of planting grapes in the city of Detroit and also having a fully functioning winery. Grapes were grown here in the late seventeen hundreds, and so really, we&#8217;re just bringing that tradition back.
Chris Southern: We&#8217;re at one thousand Gratiot Avenue, just on the border of Eastern Market in Detroit. Our winery building was originally an ice cream factory. It was the old Stroh&#8217;s ice cream factory. So we&#8217;ve taken it over and turned it into a winery.
Chris Southern: We are definitely unique here. We&#8217;re an urban winery. We&#8217;re in the city of Detroit. Other wineries I&#8217;ve worked at, you walk outside and you see mountains and vineyards, and that&#8217;s beautiful. But now we see this thriving metropolis this awesome town that&#8217;s on the Renaissance. So I think we&#8217;re unlike anything else you&#8217;d see in the wine industry.
Kirk Reedy: I never thought I would be able to work with traditional winemaking in the city limits or anywhere near Detroit. So I was very excited to join the team here and do traditional winemaking once again and also bring some of the other skills that I have picked up along the way in the form of hard cider production and made production.
Chris Southern: Everything that we sell here is crushed, destemmed, fermented, wrapped and bottled right here in the winery.
Kirk Reedy: It all starts in the vineyard. The key to great wine is great raw materials. So as a winemaker, it is important to me to have a connection to the vineyard.
Chris Southern: People have responded really well to planting vineyards in the city so far, especially because right now we&#8217;ve got vacant land and we&#8217;re creating a situation where people can look out their window in the city of Detroit and see a vineyard. So pretty scenic for where we are.
Chris Southern: So we really are invested in the city of Detroit and we want to give back to the community. So when we plant vineyards, we are working with a nonprofit organization and we will use their land, plant vineyards on their land, and then we will buy the fruit that that land produces back from them at a premium. And so that money is going to go back into the community to continue the renaissance of the city.
Kirk Reedy: The winemaking process starts with the intake of the grapes. They are removed from the stems. And in the case of red wines, the red wines are fermented in contact with the skins. The white wines are pressed into juice and then the fermentation process starts.
Kirk Reedy: In both cases of red and white wine, fermentation happens by a purposeful inoculation of yeast, which will then convert the sugars into alcohol. At that point, depending on the wine treatment, could be stainless-steel aging, settling, clarification, stabilizing. Some wines will receive oak storage for up to 24 months, depending on the variety and type of wine that we&#8217;re trying to produce.
Chris Southern: One of the benefits of having a winery in the city is that you can go and have a great meal and then you can come here and taste our wines after.
Kirk Reedy: The Detroit vineyards is not only a working winery. We are also a public hospitality space. In the public hospitality space, we offer wine tasting, which could be a flight to a glass of wine. I think more importantly, this is a place for people to gather and also anybody who&#8217;s interested in furthering their understanding of wine in the world of wine. Hopefully, people can walk away with a better understanding.
Chris Southern: So here in the tasting room, we do a couple of different kinds of flights, could do three or five-course. In some cases, we will waive your flight fee with a purchase of a bottle. You can also sit, enjoy the space and have a glass of wine, or cider or mead. So there&#8217;s plenty of ways that you can have fun here.
Kirk Reedy: Customers respond very favorably to our wines. As a winemaker, the important thing for me is to make sure that our customers find something within our product family that is enjoyable to them. Ultimately, if the consumer enjoys the wine, it is good to them.
Chris Southern: I think my favorite thing is that people are in awe of the fact that we&#8217;re doing this at all, you know, so people keep saying how cool it is.
Kirk Reedy: Oftentimes, people, when they think of wineries, wine countries, vineyards, they think of these bucolic sceneries in lovely areas. The thing that makes me proud of the winemaking process in Detroit at Detroit Vineyards is all the things that lead up to successfully getting the raw materials so we can do the best possible job in our winery.
Kirk Reedy: And also as a Michigan native, Detroit&#8217;s the premier manufacturing city in the world. Being part of the legacy that Detroit has established in the world and to have that contribution be fine wine is very rewarding to me.
Chris Southern: I think a place like Detroit Vineyard is as important to Detroit because we need to show the world that we can do stuff like this. That we&#8217;re not, you know, I think the story that&#8217;s told of Detroit still away from Michigan is that it&#8217;s very depressed here, and we don&#8217;t have things like good wines, and we want to highlight that that&#8217;s not true, that we can do that here and we will.
&nbsp;
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Returning to the Roots: Detroit Vineyards Is Bringing Wine Making Back to the Motor City

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<h2 style="text-align: center;">In 1982, the racially charged murder of Vincent Chin ignited the modern Asian American civil rights movement and offers powerful lessons to confront today’s pandemic of Anti-Asian violence</h2>
DETROIT — Forty years after the murder of Vincent Chin and the subsequent miscarriage of justice launched the Asian American Civil Rights Movement, a coalition of national and local groups plans a four-day commemoration in Detroit.
The Vincent Chin 40th Remembrance &amp; Rededication, which is being organized amid a climate of anti-Asian hate and violence that harks back to 1982, will take place June 16-19, 2022. It will feature a national conversation on democracy, racial justice and Asian American civil rights.
A highlight will be a special screening of the acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated film, “Who Killed Vincent Chin?”, which was co-produced in 1987 by Detroit Public TV. It was <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/who-killed-vincent-chin-inducted-into-library-of-congress-national-film-registry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently inducted into the National Film Registry</a>, a testament to its lasting importance.
The commemoration also includes the Vincent Chin 40th Commemorative Film Series in partnership with the Freep Film Festival, a Midwest convening of Asian American documentary filmmakers, community dialogues, cultural performances and a motorcade to the graves of Vincent Chin and his parents for a remembrance ceremony.
<a href="http://dptv.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Public TV</a> joins a coalition of civic and community organizations in planning this event, including the <a href="https://detroitmi.gov/departments/planning-and-development-department/arts-culture-entrepreneurship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">City of Detroit Arts, Culture &amp; Entrepreneurship Office</a>, <a href="http://americancitizensforjustice.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Citizens for Justice</a>, The Vincent and Lilly Chin Estate and the <a href="https://caamedia.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Center for Asian American Media</a>, among many others. <a href="https://kresge.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Kresge Foundation</a> is the presenting sponsor for the landmark events.
<figure id="attachment_21633" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 300px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-21633"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6210a08a2af1d45292adaf39/28711ea5-ceb3-4577-9f19-a485378f3ad9/restore_Apr83-credit-HelenZia.jpg" alt="Demonstration, April 1983, Courtesy of Helen Zia" /> <figcaption id="caption-attachment-21633" class="wp-caption-text">Demonstration, April 1983, Courtesy of Helen Zia</figcaption></figure>
One of the leaders spearheading this commemoration is renowned journalist Helen Zia, co-founder of American Citizens for Justice, which formed in 1983 to seek justice for Vincent Chin. She said, “The horrific beating death of Vincent Chin in 1982 on the eve of his bachelor party led to a landmark civil rights movement led by Asian Americans.
“The present-day wave of anti-Asian hate violence has rekindled awareness of Vincent’s legacy. Our hope is that these events will engage present and future generations in the commitment to social justice and the fight against racism and hate.”
At DPTV, our commitment to these issues extends back to the Vincent Chin documentary and was reinforced more recently by the wave of violence against Asian Americans at the outset of the pandemic in 2020. In response, DPTV produced a <a title="https://www.dptv.org/programs/asian-americans-the-detroit-story/" contenteditable="false" href="https://www.dptv.org/programs/asian-americans-the-detroit-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">virtual town hall</a> addressing a wide range of topics underscoring the many accomplishments of the Asian Americans in our community and the challenges they still face, working with the members of DPTV’s Asian American Pacific Islander Advisory Committee.
Ever since then, we have continued to meet regularly with this committee, composed of leaders from many Asian communities in our region, not only to combat the violence but to remember and resurface the multifaceted nature of AAPI life in our region.
In addition, DPTV has collaborated with public radio station, WDET-FM, to produce a <a title="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5H3VF_9ZS8MtRewksUJU10n1xuHM9ifw" contenteditable="false" href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5H3VF_9ZS8MtRewksUJU10n1xuHM9ifw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">series capturing the voices of individuals in Southeast Michigan’s AAPI community</a>, inviting them to have meaningful conversations and share their personal stories. The range of topics these conversations cover has been as diverse as the AAPI experience itself.
The Vincent Chin 40th Remembrance &amp; Rededication is another great step forward, uniting the entire region in the cause of Asian American civil rights. By doing so, we recognize that protecting the rights of one community protects the rights of us all.
The Vincent Chin 40th Remembrance &amp; Rededication will be held June 16-19; for more information go to the <a href="https://www.vincentchin.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event </a>website.
<figure id="attachment_21635" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 533px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-21635"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6210a08a2af1d45292adaf39/b9bc211b-8c67-4a1a-ae2c-b871705a4f4c/restore_9May83-KennedySq-creditHelenZia.jpg" alt="May 9, 1983 demonstration in Kennedy Square, Downtown Detroit, Courtesy of Helen Zia" /> <figcaption id="caption-attachment-21635" class="wp-caption-text">May 9, 1983 demonstration in Kennedy Square, Downtown Detroit, Courtesy of Helen Zia</figcaption></figure>
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Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
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&nbsp;
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Planning Organizations: </h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-21626 size-full" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-08-at-10.52.19-AM.png" alt="Vincent Chin 40th Anniversary Planning Organizations " width="680" height="122" />
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Four-Day Event Set to Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Murder of Vincent Chin

