Michigan history

An update on the Mackinac Policy Conference from the president of the Detroit Regional Chamber, ahead of tonight’s GOP gubernatorial debate. We hear about the attempted community called “The Palestine Colony.” Then we listen to a conversation from KEXP with an Ann Arbor musician.

We talked to two Michigan Radio reporters about their investigation into pandemic living conditions in Wayne County Jail. Plus, how segregationist George Wallace won the 1972 presidential primary in Michigan. And, why some evangelical churches are turning the pulpit into a political mouthpiece.

This special originally aired on May 21, 2021. It recently won an award from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters for Best Cultural Programming.…

For some Black people in the 19th and 20th centuries, "passing" meant living part or all of your life as non-Black. Recent creative works — Lovecraft Country, Passing, and The Vanishing Half — have brought the idea of passing back to the forefront. This month on Stateside, we discuss the life of a Detroiter who passed as white in the '40s and return to historical, pop culture references to passing in America.

In 1914, Elsie Roxborough was born into a wealthy, Black family in Detroit. But when she died in 1949, her death certificate listed her as white. Her life was rich, curious and at times, troubled, all while attempting a sort of high-wire-act of living multiple lives, between cities and names and races.

Cultural references to passing have been around for a long time. But recent works like the Rebecca Hall’s film adaptation of Nella Larsen’s book, Passing, have brought it back to the forefront. Today, we talk about the contexts that have caused this narrative to recur across the centuries.

Auto industry employers struggle to hire and retain workers. A two-part segment dives into the legacy of Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, his brother, Tenskwatawa, and their continuing impact in Michigan.

Imagine a series of regional electric rail systems that allow convenient, environmentally friendly train travel between key points in Michigan. That might sound like a vision of the future, but this is a story about Michigan’s past.

A 172 foot barge, the Atlanta, was recently found 35 miles off the coast of Michigan under 650 feet of water in Lake Superior.

Malcolm X was a son of Lansing, where he spent some of his most formative years before becoming the iconic activist we know today. So why aren't his quotes and legacy taught much in Michigan schools, or celebrated during Black History Month?