ONE-DETROIT-605-Promo-Still-4

Originally aired on April 14, 2021
Whether you’re team Lafeyette or team American, we can all agree Detroit makes the best Coney dogs. And they should— the famous Motor City meal was founded here more than a century ago in the early 1900s. But what’s the story underneath all that meat sauce, mustard and onions? Let&#8217;s take a look back at Detroit&#8217;s Coney dog history. 
From Detroit Public TV’s “<a href="https://www.dptv.org/programs/detroit-remember-when-made-motor-city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Remember When: Made in the Motor City</a>” documentary, host Erik Smith gets the full scoop on Detroit&#8217;s Coney dog history with <a href="https://twitter.com/newsrecruiter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Grimm</a>, author of “Coney Detroit,” Grace Keros, a 3rd generation owner of American Coney Island, <a href="https://twitter.com/therealkenbrown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ken Brown</a> of WJR Radio, and <a href="https://dearbornbrand.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dearborn Sausage</a>’s Don Kosch, who share the history of the Coney Island name, it&#8217;s rise to fame and why you’ll be craving one after watching this clip. 
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Erik Smith: The iconic brands of Detroit. Now, wait a minute, this is Highland Park, so why start here? Well, the city of Highland Park is in the city of Detroit, after all, and this is where Henry Ford built his iconic Model T, the very first affordable car for the working man. And the guys working there, of course, had to eat something. So, when the Coney Island hot dog came along, boy, it made a real splash. And they made them right here, Red Hots Coney Island.
The Model T plant was just up the street, of course, so lunchtime? (Laughter) This was the perfect recipe. Good bun, great dog, a layer of mustard, and then the coney sauce, and some onions, oh yeah. OK, if you haven&#8217;t heard about Red Hots, I know you know about those two Coney&#8217;s right there at Michigan and Lafayette, The Lafayette and The American, iconic Motor City cuisine.
Grace Keros, Owner, American Coney Island: Iconic. And I don&#8217;t use that word very often because some people overuse it, but it really is.
Erik Smith: Grace Keros is the third-generation owner of American Coney Island. Grace&#8217;s grandfather, Gus, actually started it all down on Michigan Avenue back in 1917.
Grace Keros: He came from a place called Dada in Greece, little Village out in the mountains. Landed at Ellis Island, heard there were jobs in Detroit, so he made his way to Detroit, but in fact couldn&#8217;t get anything. He thought, well, I&#8217;ll start something on my own and right there on that same corner that we&#8217;re at right now, he started a little pushcart selling hot dogs, and shining shoes, and cleaning hats, and popcorn.
Erik Smith: Soon, Gus&#8217;s brother Bill came over and joined him and they opened up a storefront and called it &#8220;American Coney Island&#8221;.
Joe Grimm, Author, Coney Detroit: It was a very simple lunch. There didn&#8217;t need to be a menu. You could get a hotdog, chips, something to drink, that was about it.
Erik Smith: It wasn&#8217;t long before Brother Bill opened Lafayette Coney Island next door.
Joe Grimm: These Coney Islands are running in the fastest growing city in the world.
Erik Smith: But why are the restaurants called Coney Island? Chili Dogs too?
Grace Keros: Coney Island in New York is an amusement park; it&#8217;s not a food.
Erik Smith: In New York, coney Island was known for Luna Park, those bathing beauties, and hot dogs. What Gus Keros saw, was an opportunity knocking.
Grace Keros: When he saw that amusement park, it made such a huge impact on him, that he was like, you know what? I&#8217;m in America, because he&#8217;s in America and was so grateful and thankful for that, American Coney Island, and hence the name.
Erik Smith: In Brooklyn, ehh they got their dogs and sauerkraut, but not Coney&#8217;s. No, no, not like they make them here.
Joe Grimm: That sauce is a very much like a Greek spaghetti sauce, if you will. And so, we think they took a little bit of grease, put it on a little bit of America and sold it.
Erik Smith:  Pure Coney&#8217;s can be found in other parts of the country if you want to look hard enough these days. There are many across Michigan, but nothing like, well, the ones here in Metro Detroit. Here, it&#8217;s tradition and we have our own Coney decorum.
Grace Keros: As a matter of fact, even today, when people ask for ketchup on a hot dog, I give them the bottle. So you put it on, we don&#8217;t put ketchup on a Coney dog.
Joe Grimm: No ketchup goes on a Coney. The ketchup is only there for the fries.
Ken Brown, WJR Radio:  And it&#8217;s always the dog, forget about the mustard and the chili, the dog makes the Coney.
Grace Keros: You don&#8217;t fry a hot dog, you don&#8217;t steam a hot dog, you don&#8217;t boil a hot dog.
Ken Brown: Does it have skin on it? You know, does it break apart? The ones with skin and casings on it, that&#8217;s the Coney Island.
Grace Keros: It&#8217;s a flat top stainless-steel grill, and you just put them right on the grill. Start cooking them until they start browning and popping.
Erik Smith:  American, Lafayette, and other Coney Islands get their hot dogs, believe it or not, from the same place, Dearborn Sausage.
Don Kosch, Owner, Dearborn Sausage: We&#8217;re a niche company, and that&#8217;s exactly what&#8217;s, that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re there for. You know, we do specialty things.
Erik Smith:  The maker may be the same, but the hot dog recipes are different for the different Coney Islands.
Don Kosch: Everybody seems to have a particular taste profile, so you have to stick to what the customers are used to.
Erik Smith: After the dog, of course, comes the sauce.
Joe Grimm: These are trade secrets. We ask everybody for the recipe; nobody will give you the recipe.
Erik Smith: Judith Martin, the famed Miss Manners, gave it her best to follow the first rule of Coney Island etiquette.
Grace Keros: You don&#8217;t need a Coney with a knife and a fork.
Joe Grimm: Judith Martin was an expert on manners, but she&#8217;s no expert on Coneys.
Grace Keros: You&#8217;re supposed to pick it up with your hands and eat it.
Joe Grimm: And I use it over and under a grip, and you come in like this on one end.
Ken Brown: But whatever falls, falls.
Joe Grimm: But if it&#8217;s kind of messy, you got to kind of go all the way.
Ken Brown: Three bites, and that&#8217;s it.
Grace Keros: You know a good coney by how many napkins you use.
Erik Smith: Coney Island history now includes Coney Sprawl. When some Detroiters headed to the burbs, well, they had to bring their Coney&#8217;s right along with them.
Joe Grimm: One of the sons, Tony Keros, decided he would leave the city, and he started opening Coneys in the shopping centers.
Grace Keros: Pretty much every Coney Island and every person who started those, stemmed from my grandfather, because as soon as he started making money, then he would bring somebody over. That&#8217;s what we do, you know, we&#8217;re Greek, family is so important.
Joe Grimm: The whole Leo&#8217;s chain, the biggest chain in the country, is descended by business from the Keros family. The Kerby&#8217;s chain is related by blood to the Keros family. There are hundreds of Coney Islands that you could trace directly to that corner of Michigan and Lafayette.
Grace Keros: There&#8217;s tons of us. There&#8217;s a whole mess of us, absolutely.
Erik Smith: All over in southwest Detroit, there&#8217;s still another classic Coney Island that dates back to the 1920s.
Benny Napoleon, Wayne County Sheriff:  The real person who understands Coney&#8217;s, now, this is the difference between somebody who really understands, go to Duly&#8217;s over on Vernor.
Erik Smith: Now, Duly wasn&#8217;t Greek. In fact, he came from Albania. He passed away in the 1960s, but Duly&#8217;s place still makes Coney&#8217;s.
Benny Napoleon: Now I love American, and I love Lafayette, but I spent many a days at Duly&#8217;s, which is really like a small place.
Joe Grimm: Food critics, like the old-fashioned kind of food critics who write for newspapers and magazines, look down on Detroit&#8217;s signature food, because they think it&#8217;s not sophisticated enough. It makes us look like what we are, a town where men and women work for a living.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss One Detroit Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

The Craze Behind Detroit’s Famous Coney Dogs 

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It’s fresh, pure and delicious, and it’s a brand some Detroiters might recognize. From <a href="https://dptv.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Public Television</a>‘s documentary “<a href="https://www.dptv.org/programs/detroit-remember-when-made-motor-city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Remember When: Made in the Motor City</a>,” host Erik Smith takes viewers on a nostalgic journey back to the creation of the Velvet Peanut Butter company in Detroit in 1937.
Smith talks to Linda Klein, the daughter of Velvet Peanut Butter Founder Paul Zuckerman, who was referred to as the “peanut butter king;” Tom Klein, a former Velvet Peanut Butter executive; and Eric Bruce, the company&#8217;s new president and CEO who has recently brought the <a href="http://velvetpeanutbutter.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">peanut butter brand</a> back to Michigan&#8217;s local grocers, about the brand’s rise to popularity, what led to the company&#8217;s decline in the 1980s, and how the iconic peanut butter brand became intertwined with Detroit&#8217;s history.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Eric Bruce, President &amp; Chief Executive Officer, Velvet Peanut Butter: I really think local brands help you identify with who you are.
Erik Smith: OK, so whatever happened to Velvet Peanut Butter?
Eric Bruce: It was a very prominent brand, and I remember it being prominently displayed in the grocery stores. And at the time, most of the grocery stores were locally owned. Stores that used to carry Velvet Peanut Butter are no longer around, Great Scott, Farmer Jack, Chatham.
Erik Smith: There were all the national brands, Peter Pan, Skippy, but here in Detroit, Velvet was our peanut butter.
Eric Bruce: I don&#8217;t know that I realized it was a Detroit brand at the time. It was just the most popular brand in the grocery store.
Linda Klein, Daughter of Original Velvet Peanut Butter Founder: But it was smooth. It was smooth, fresh, pure and delicious; it was smooth.
Erik Smith: Paul Zuckerman was the man behind Velvet. He came to America from Turkey as a little boy and wound up right here in Detroit.
Linda Klein: Started in 1937, and the way it happened, according to Paul Zuckerman, my father, he was driving a truck when he decided he wanted to marry my mother. Her parents didn&#8217;t think driving a truck was so impressive and he was looking to, he was always very entrepreneurial.
Erik Smith: So Mr. Zuckerman and another truck driver went into the peanut butter business.
Linda Klein: They bought a couple of machines and set up shop in a garage on 12th Street, my father and Harry Gaz, and the two of them alone together did everything.
Erik Smith: Harry Gaz ran production and Paul Zuckerman became the salesman.
Tom Klein, Former Executive, Velvet Peanut Butter:  He would tell me that he&#8217;d fill up his car with cases of peanut butter and go out and hit the road. And his favorite sales pitch was, &#8220;I&#8217;m down to one last case of peanut butter, I don&#8217;t want to go home with it. Just take the last one and make my day.&#8221;.
Erik Smith: When World War II started, Uncle Sam pressed Velvet into service to help feed our troops.
Linda Klein: Because the government felt it was such an essential product, that probably put the stamp of approval on peanut butter. Mothers probably felt, well if it&#8217;s good enough for the soldiers and they think it&#8217;s healthy.
Erik Smith: The Velvet&#8217;s Jar came with those fresh, pure and delicious faces inspired by Paul Zuckerman&#8217;s little boy Norbert.
Linda Klein: It does look like him. He wasn&#8217;t so pure, but he was a cute kid; adorable kid.
Erik Smith: You know there was a time eating peanut butter was actually a chore. The oil and the ground peanuts would separate, and then they had to be mixed again by hand. Paul Zuckerman had the solution.
Linda Klein: It was called, “Velvet homogenized peanut butter”, and he always claimed that they started it, so I only can believe that. But you know, I wouldn&#8217;t go to court on it.
Tom Klein: He was so successful with it, he was known everywhere as the peanut butter king. And if he wasn&#8217;t known when you first met him, as the peanut butter king, he made sure that you knew that he was the peanut butter king by the time you finish the conversation.
Erik Smith: In 1950, the peanut butter king decided to diversify, buying the crunchy potato chip company.
Linda Klein:  Soupy Sales advertised for them. He used to call everybody a birdbath. I don&#8217;t know why, you&#8217;re a good birdbath or you&#8217;re a bad birdbath. He was just a wild guy.
Erik Smith: By the late 1950s, Velvet merged with Sunshine Biscuit, joining national brands like Hydrox, Cookies and Hi-Ho crackers. Test kitchen cooks dreamed up dishes with ingredients like gelatin, miracle whip and peanut butter.
Linda Klein: But there was a big thing in those days, Jell-O and miracle weapon, Jell-O and sour cream, and Jell-O and whipping cream. I loved it, but that does not sound like a very good recipe to me. You can&#8217;t win them, right.
Erik Smith: The sunshine deal did make Paul Zuckerman a multimillionaire, but he stayed on in charge of the velvet operation.
Tom Klein: When the brand was at its strongest, we had sales in Indiana and several cities, some in Illinois. But basically, it was a Detroit brand and an unbelievably well-known Detroit brand.
Erik Smith: Just a few years later, Sunshine&#8217;s enthusiasm for peanut butter apparently dimmed, and Paul Zuckerman bought his company back for, well, peanuts. By then, he&#8217;d be known as a philanthropist, as well as the peanut butter king.
Linda Klein: His answer was, &#8220;Well, I guess I&#8217;m just a lucky truck driver. Just a lucky truck driver&#8221;. So, people sometimes would tease and make a little bit of fun about it.
Erik Smith: Once again, Velvet Peanut Butter was sold to another national company that, well, shut it down in the 1980s.
Eric Bruce: Things disappear, and you don&#8217;t really notice them for a long time. And then, when you can&#8217;t find it anymore, you start to wonder.
Erik Smith: Well, now it&#8217;s back in local supermarkets. Eric Bruce, a Detroit area native, is making Velvet Peanut Butter, once again.
Eric Bruce: We went back to a velvet recipe from the 40s. Velvet Peanut Butter, just like all other brands, the recipe had changed throughout the years, and we went back to an old-fashioned recipe.
Tom Klein: It became a terrific brand. But the real story is that it was Paul Zuckerman. You know, he made it what it is. I guess the proof is it&#8217;s on the shelf again, we got Velvet Peanut Butter back on the shelf, which is quite a nice thing.
&nbsp;
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<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
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The creation and history of Detroit’s Velvet Peanut Butter brand

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<h2 class="xmsonormal">This Week on One Detroit, Arts &amp; Culture</h2>
<h4 class="xmsonormal"><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/fiddler-on-the-roof-concert-sneak-peek-one-detroit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UMS, University of Michigan, Philadelphia Orchestra Premiere &#8216;Fiddler on the Roof&#8217; in Concert</a></h4>
The unique music of John Williams&#8217; orchestrations from the 1971 film &#8220;Fiddler on the Roof&#8221; is finally coming to the theater stage for a first-ever live performance. The special <a href="https://ums.org/performance/fiddler-on-the-roof-in-concert/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concert performance</a> will come to life on the University of Michigan&#8217;s <a href="https://smtd.umich.edu/about/facilities/hill-auditorium/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hill Auditorium</a> stage on Feb. 19 and 20 thanks to a collaborative partnership with the <a href="https://ums.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University Musical Society</a>, <a href="https://www.philorch.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Philadelphia Orchestra</a>, and the University of Michigan&#8217;s <a href="https://smtd.umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">School of Music, Theatre &amp; Dance</a>.
Before taking the stage, One Detroit&#8217;s Arts &amp; Culture team sat down with key members from the upcoming performance to find out what audiences can expect and hear how the message of &#8220;Fiddler on the Roof,&#8221; continues to apply today.
<h4 class="xmsonormal"><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/the-legacy-of-dr-charles-h-wright-and-his-museum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Legacy of Dr. Charles H. Wright and His Museum</a></h4>
Dr. Charles H. Wright wore many hats. He was a noted physician, an activist and a visionary who founded Detroit&#8217;s first international African American museum in 1965, which after several expansions is known as the state-of-the-art Charles H. Wright Museum for African-American History.
For Black History Month, take a look inside the life and legacy of the late <a title="https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/wright-charles-h" contenteditable="false" href="https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/wright-charles-h" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Charles H. Wright</a>, the founder of the <a title="https://www.thewright.org/" contenteditable="false" href="https://www.thewright.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History</a>. BridgeDetroit Engagement Director <a title="https://www.bridgedetroit.com/author/orlando-bailey/" contenteditable="false" href="https://www.bridgedetroit.com/author/orlando-bailey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Orlando Bailey</a> meets with the Wright Museum’s Director of Design and Fabrication Kevin Davidson to talk about Dr. Wright’s influence on African Americans living in Detroit, as well as the vision for creating and expanding the museum facility, which was once the largest African American history museum in the world.
<h4 class="xmsonormal"><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/velvet-peanut-butter-rise-and-fall-one-detroit-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Creation and History of Detroit&#8217;s Velvet Peanut Butter Brand</a></h4>
It&#8217;s fresh, pure and delicious, and it&#8217;s a brand some Detroiters might recognize. From <a href="https://dptv.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Public Television</a>&#8216;s documentary &#8220;<a href="https://www.dptv.org/programs/detroit-remember-when-made-motor-city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Remember When: Made in the Motor City</a>,&#8221; host Erik Smith takes viewers on a nostalgic journey back to the creation of the Velvet Peanut Butter company in  Detroit in 1937.
Smith talks to Linda Klein, the daughter of <a href="http://velvetpeanutbutter.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Velvet Peanut Butter</a> Founder Paul Zuckerman, who was referred to as the &#8220;peanut butter king;&#8221; Tom Klein, a former Velvet Peanut Butter executive; and Eric Bruce, who has recently re-established the company, stocking store shelves with the Detroit brand today, about the brand&#8217;s rise and fall, and rise again, to popularity.
<h4 class="xmsonormal"><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/aaron-lewys-performs-stop-wasting-my-time-for-detroit-performs-live-from-marygrove/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Singer Aaron Lewys Performs &#8220;Stop Wasting My Time&#8221; for Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove </a></h4>
Closing out the show, singer/songwriter <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aaronlewys/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Lewys</a> performs his song &#8220;Stop Wasting My Time,&#8221; a song about staying away from those who might distract you from your aspirations and dreams, for <a href="https://www.detroitperforms.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove</a>. Lewys, who brings a unique twist of soul and storytelling to his music, hopes he takes audiences on a journey of self-awareness and growth with each performance.
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<h2>Watch Now:</h2>
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video_slider controls_color=&#8221;light&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Full Episode&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptTOBmJAQsU&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 1&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XD8ipWvJxc&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 2&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPZ71RtC4Uc&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 3&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-PHqRPAxlU&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 4&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1PX1AvNDtc&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][/et_pb_video_slider][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;500&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]
Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss One Detroit Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
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2/14/2022: One Detroit – Fiddler on the Roof, Charles H. Wright, Velvet Peanut Butter & Aaron Lewys

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Chances are if you grew up watching Detroit&#8217;s news during the 1970s, 80s and on, you know Detroit television news anchor and reporter Bill Bonds. A Detroit-native since birth, the WXYZ Action News anchorman would have turned 90 years old this month. Bonds passed away in his Bloomfield Hills home in 2014.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOglaNZ408s">Bill Bonds Remembers, Reminisces on History of Detroit Television News</a>
Bonds became widely known for his &#8220;Up Front&#8221; news segment where he would confront national sources with tough questions. He was the newsman marked in controversy — some people hated him; some people loved him. One Detroit&#8217;s<a href="https://twitter.com/BKubota56"> Bill Kubota</a> and Detroit Public Television Senior Vice President and host<a href="https://twitter.com/TvFred"> Fred Nahhat</a> give a nod to the late reporter who wasn&#8217;t afraid to be opinionated. The duo remember Bill Bonds&#8217; legacy and discuss what he might have said about the state of Detroit and our nation today. 
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Fred Nahhat: February 2022, waking up every day realizing we are living in, well, strange times. Standing here in this studio, I&#8217;ve been thinking a bit, what would Bill Bonds say about all of this?
Bill Bonds, American Journalist: It&#8217;s going to be interesting to watch this one develop. Good evening, everybody. A political storm may be brewing in Lansing as of tomorrow.
Fred Nahhat:  Detroiters of a certain age, some of you know what I&#8217;m talking about, Bonds would have been 90 years old this month; he died in 2014.
Bill Bonds: The cost of watering your lawn, washing your dog, taking a bath, and maybe drinking a Stroh&#8217;s or a Faygo, is going to go up because of a decision by the Detroit City Council, and tonight, there were some serious talk of digging up the body of Elvis Presley for a series of tests.
Fred Nahhat: Some loved him, some loved to hate him. But there was no one else quite like Bill Bonds, a Detroiter through and through.
Bill Bonds: Good evening, everybody. A verbal and indeed a legal bombshell dropped in a Detroit federal courtroom today.
Fred Nahhat: Bill didn&#8217;t so much present the news every night, he set it on fire. Not in a political way, not from the right or from the left side, he was on our side. His work spanned five decades, best known for his Channel seven newscasts at 5 and the encore every night at 11 p.m. Well, I&#8217;m probably here like a lot of people on the airwaves, because of him. Trying to channel that special relationship he had with the TV camera.
Bill Bonds: I found myself in a compatible relationship with the media that was performing me. You know, you have to be slightly exaggerated, but you can&#8217;t be so over-the-top that you scare people.
John Kelly, Host: Extremely talented, extremely talented. He never faltered in the high opinion of his own self. He really wanted to be the only one.
Bill Bonds: Your head gets a little big when you get there.
Fred Nahhat: Bonds wanted to be a star newsman. Well, he got that and a whole lot more.
Bill Bonds: The one thing they don&#8217;t teach you in our society, is how to be a celebrity. Suddenly, you&#8217;re a celebrity.
Fred Nahhat: That ego, sure, I&#8217;d say a good thing. Well, usually. I was looking at some of his YouTube clips last month thinking, if you didn&#8217;t know about him, you probably wouldn&#8217;t get it.
Bill Bonds: The long lines for new jobs are still forming in this metropolitan Detroit area today.
Fred Nahhat: The most popular YouTube clip you&#8217;ll find of Billy, a messed up uncensored outtake from more than 40 years ago. Profanely riffing about a news promo scrip he didn&#8217;t like and cracking wise on coworkers in ways that, well, you ought not do today.
Bill Bonds: What the *bleep* is wrong with a short declarative sentence, like, good evening, I&#8217;m Bill Bonds, nothing is new. Goodnight.
Fred Nahhat: For people clicking on this from around the world, people who knew nothing about him, the clip seems a bit unfair. But there&#8217;s the other real Billy, seen right here a few years ago on our special program, &#8220;Detroit Remember When: The History of Detroit Television&#8221;, which defined Bonds as part newsman, part actor. While he played an anchorman in a Planet of the Apes movie, he gave us those commentaries. He was also part philosopher.
Bill Bonds: Oh, there&#8217;s nothing like going to dinner with a 23-year-old daughter, this father did just that tonight, and as a pompous, overpaid television anchorperson, one gets accustomed to offering his profound views on everything from the greenhouse effect of the Alaskan oil spill to Nigeria to Panama. Dads should have dinners with their daughters at least once, maybe twice a week. They have a way of reminding men of the things in life, not salary stock options, not big cars, but the things that are really important. Things like democracy, freedom, liberty, dignity, love, respect and friendship.
Fred Nahhat: So I&#8217;m left wondering, what might Bill Bonds think if he could come back now and take a look around? Sure, he&#8217;d have so much to criticize, the pandemic, the elections, the media. Former news executive and his close friend Alan Upchurch said he&#8217;d be looking deeper into just why Americans have gotten so divided, and he&#8217;d have tough questions about the growing gap between the haves and the have nots. That shrinking middle class here in Detroit, this can-do place with the middle class got its first leg up. I&#8217;m sure he&#8217;d keep reminding us of that with a commentary or two on just what to do about it. We miss you, Billy.
&nbsp;
Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss One Detroit Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One Detroit</a> every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

Remembering Bill Bonds: Detroit’s Most Opinionated Newsman

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When Jonathan Harris first previewed his painting “Critical Race Theory” at his<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/irwin-house-gallery-triptych-stronger-together-exhibit-jonathan-harris/"> TRIPTYCH: Stronger Together</a> exhibit at the<a href="http://irwinhousegallery.org/"> Irwin House Gallery</a> in Novemeber 2021, it sat on a wall just outside the gallery’s main room, but despite its less-than-prominent placement, it sold easily. It was the first step toward a virality that swept over <a href="https://jonathanraymondharris.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harris’ painting</a> and sparked a national conversation about critical race theory and the ways social and political issues are taught in America’s classrooms.
RELATED:<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/irwin-house-gallery-triptych-stronger-together-exhibit-jonathan-harris/"> Irwin House Gallery Features Detroit Artists in TRIPTYCH Exhibit </a>
“Critical Race Theory,” which depicts the white-washing of Black history, began its viral journey when<a href="https://other98.com/"> The Other 98%</a>, a nonprofit focused on social justice, shared Harris’ painting with their nearly 6.5 million followers. Then, the Oklahoma City chapter of<a href="https://www.facebook.com/blacklivesmatterokc/"> Black Lives Matter</a> shared the image, garnering thousands more shares and spreading the painting across the globe. One Detroit’s Bill Kubota met up with Jonathan Harris in Detroit on signing day, where he signed and<a href="https://jonathanharrisart.bigcartel.com/product/critical-race-theory-online-limited-edition-print"> sold out of 250 prints</a> of the painting, to discuss his painting’s swift rise to global acclaim and share what he thinks about critical race theory in the classroom.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Bill Kubota: December 2021, signing day for Jonathan Harris. It&#8217;s for one of his paintings on display, but not for sale. These art collectors at Noni&#8217;s Sherwood Grille in Detroit want their own numbered and autographed print.
David Mays, Art Collector: It was done this year earlier in 2021, the name of this painting is CRT. This is a limited-edition print, CRT standing for critical race theory, a topic of discussion that has permeated through our culture in our community. I think the importance of a painting like this during this time can&#8217;t even be verbally expressed.
Bill Kubota: Harris, a young emerging artist now in the national spotlight, arts, journals, newspapers, cable TV. He started painting seriously just a couple of years ago.
Jonathan Harris, Artist: I have been drawing and painting my whole life. I never have really taken a serious. I went to school for graphic design, and I was just looking for another outlet to express myself, so I started to paint. I started painting celebrities and different people I could just Google online.
Bill Kubota: Someone told Harris celebrity paintings might not be the best path to success for an artist.
Jonathan Harris: That&#8217;s how I got into painting my story and things I see and was also passionate about. This is the far left, hear no evil, the middle, see no evil, and the right, speak no evil. It&#8217;s basically just telling a story about how I feel in America.
Jonathan Harris: OneDetroit last talked to Harris in November for his exhibition at Detroit&#8217;s Irwin House Gallery.
Misha McGlown, Director, Irwin House Gallery: We had been speaking with Jonathan about doing a solo exhibition of his work, and he felt that he wasn&#8217;t ready to do that. I believe he was ready to do that. So, he saw this as an opportunity not just for himself, but to also bring in to other emerging artists that he had met, whose work he felt passionate about.
Bill Kubota: Opening night in the hallway off the main room, there was critical race theory. It sold immediately. Who else knew it would go over so big at the time?
James Dozier, Artist/Art Collector: And so, we are here to witness the signing of these prints by Jonathan, and to further encourage him to continue exploring social-political issues in his artwork. He&#8217;s an artist who I feel is very, very skilled in exploring this aspect of our society.
David Mays: I&#8217;m happy to be an owner of the first copy of this print, and I can&#8217;t wait to frame it and hang it. So, thanks a lot, Jonathan Harris, I really appreciate it.
Bill Kubota: Did you think it would catch on the way it did?
Jonathan Harris: I didn&#8217;t think that it would catch on like this. I still lack like that like the art confidence. So, I just don&#8217;t think it would catch on like this, but it&#8217;s a blessing, you know. I&#8217;m just excited that, you know, the conversation is being had, especially right now.
Bill Kubota: Critical race theory. The idea popped up in the news, then anti-critical race theory protests came to school boards last year. Like most of America, that&#8217;s when Harris learned about the CRT fight too, the painting came soon after.
Jonathan Harris: And I was just talking to somebody at the show about the piece. The person had said, You know, I see you painted Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, but why did you paint on Aunt Jemima? And the person was serious.
Bill Kubota: Harriet Tubman rendered in black and white, matching an image more of us should know about, escaped slave champion of the Underground Railroad, and much more.
Jonathan Harris: A couple of people ask me why Harriet Tubman not smiling because she in the front. It&#8217;s like, you know, what was there to smile about? I&#8217;m a slave.
Bill Kubota: Hope for more awareness of Tubman, President Obama ordered her based on the U.S. $20 bill in 2016. Didn&#8217;t happen under the last president, perhaps on track with our new president.
Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary: We&#8217;re exploring ways to speed up that effort, but any specifics would, of course, come from the Department of Treasury.
Bill Kubota: No action from Treasury yet.
Jonathan Harris: And this road behind here is important too because this represents the role that African Americans already traveled; everything we already went through. And that&#8217;s why it&#8217;s not no sunshine back there, it&#8217;s not no trees, it&#8217;s not no, nothing happy. You know, it kind of actually, you know, looks sad, like a real dreary kind of a day. Just a dirt road and some dried grass; it wasn&#8217;t pretty.
Bill Kubota: Fine art with a direct message. Received conceptually, in posters, some capturing a time on canvas like Spain 1937. Or right here right now, with critical race theory. It might bring to mind, &#8220;The problem we all live with&#8221;, by Norman Rockwell Back in the 60s, inspired by Ruby Bridges. Relevant again, with concern in some Tennessee schools about a book telling Bridges story.
Jonathan Harris:  I want to, you know, just the casual person, if you&#8217;re not into art or whatever it may be, to just look at it, and it catches your attention and you have the question of, Hey, what&#8217;s going on here? Then say, Oh, critical race theory. Oh, what is that? Oh, you know, this is going on in the south right now or slowly making his way up to the higher states.
Bill Kubota: Most of the painting, a whitewash depicting a future that stops just near the top.
Jonathan Harris: So, this figure right here, he represents the America trying to cover up our history.
Bill Kubota: Chronologically speaking, Harris has us now at the bottom of the canvas.
Jonathan Harris: It&#8217;s right here now and eventually is going to be here. And then the more years are going to be here and then here and then here. And then we could look, a hundred years from now or even less, and say, the talk would be, oh, you know, why do we get to teach about Harriet Tubman if we didn&#8217;t have to teach about this figure? or we now have to teach about Marcus Garvey? Any other historical figures down here, or stories, or things that happen, are covered up by America because it doesn&#8217;t make the kids feel good knowing what their ancestors were capable of and that&#8217;s not fair.
James Dozier: And he has just distilled that whole idea of what they&#8217;re trying to do in this magnificent painting.
Jonathan Harris: I don&#8217;t think that we going to be done with this anytime soon. This whole critical race theory thing, it&#8217;s a beast that&#8217;s never gone be full. It&#8217;s just going to keep going and growing and growing and growing, and years from now or generations from now, they may get up to the point and say, hey, you know, we don&#8217;t need to teach the kids about Martin Luther King or Malcolm X or Harriet Tubman; that&#8217;s what this piece is about.
&nbsp;
Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss One Detroit Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

Artist Jonathan Harris’ viral painting sparks conversations about critical race theory

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<h2>This Week on One Detroit:</h2>
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/jonathan-harris-viral-painting-sparks-conversations-about-critical-race-theory/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Artist Jonathan Harris&#8217; Viral Painting Sparks Conversations About Critical Race Theory </a></h4>
When<a href="https://jonathanraymondharris.com/"> Jonathan Harris</a> first previewed his painting &#8220;Critical Race Theory&#8221; at his<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/irwin-house-gallery-triptych-stronger-together-exhibit-jonathan-harris/"> TRIPTYCH: Stronger Together</a> exhibit at the<a href="http://irwinhousegallery.org/"> Irwin House Gallery</a> this past November, it sat on a wall just outside the gallery&#8217;s main room, but despite its less-than-prominent placement, it sold easily. It was the first step toward a virality that swept over Harris&#8217; painting and sparked a national conversation about critical race theory and the ways social and political issues are taught in America&#8217;s classrooms.
RELATED:<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/irwin-house-gallery-triptych-stronger-together-exhibit-jonathan-harris/"> Irwin House Gallery Features Detroit Artists in TRIPTYCH Exhibit </a>
&#8220;Critical Race Theory,&#8221; which depicts the white-washing of Black history, began its viral journey when<a href="https://other98.com/"> The Other 98%</a>, a nonprofit focused on social justice, shared Harris&#8217; painting with their nearly 6.5 million followers. Then, the Oklahoma City chapter of<a href="https://www.facebook.com/blacklivesmatterokc/"> Black Lives Matter</a> shared the image, garnering thousands more shares and spreading the painting across the globe. One Detroit&#8217;s Bill Kubota met up with Harris in Detroit on signing day, where he signed and<a href="https://jonathanharrisart.bigcartel.com/product/critical-race-theory-online-limited-edition-print"> sold out of 250 prints</a> of the painting, to discuss his painting&#8217;s swift rise to global acclaim and share what he thinks about critical race theory in the classroom.
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/future-of-work-dei-progress-in-the-workplace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Future of Work | Have Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Progressed in the Workplace?</a></h4>
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/">One Detroit</a> contributor and American Black Journal host Stephen Henderson checks in with marketing consultant Mark S. Lee, president of <a href="https://leegroupinnovation.com/">The Lee Group, MI LLC</a>, on where diversity, equity and inclusion are in the workplace. They explore the progress that’s been made and what’s still lacking nearly two years after the topic re-emerged into the mainstream, after <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/6-21-20-american-black-journal-roundtable-on-george-floyd-protests-police-brutality-systemic-racism/">George Floyd’s death</a>.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT_5oXpc1zE">Watch the extended interview on American Black Journal</a>
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/michigans-high-childcare-costs-continue-as-financial-assistance-remains-untapped/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan&#8217;s High Childcare Costs Continue As Financial Assistance Remains Untapped</a></h4>
While 35% of Michigan&#8217;s children five years and under qualify for child care subsidies, only 5% of families are tapping into the state&#8217;s financial resources. At the same time, nearly 44% of Michigan families live in<a href="https://childcaredeserts.org/"> childcare deserts</a> — geographic hot spots where there&#8217;s a lack of licensed child care providers 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/35-of-michigan-kids-under-5-qualify-for-child-care-subsidies-only-5-use-them/">35% of Michigan Kids Under 5 Qualify For Child Care Subsidies. Only 5% Use Them.</a>
One Detroit&#8217;s<a href="https://twitter.com/YeaitsmewillG"> Will Glover</a> sat down with BridgeDetroit reporter<a href="https://www.bridgedetroit.com/author/nushrat-rahman/"> Nushrat Rahman</a>, who authored the article that sparked this story, to talk about the state of childcare in Michigan. They explore the state&#8217;s high childcare costs, how to identify childcare deserts and how fewer options for childcare providers have impacted the cost to families. 
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/bill-bonds-detroits-most-opinionated-newsman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Remembering Bill Bonds: Detroit&#8217;s Most Opinionated Newsman </a></h4>
Chances are if you grew up watching Detroit&#8217;s news during the 1970s, 80s and on, you know Detroit television news anchor and reporter<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOglaNZ408s"> Bill Bonds</a>. A Detroit-native since birth, the WXYZ Action News anchorman would have turned 90 years old this month. Bonds passed away in his Bloomfield Hills home in 2014.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOglaNZ408s">Bill Bonds Remembers, Reminisces on History of Detroit Television News</a>
Bonds became widely known for his &#8220;Up Front&#8221; news segment where he would confront national sources with tough questions. He was the newsman marked in controversy — some people hated him; some people loved him. One Detroit&#8217;s<a href="https://twitter.com/BKubota56"> Bill Kubota</a> and<a href="https://www.dptv.org/"> Detroit Public Television</a> Senior Vice President and host<a href="https://twitter.com/TvFred"> Fred Nahhat</a> give a nod to the late reporter who wasn&#8217;t afraid to be opinionated. The duo remember Bonds&#8217; legacy and discuss what he might have said about the state of Detroit and our nation today. 
&nbsp;
<h2>Watch Now:</h2>
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video_slider controls_color=&#8221;light&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Full Episode&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eMNHM_cJZ4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 1&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuMvutNEqso&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 2&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX0vwcv5ug0&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 3&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVQUosCbWbI&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 4&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS9ORPjFOF8&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][/et_pb_video_slider][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;500&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]
Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss One Detroit Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
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2/10/22: One Detroit – Critical Race Theory, Michigan Childcare, Workplace DEI, Bill Bonds

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As part of Detroit Public Television’s documentary “<a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/detroit-designs-the-world-bnuzky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Designs the World</a>,” we transport back to 1950’s Detroit when architect Minoru Yamasaki (1912 – 1986) began to make his mark on the Detroit skyline. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoru_Yamasaki" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yamasaki</a>, most known for designing the World Trade Center, was a leader in mid-century modernism that equally evoked design elements from across the globe. His designs can be seen across Detroit, from his 1927 design of the <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/federal-reserve-system-chicago.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch</a>, to the <a href="https://mcgregor.wayne.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McGregor Memorial Conference Center</a> at Wayne State University and the One Woodward skyscraper — his first skyscraper.
Former Detroit Free Press business writer and author <a href="https://www.freep.com/staff/2647746001/john-gallagher/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Gallagher</a>, Jeanette Pierce of the <a href="https://www.thecityinstitute.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">City Institute</a>, and Dr. Dale Gyure, professor and department chair of architecture and design at Lawrence Tech University and the author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Minoru-Yamasaki-Humanist-Architecture-Modernist/dp/0300217099" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minoru Yamasaki: Humanist Architecture for a Modern World</a>,” explore Yamasaki’s designs across Detroit, examine the beauty and diverse influences of his designs, and reflect on the legacy he left in the Motor City.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
John Gallagher, Business Writer &amp; Author, Detroit Free Press: We remember Yamasaki today as the designer of the World Trade Center in New York, the twin towers that unfortunately were lost on 9/11. Beyond that, he was a leader in what we call mid-century monetarism, which took the basic efficiency of modernism, glass and steel and clean lines, and kind of infused it with some warmth and beauty that we associate more with something like the arts and crafts movement. Yama, what we say softened and humanized modernism in some really important ways.
Dr. Dale Gyure, Lawrence Tech Professor of Architecture and Design, Author of &#8216;Minoru Yamasaki: Humanist Architecture for a Modernist World&#8217;: So many modernists had struggled for so long before the 50s to try to create and convince people of modern architecture that didn&#8217;t rely on the past, that was of the 20th century and didn&#8217;t need to use arches and other elements from the history.
Unidentified Speaker: We will succeed in creating the first modern technological, humane, prosperous civilization.
Dr. Dale Gyure: Inspired by his travels, he was incorporating sure elements of the Italian Renaissance architecture and French Gothic architecture. He was using Islamic arches, and he was using the notion of the screened window from Islamic architecture.
Dr. Dale Gyure: He used a lot of elements from Japanese architecture. So he didn&#8217;t limit himself to the Western history like some modernists tried to. He really was a pioneer global architect. The problem was that in the mid-50s, modernism was still very strong and still very influenced towards rejecting that historical past.
John Gallagher: At the end of World War Two, the Detroit firm of Smith Hinchman Grylls was looking for a new chief designer and heard about this young, Minoru Yamasaki in New York, and hired him to come to Detroit. And I think like a lot of people who come from far away from Detroit, he probably thought he would be here for a couple of years and move on. Instead, he spent the rest of his life here.
John Gallagher: Well, Yamasaki started out with Smith Hinchman doing some first of the first modernist buildings in Detroit, the Federal Reserve building in downtown Detroit that was highly praised and much imitated.
Jeanette Pierce, Founder &amp; Executive Director, Detroit Experience Factory: As early as 1948, he was really pushing the envelope for these sleek lines and large glass windows, and the Annex is a beautiful example of that. People walk by every day and don&#8217;t even really notice that that is one of the most famous architects in the world.
John Gallagher: He got his reputation fairly quickly here. He did schools everywhere. And then he became Wayne State University&#8217;s almost in-house architect. He did their McGregor Conference Center on the campus, which is one of his very best buildings. And by that time, his reputation was growing and he started doing buildings around America and around the world.
Dr. Dale Gyure: McGregor is really, I think, in the architectural world considered to be his masterpiece. It&#8217;s the one of the first buildings he designed after his world tour, and it goes farther, I think, than any other work that he did in terms of incorporating disparate elements and disparate influences from around the world.
Dr. Dale Gyure: For instance, it has elements of a Greek temple to it, it has elements of a gothic cathedral. It has a little bit of those Islamic screens that I mentioned. Pools outside the building are very Japanese sort of atmosphere, and he kind of brings all these different ideas together.
Dr. Dale Gyure: And in the other work that he does after this, he never seems to reach out to as many different kind of influences as he did at McGregor. Plus, McGregor, I think, is just well done in terms of the details and the proportions and the relationship between the inside and the outside.
John Gallagher: In the 50s, Yama began to work on a project for the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company, which needed a new headquarters, and he created what is now known as One Woodward a skyscraper.
Dr. Dale Gyure: It was his first skyscraper. People don&#8217;t realize this, but it wasn&#8217;t even completed at the time that he was hired to do the World Trade Center, which was going to be the world&#8217;s tallest building. And here he had just a couple of tall building designs under his belt. But one of the things that&#8217;s evident even in that building, his first skyscraper is that he&#8217;s looking for a different way to do it.
Dr. Dale Gyure: The typical way of designing skyscrapers back then and constructing them was you use a steel frame and you build it up as many stories as you need and then you cover it with some sort of skin, which at that point was a lot of glass and maybe a little bit of metal. And he felt like that was becoming too kind of commercial and packaged, and he wanted to find a different kind of expression.
Jeanette Pierce: It&#8217;s a beautiful building and it&#8217;s sleek and tall, and it has a little bit more of some zhoosh to it, you know? I mean, he was kind of tired of the just glass boxes that had come previously in the forties and fifties and wanted to have a little bit of feeling to hit the building.
Dr. Dale Gyure: He likes the feeling and the texture of the concrete wall, and it has those strange-shaped windows which are very elongated. He also is trying to emphasize the verticality of the building. He felt that one thing that had kind of disappeared from tall building design in the decades after World War Two was the emphasis on the height of the building and the emphasis on verticality.
Dr. Dale Gyure: One thing that Yamasaki was always trying to do in his public buildings is to bring the public in, to have them feel comfortable, to have the buildings be beautiful. I think one of the other criticisms that struck me as I researched his work was the number of times that he used the word beauty in the 50s and 60s when other architects weren&#8217;t.
John Gallagher: And when I think about what Yamasaki gave to architecture, besides a lot of great buildings that are still there and will be there like McGregor, at the same time, the notion that any important public building needs to have some outdoor space for users of plaza, landscaping, greenways bike paths, a sculpture garden, anything like that.
John Gallagher: That is so part of our architectural and planning DNA now, that you can&#8217;t conceive of an important building that would ignore that stuff. And you don&#8217;t necessarily think that that&#8217;s what Yamasaki gave us, but in fact, that it is what he gave us.
&nbsp;
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<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

Pioneering Global Architect Minoru Yamasaki brought beauty to Detroit’s buildings

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<h2>Tonight on One Detroit, Arts &amp; Culture:</h2>
<h4>Dance Theatre of Harlem Finds Inspiration for &#8220;Higher Ground&#8221; Performance at Motown Museum </h4>
The <a href="https://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dance Theatre of Harlem</a> combined movement, melody and history in their latest performance, &#8220;<a href="https://michiganopera.org/season-schedule/the-dance-theatre-of-harlem-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Higher Ground</a>,&#8221; which paid tribute to Stevie Wonder and his influential music. Before performing at the <a href="https://michiganopera.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan Opera Theatre</a> last month, the dance company took a visit to <a href="https://www.motownmuseum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hitsville U.S.A.</a> to find some inspiration from where Wonder got his start back in the day. 
One Detroit&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/ajwalkernews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AJ Walker</a> met up with the dance company at the Motown Museum where Resident Choreographer Robert Garland and dancers previewed parts from their &#8220;Higher Ground&#8221; performance. Walker talked with Garland and senior dance member Lindsey Donnell about the inspiration they found, the reason for choosing Wonder&#8217;s music as a basis for their performance, and the parallels tropes they see from Wonder&#8217;s music in causes like <a href="https://www.blmdetroit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Lives Matter</a> today. 
<h4>When Metal Speaks: Virgil Taylor Finds Inspiration for Works in Middle Eastern, African History </h4>
Born in Detroit and electrified by fire, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/people/Rumanz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Virgil Taylor</a> has been creating for most of his life, but despite crafting wearable items, Taylor considers himself a metalworker and not a jeweler. His work, he explained, comes out as a more organic, unrefined product. And his inspiration? The ancient history and designs of Middle East and African countries. For <a href="https://www.detroitperforms.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Performs</a>, Taylor takes viewers inside his workspace at the <a href="https://bbartcenter.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Birmingham-Bloomfield Art Center</a> to premiere some of the beading work, African bracelets and other items he&#8217;s currently working on for clients. 
<h4>Pioneering Global Architect Minoru Yamasaki Brought Beauty to Detroit&#8217;s Buildings </h4>
As part of Detroit Public Television&#8217;s documentary &#8220;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/detroit-designs-the-world-bnuzky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Designs the World</a>,&#8221; we transport back to 1950&#8217;s Detroit when architect <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoru_Yamasaki" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minoru Yamasaki</a> (1912 &#8211; 1986) began to make his mark on the Detroit skyline. Yamasaki, most known for designing the World Trade Center, was a leader in mid-century modernism that equally evoked design elements from across the globe. His designs can be seen across Detroit, from his 1927 design of the <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/federal-reserve-system-chicago.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch</a>, to the <a href="https://mcgregor.wayne.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McGregor Memorial Conference Center</a> at Wayne State University and the One Woodward skyscraper — his first skyscraper.
Former Detroit Free Press business writer and author <a href="https://www.freep.com/staff/2647746001/john-gallagher/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Gallagher</a>, Jeanette Pierce of the <a href="https://www.thecityinstitute.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">City Institute</a>, and Dr. Dale Gyure, professor and department chair of architecture and design at Lawrence Tech University and the author of &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Minoru-Yamasaki-Humanist-Architecture-Modernist/dp/0300217099" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minoru Yamasaki: Humanist Architecture for a Modern World</a>,&#8221; explore Yamasaki&#8217;s designs across Detroit, examine the beauty and diverse influences of his designs, and reflect on the legacy he left in the Motor City.
<h4>Singer-Songwriter Trey Simon performs &#8220;The Impossible&#8221; for Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove </h4>
In closing, watch a special <a href="https://www.detroitperforms.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Performs</a>: Live From Marygrove performance of one of singer-songwriter Trey Simon’s most notable singles,  “The Impossible.” <a href="https://www.treysimonmusic.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Simon</a>, who has roots in blues music, has crafted a unique identity for himself over the course of his musical career, and some esteemed accolades have come to follow. Simon has opened for the likes of Patti LaBelle, Andra Day and Andy Grammer, and he was nominated for his first <a href="https://www.detroitmusicawards.net/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Music Award</a> in 2020.
&nbsp;
<h2>Watch Now:</h2>
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video_slider controls_color=&#8221;light&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Full Episode&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFwIiC&#8211;CnE&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 1&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frcrsgiQn2k&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 2&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMxoQX_8lqM&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 3&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaVM6Doy23g&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 4&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVdXk3KCBHA&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][/et_pb_video_slider][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;500&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]
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Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
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2/07/22: One Detroit – Dance Theatre of Harlem, Wearable Artist Virgil Taylor, Architect Minoru Yamasaki

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As part of Detroit Public Television&#8217;s documentary &#8220;<a href="https://www.dptv.org/programs/documentaries/detroit-designs-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Designs the World</a>,&#8221; we transport back to Detroit before it became the auto capital of the world to look at the radical design decisions architect Albert Kahn (1869-1942) took when crafting some of Detroit&#8217;s most famous buildings.
Whether it was the Highland Park Ford plant in 1910 or the <a href="https://www.fisherbuilding.city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fisher Building</a> in 1928, Kahn revolutionized the architecture industry with his large, sweeping designs with lots of open space and his use of ornate artistry like sculptures and bronze work. <a href="https://detroitexperiencefactory.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Experience Factory</a> Founder and Executive Director Jeanette Pierce, <a href="https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan Historic Preservation</a> Officer Brian Conway, <a href="https://center.cranbrook.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research</a> Director Gregory Wittkopp, and President and CEO of <a href="https://www.albertkahn.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Albert Kahn Associates, Inc.</a> Alan Cobb discuss the lasting legacy Kahn left in the motor city.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Alan Cobb, President &amp; CEO, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc.: In the teens, 20s and 30s, the Germans were devising, this form follows function concept of universal space, exposing the frame of the building and developing that kind of an architectural expression. And really, while they were philosophizing about it, Albert Kahn was quietly building it.
Jeanette Pierce, Founder &amp; Executive Director, Detroit Experience Factory: I give Albert Kahn almost as much credit as Henry Ford for the mass production of the automobile. Because if there wasn&#8217;t a building designed like this one with wide-open spaces that could allow for an assembly line to be making cars and buildings before this couldn&#8217;t do that. So, this was groundbreaking, not just in the fact that the assembly line was here, but that it was a building that could handle the assembly line and allow for the assembly line to mass-produce the automobile. And so, it was Albert Kahn and Henry Ford together that really put the world on wheels.
Alan Cobb: I think he looked at the client&#8217;s needs and the technology of the time and integrated that into a successful solution. How can we build buildings that have a large floor plate, lots of open space, minimize the number of columns?
Brian Conway, Michigan Historic Preservations Officer: Albert Kahn, together with his brothers, developed a system of the concrete construction of the automobile plants with a wide-open floor plates and the concrete columns, leaving the exterior walls to be completely open filled in with glass. Which, 1903, that was very, very radical and it allowed the auto industries to have these very large factories to hold the weight of many, many automobiles. It set the pace for how we look at modern architecture.
Gregory Wittkopp, Director, Cranbrook Center for Collections &amp; Research: People like Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, they all wanted to see what these new modern factories were like. And then, it very much influenced their own work.
Brian Conway: We see them, then going back to Europe, taking this tenant and developing it into modernism. The idea of clean, open floor plates, the idea of concrete construction or steel construction, the idea of curtain walls, this had already been done here in Michigan.
Jeanette Pierce: The buildings that Kahn designed made a difference in the way that Henry Ford made cars.
Alan Cobb: He also saw architecture in a way of craftsmanship and American craft. And in fact, designed the Fisher Building.
Jeanette Pierce: The Fisher Building is one of the most jaw-dropping buildings in all of Detroit, and honestly in all of the United States.
Alan Cobb: The Fisher Building sort of advanced the American tower. They bring the artist into the process of construction of the building. Many of the works of Kahn include artwork and sculpture, great grill edges and handrails and guardrails, a bronze work, and that certainly was something that Detroit contributed to.
Jeanette Pierce: It literally is the beacon for this new center area. We&#8217;re only just about 3 miles from downtown, but this was where General Motors built its empire. Right across the street from the Fisher Building, we have that original General Motors headquarters, and then the Fisher Brothers built this absolute beauty right here in 1928.
Alan Cobb: And many of Khan&#8217;s options for the Fisher Building were published at the time. The Empire State Building was built a couple of years after the Fisher Building and very similar stepping form use of stone. You can look at the detailing, you can look at the massing, and we have sketches of several of the options that Albert Kahn devised for the Fisher Building. You know, very similar to what was done with the Empire State Building.
&nbsp;
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<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

Remembering the Legacy Architect Albert Kahn Left in Detroit

2021-01-25_0942

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Originally aired on January 25, 2021
<h2>This Week on One Detroit, Arts &amp; Culture:</h2>
First, One Detroit welcomes its new host of One Detroit Arts &amp; Culture,<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/satori-shakoor-joins-one-detroit-as-new-arts-culture-anchor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Satori Shakoor</a>.
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/remembering-the-legacy-architect-albert-kahn-left-in-detroit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Remembering the Legacy Architect Albert Kahn Left in Detroit </a></h4>
As part of Detroit Public Television&#8217;s documentary &#8220;<a href="https://www.dptv.org/programs/documentaries/detroit-designs-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Designs the World</a>,&#8221; we transport back to the Detroit before it became the auto capitol of the world to look at the radical design decisions architect Albert Kahn (1869-1942) took when crafting some of Detroit&#8217;s most famous buildings. Whether it was the Highland Park Ford plant in 1910 or the <a href="https://www.fisherbuilding.city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fisher Building</a> in 1928, Kahn revolutionized the architecture industry with his large, sweeping designs with lots of open space and his use of ornate artistry like sculptures and bronze work. <a href="https://detroitexperiencefactory.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Experience Factory</a> Founder and Executive Director Jeanette Pierce, <a href="https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan Historic Preservation</a> Officer Brian Conway, <a href="https://center.cranbrook.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research</a> Director Gregory Wittkopp, and President and CEO of <a href="https://www.albertkahn.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Albert Kahn Associates, Inc.</a> Alan Cobb discuss the lasting legacy Kahn left in the motor city.
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/the-heidelberg-project-in-the-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heidelberg 3.0: How a Three-Decade Old Arts Project is Surviving COVID </a></h4>
<a href="https://www.heidelberg.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heidelberg Project</a> President Jenenne Whitfield described the 36-year-old art project created in east Detroit by artist <a href="https://www.tyreeguyton.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tyree Guyton</a> as outdoor, funky, colorful and cool, and that&#8217;s exactly what you&#8217;ll see walking through the artworks made up of primarily recycled and used materials. The project isn&#8217;t just environmentally conscious though, but a positive economic impact on the city and region too. As of 2019, Whitfield said the Heidelberg project had indirectly contributed roughly $7.5 million in additional revenue. As the project continues to grapple with COVID&#8217;s consequences, One Detroit&#8217;s Will Glover sat down with Whitfield to talk about how the all-woman organization has fared during the pandemic and their plans for Heidelberg 3.0: an arts district and community.
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/discussing-arts-importance-during-the-pandemic-with-deborah-rutter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Art for Life&#8217;s Sake: Discussing Art&#8217;s Importance During the Pandemic with Deborah Rutter</a></h4>
As we re-imagined how to continue to interact the arts, artists and cultural events with the precipice of COVID, <a href="https://artsengines.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arts Engines</a> Host and professor of Arts Leadership and Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan Aaron Dworkin sits down with <a href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts</a> President Deborah Rutter to talk about the ways the Kennedy Center, the nation&#8217;s cultural center, has pivoted, with its<a href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/couch-concerts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Couch Concerts</a> and <a href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/digitalstage/arts-across-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arts Across America</a> livestreams, to still provide artistic programming during the pandemic. Rutter shares her suggestions for how artists can continue to promote themselves and their work during tumultuous times, as well as her opinions on the responsibility of arts organizations to foster relationships with diverse audiences in their local community.
<h4>Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove &#8211;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1aL4MBtxz4" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> African Drumming with Ayinde Fondren </a></h4>
Instructor and activist <a href="https://shimekianichols.wixsite.com/ayinde-fondren" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ayinde Ananda-Fondren</a> closes out the episode with the invigorating sounds of African drumming during a <a href="https://www.detroitperforms.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove</a> performance. 
&nbsp;
<h2>Watch Now:</h2>
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video_slider controls_color=&#8221;light&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Full Episode&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGfLPVN3Q4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 1&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfpAOQE4fhg&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 2&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-pySHg_csw&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item admin_title=&#8221;Double-click to add Segment 3&#8243; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMuDonNv9oU&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][et_pb_video_slider_item src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1aL4MBtxz4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; show_image_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221;][/et_pb_video_slider_item][/et_pb_video_slider][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.5&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;500&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]
Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss One Detroit Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
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1/24/22: One Detroit – Albert Kahn, Heidelberg Project, Pandemic Performances, African Drumming

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Since its inception, One Detroit has shared stories that bring value and context to our audience&#8217;s daily lives. The One Detroit team now re-shares some of these impactful stories in a series of &#8220;Best Of&#8221; episodes. Tonight, One Detroit presents Best Of: Detroit History. 
<h2>This Week on One Detroit:</h2>
<h4 class="entry-title"><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/the-legacy-of-detroits-birwood-wall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Symbol of Racial Divide: The Legacy of Detroit’s Birwood Wall</a></h4>
A simple cinder block wall, built 80 years ago, still stands at Detroit’s northern border just off Eight Mile Road, west of Wyoming Avenue. It’s been called the Wailing Wall, the Eight Mile Wall and the Birwood Wall because it went up along Birwood Street, a lasting symbol of racism during the war years when Detroit became America’s Arsenal of Democracy.
After One Detroit’s partner BridgeDetroit, along with NBC News, did some <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/detroit-segregation-wall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensive new reporting</a> on the legacy of the wall, talking to people that lived in that neighborhood, One Detroit’s Bill Kubota gets the inside scoop from reporters and author Gerald Van Dusen about the wall and what it means to Detroiters eight decades later.
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/the-highway-toll-on-people-of-color/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Highway Toll on People of Color </a></h4>
Are Detroit’s highways relics of structural racism from the past? As the country sees a new wave of conversations around racial equality enter the mainstream headlines, One Detroit Associate Producer Will Glover talks with freelance writer Nithin Vejendla, whose <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2020/07/05/detroit-freeways-racism-segregation-white-flight/5366081002/">article</a> sparked the story, Wayne State law professor and Director of the <a href="https://law.wayne.edu/keith-center">Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights</a> Peter Hammer, Detroit historian with <a href="https://blackscrollnetwork.weebly.com/">Black Scroll Network</a>  Jamon Jordan, and University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture Dean and <a href="http://www.dcdc-udm.org/">Detroit Collaborative Design Center</a> Dan Pitera to examine Detroit’s historic highways, and what residents and the city can do to reckon with the past.
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/the-history-of-detroits-celebrated-boxing-scene/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The History of Detroit&#8217;s Celebrated Boxing Scene</a></h4>
Detroit&#8217;s rich history of boxing around the city has produced numerous champions including Joe Louis, Thomas &#8220;Hitman&#8221; Hearns and Hilmer Kentry to name a few. Whether at the famous <a href="https://kronksports.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kronk Gym</a>, where it originally sat on McGraw Avenue in Detroit, or at the city&#8217;s <a href="http://www.goldenglovesusa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Golden Gloves Tournament</a>, Detroit has been a training ground for some of the best amateurs and professionals in the sport of boxing.
In celebration of the city&#8217;s storied boxing history, <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Black Journal</a> Producer Marcus Green talks to Hall of Fame Boxer Thomas Hearns, Hall of Boxing Referee Frank Garza, Former World Welterweight Boxing Champion Milton McCrory, amateur boxer Deion Plummer, boxing manager Jackie Kallen, and more on the sport&#8217;s early days in Detroit and how it embedded itself into the city&#8217;s story.
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<h2>Watch Now:</h2>
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Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss One Detroit Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
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1/20/22: One Detroit – Detroit’s Diverse History

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Originally posted on September 10, 2021
Detroit’s rich history of boxing around the city has produced numerous champions including Joe Louis, Thomas Hearns and Hilmer Kentry to name a few. Whether at the famous <a href="https://kronksports.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kronk Gym</a>, where it originally sat on McGraw Avenue in Detroit, or at the city’s <a href="http://www.goldenglovesusa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Golden Gloves Tournament</a>, Detroit has been a training ground for some of the best amateurs and professionals in the sport of boxing.
In celebration of the city’s storied boxing history, <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Black Journal</a> Producer Marcus Green talks to Hall of Fame Boxer Thomas Hearns, Hall of Boxing Referee Frank Garza, Former World Welterweight Boxing Champion Milton McCrory, amateur boxer Deion Plummer, boxing manager Jackie Kallen, and more on the sport&#8217;s early days in Detroit and how it embedded itself into the city’s story.
&nbsp;
Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss One Detroit Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our <a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org">website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

The History of Detroit’s Celebrated Boxing Scene

1-Mochi-rice-cakes-are-served

The holidays are a time to celebrate tradition with friends and family. For some Japanese American families, the traditional art of pounding rice is a staple for the new year. This prominent Japanese tradition involves pounding in the New Year with fresh mochi, rice smashed into a gooey paste and molded into round cakes, then eaten for good luck.
One Detroit Senior Producer Bill Kubota visits a traditional Japanese New Year’s celebration at a metro Detroit community center where the <a href="https://jacldetroit.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Japanese American Citizens League</a> of Detroit hosts its second annual mochitsuki party to learn about how the art of pounding rice is being replicated and kept alive.
<h2>Full Transcript: </h2>
Toshiki Masaki, Japanese American Citizens League: And then we&#8217;ll be making another round of mochi so just pace yourself, okay?
Christy McDonald, One Detroit, DPTV: A community center in Madison Heights. This is a Japanese Mochitsuki New Year celebration, Detroit-style.
Mochitsuki Participant: Put on some gloves and roll&#8230;
Christy McDonald: Members of the Japanese American Citizens League are making and eating mochi made from a gooey rice paste.
Henry Tanaka, Japanese American Citizens League: We created a lot of different ways to have it. We have it— the way I grew up eating it was with shoyu and sugar.
Christy McDonald: Shoyu. That&#8217;s soy sauce.
Henry Tanaka: And I have a frying pan, actually. So, if you want to fry some. We have kinako, the soybean flour with sugar and a little salt, and you roll it in there.
Toshiki Masaki: One thing I remember is because it stretches if you pull it and I think it has something to do with the longevity of your life, but my memory is kind of fuzzy, so&#8230;
Christy McDonald: Mochitsuki goes back a thousand years. In Japan, the celebration can go all day. The rice cakes take center stage to music and activities for the kids.
Toshiki Masaki: The rice harvest is in the fall, and the celebration of New Year&#8217;s is a big deal. So I think that&#8217;s kind of been added to it too.
Bill Kubota, One Detroit, DPTV: But is it good?
Margaret Hirozawa, Japanese American Citizens League: Very good. I&#8217;m very fond of mochi.
Christy McDonald: Like lutefisk in Sweden or the fruitcakes of the Western world, mochi returns every holiday season. Some love it, some don&#8217;t.
Mochitsuki Participant: Can you make this size of mochi? Oh yeah. Can you grab that end?
Christy McDonald: But with mochi, it&#8217;s not just the texture, but the danger. A choking hazard if you&#8217;re not careful.
Mary Kamidoi, Japanese American Citizens League: If you eat it, chew it good.
Margaret Hirozawa: Beg pardon?
Mary Kamidoi: Chew it good.
Margaret Hirozawa: Oh chew it good, huh? I&#8217;ve never had it like this before this. This is all new to me
Mary Kamidoi: Oh, why don&#8217;t you have it in the soup?
Henry Tanaka: Well, this is ozoni. This is the New Year&#8217;s soup that&#8230;and it has a lot of— it has carrots and tofu and fish cake and lotus root.
Christy McDonald: The mochi sits in the bowl like a matzo ball. This is just the second year the Citizens League has held Mochitsuki in Detroit, even though the group has been here more than 70 years.
Toshiki Masaki: It started out as a support group of obviously Japanese Americans, and it turned into more of a civil rights focused organization. And we have chapters everywhere, including obviously here in Detroit. The Detroit chapter started when a lot of people who came out of camp relocated to Detroit and at its peak, I understand there were about 400 members.
Christy McDonald: Mary Kamidoi was born in California, held in an internment camp in Arkansas during World War II. She&#8217;s long retired from Ford Motor Company but remembers Mochitsuki as a child.
Mary Kamidoi: All the time that we were making mochi, the kids just played around with it. Our parents made it every year and had friends come over, and so, you know, and I&#8217;m one of these— I didn&#8217;t eat it. I didn&#8217;t like it. So I crabbed every time we were molding the thing. &#8216;Ma, I don&#8217;t even eat the thing. Why do I have to come home and do this?&#8217; She said &#8216;Mary, just keep molding it.&#8217;
Christy McDonald: Molding mochi, that&#8217;s the easy part. You need people to pound the rice, swinging a big mallet over and over again.
Mary Kamidoi: For you to pound, that&#8217;s a job. It&#8217;s like my dad used to say, &#8216;If you don&#8217;t pound right, you will hurt your back.&#8217; And then the one that had to turn it. If you don&#8217;t time it right, the mallet will come down on your hand or your head.
Christy McDonald: Technology to the rescue, the mochi-making machine. Mary&#8217;s brother-in-law found one in Los Angeles.
Mary Kamidoi: He brought it home and my sister said, &#8216;Come on over, you got to see this machine, Mary. It&#8217;s really funny.&#8217;
Toshiki Masaki: This one just works automatically, it steams and when it&#8217;s ready, the pounding starts. The other two, you have to push the button.
Mary Kamidoi: I&#8217;ve always been saying, I would say it to my mom, &#8216;Why is it Japan hasn&#8217;t made a machine, so that the mochi comes out in like this, you know, out of it and it cuts off at a certain&#8230;&#8217; &#8216;Mary, then there&#8217;d be no fun to this.&#8217; Because see these machines, the way they&#8217;re cutting it? It&#8217;s a mess.
Bill Kubota: You like to eat it now though, huh?
Mary Kamidoi: Not really. I will eat one or two, but that&#8217;s it. Not because I like it so well. I just eat it because it&#8217;s just custom.
Woman: What are you going to do with that buddy?
Mary Kamidoi: You know, after a while when you don&#8217;t have it, you sort of miss it.
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<h2><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h2>
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Mochitsuki: The Japanese art of pounding rice for New Years

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Ever since well-known Detroit historian, educator, musician and activist <a href="https://las.wayne.edu/profile/ag3092" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Osvaldo &#8220;Ozzie&#8221; Rivera</a> was a child, he grew up immersed in traditional Puerto Rican music and culture. His father, a musician, would often play with other Caribbean Islanders at Rivera&#8217;s home or during drum circles in Clark Park.
As Rivera got older, community festivals became the norm in Detroit, but then they slowly faded away. When Rivera reconnected with his salsa jazz band during the COVID-19 pandemic, he sought to bring those impromptu community jam sessions back to life.
One Detroit senior producer <a href="https://twitter.com/BKubota56" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Kubota</a> talks with Rivera about his lifelong passion for Puerto Rican music and culture, as well as the memories he has of drum circles and community festivals in some of Detroit&#8217;s parks. Plus, Rivera shares his thoughts on the longevity of salsa music and how it&#8217;s changed since it began several decades ago.
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<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Ozzie Rivera, Musician &amp; Activist: I grew up in a musical family, were Puerto Rican, traditional music was played a lot. My father played quatro, which is a 10 string guitar. Peculiar particularly to Puerto Rico. And since he was the only one in the &#8217;60s that will play it in Detroit, I used to see all the musicians come to my house.
When some musicians weren&#8217;t performing that particular night, they would take their drums to Clark Park and start drumming. I used to live in Toledo, would walk down to Vernier, and as soon as I turned the corner on Junction Ferner, I would hear the drums play the people in the neighborhood, in particular Caribbean islands, whether they were Dominican, Cuban, a Puerto Rican, primarily Puerto Rican. They were just Hanus having some fun because it was just kind of impromptu, what they call bimbette, which is the jam session go the way we saw, is that our cultures were so denigrated, and looked down upon to actually perform, though that kind of music comes to that kind of theater. Dancing was a reaffirmation of being proud of our culture. So for many of us, we thought that a lower striking political statement.
When I was younger, community festivals were the norm in the city of Detroit. You had a music festival. They don&#8217;t tend to be community festivals. I mean, every single weekend we could go to party city and we had a peak of Community Music Fest. And that&#8217;s how people vote for me. That&#8217;s how I learned how to really play drums. Drums, sir, because that is the main way, lad. Caribbean kids and others used to learn what the conditions were. There was a lot of cross-cultural interaction. It was that ambiance. Plus, at the same time, nationally, you had the civil rights movement. So these people were affected by the anti-war movement, the growing women&#8217;s movement. So, you know, people of my generation, a little bit older, were right in the middle of all of that. So it affected the music.
For me, it&#8217;s never been about the money. Never. And most of the musicians that played this music, even those that are commercially successful, they normally don&#8217;t make a living off of this. Internationally, this music is really. Well respected. I don&#8217;t think it goes away. It hasn&#8217;t gone away. Even after decades of change. My father and I had real strained relationship growing up. But the one thing that he gave me was slow coach. For that, I&#8217;ll have the entire. Because I can&#8217;t consider myself Ozzy, without them. It&#8217;s part of who I am.
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @DPTVOneDetroit, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
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Puerto Rican Musician, Activist Ozzie Rivera Reflects on a Lifetime of Music and Culture

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<h2>On the next American Black Journal,</h2>
Veteran actress <a href="https://cchpounder.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CCH Pounder</a> sits down with reporter Will Glover to talk about her private art collection titled &#8220;<a href="https://www.thewright.org/exhibitions/queen-collection-cch-pounder" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Queen</a>,&#8221; which is on display at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. The exhbition focuses on Black womanhood, beauty and power. Plus, we&#8217;ll talk about the number one health risk for <a href="https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/special/feel-something-say-something-heres-why-womens-cardiac-disease-is-so-dangerous" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">African-American women: Heart Disease</a>.
Featured Image: Actress CCH Pounder and Neil A. Barclay, CEO of  The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History viewing the exhibit Queen: From the Collection of CCH Pounder
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<h3>WATCH NOW:</h3>
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Don&#8217;t miss American Black Journal on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and again on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
<h3><a href="http://www.pbs.org/show/american-black-journal/">View more from American Black Journal &gt;</a></h3>
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3/1/20: American Black Journal – CCH Pounder / Heart Disease in African-American women

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This Black History Month, and every other month throughout each year, American Black Journal celebrates the stories and accomplishments of African American men and women of our past, present and future.
Since its first broadcast in 1968, American Black Journal has continued to act as a forum to discuss culture, public affairs and societal concerns from an African American perspective.
As the longest running public affairs program on any local television station, American Black Journal is now a major part of not only black history, but American history in its own right. The weekly series began with a mission to increase access to media relating to African American experiences during a time of great turmoil after the 1967 Detroit riots.
Today, American Black Journal still provides a platform to share thoughts and solutions that help empower and uplift the African American community. Each week the show includes interviews, round-table discussions, field-produced features, or artistic performances featuring a variety of African American guests, ranging from local residents making an impact in their neighborhood to some of the nation&#8217;s most recognized celebrities and leaders.
Join American Black Journal in celebrating #BlackHistoryEveryday by tuning in to new episodes on WTVS &#8211; Detroit Public TV every Sunday at 9:30am ET, or watch repeat episodes on Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET. Full episodes are also available to watch online anytime at <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/abj-episodes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">americanblackjournal.org</a>. You can also watch digitized versions of some of ABJ’s historic episodes, featuring important African American figures from the past 50 years <a href="http://abj.matrix.msu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.
Featured Image: Elijah Cummings and Barack Obama, Mixed media on wood by artist <a href="https://www.desireekellyart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Desiree Kelly</a> from the &#8220;Then and Now: A Retrospective of Portraits&#8221; series, Photo by Michael Sellers
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History

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