Podcasts about black detroit

Hosts Vanessa Moss, Allan Lengel and Jim Nardone talk about the upcoming election, the polls and Detroit Black voters' attitudes about Arab candidates

"I am Detroit. My people still live here... and I'll be buried in Detroit soil." That declaration sets the tone for one of the most heartfelt conversations ever shared on Detroit is Different as Marsha Carter reflects on the Eastside neighborhoods, family roots, and church upbringing that shaped her life long before audiences knew her as a celebrated spoken word artist. Growing up between Seven Mile and Hull, attending and graduating from the legendary Pershing HS 'I'm a Dough Girl for Life.' Finding purpose in church, Marsha explains how faith became her first foundation. "I was a church girl in the hood," she says, reminding us that Black Detroit has always been filled with layered stories that refuse simple stereotypes. From there, the conversation blossoms into the remarkable evolution of a woman who transformed poetry into purpose. Marsha shares how spoken word became more than performance—it became confidence, business, healing, and community. She opens up about using creativity to discover her authentic voice, create opportunities for herself and others, and build spaces where culture and connection thrive. This episode is a testimony to the power of believing in your gifts, honoring where you come from, and understanding that when one person finds their voice, they inspire an entire community to imagine a stronger future together. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

In this episode, Donna and Sam sat down with Jai Smith, an official Influencer for Detroit Public Schools Community District to discuss a youth perspective on politics ahead of the 2026 Michigan Primary Election.If you're looking to learn more about candidates in each race check out our forum, held in partnership with SEIU Michigan, which took place on July 18th, ahead of the 2026 Michigan U.S. House, State House, and State Senate elections.At the forum, residents had the chance to learn where candidates stand on community priorities, local policy, and issues shaping Detroit's Eastside.To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit and watch the forum replay, click here. THIS WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:WAYNE COUNTY VOTERS WILL SHAPE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S FUTUREWHITMER ENDORSES STEVENS IN U.S. SENATE RACESupport the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

"I'm trying to put a beacon out so I can find my people." That powerful declaration from Lauren Hood captures the heart of this Detroit is Different conversation—a thoughtful exploration of belonging, leadership, and what it means to build community without sacrificing your peace. Recorded on the Fourth of July, this episode opens with reflections on Frederick Douglass and the enduring truth that many of the injustices he challenged remain with us today. Lauren shares how she has shifted from judging others to extending grace, reminding us that "everybody is doing the best that they can with the information they have available to them at the present moment." Together, Khary Frazier and Lauren Hood unpack the importance of protecting your nervous system, embracing your unique path instead of forcing yourself into ideological camps, and recognizing that authentic relationships—not titles or status—are what truly move Detroit forward. Lauren reflects on being a visionary rather than a manager, the power of broadcasting your values so your people can find you, and why the city's greatest resource has always been trust built over time. This conversation bridges the wisdom of Detroit's past with the possibilities of its future, offering timeless lessons about culture, organizing, friendship, and finding the courage to become more fully yourself so that stronger, healthier communities can emerge for generations to come. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“I just grew up thinking that was normal.” For John Sloan III, a childhood surrounded by music, theater, and Detroit's rich cultural traditions became the foundation for a life dedicated to using the performing arts as a tool for transformation. In this episode of Detroit is Different, John reflects on a career that has taken him from the stage as an actor to directing, producing, choreographing, and developing artists, revealing that theater is about far more than entertainment—it's about building community. "Behind every actor who looks amazing on stage are writers, designers, technicians, stage managers, and directors," he explains, highlighting the collaborative ecosystem that makes performance possible and the countless opportunities the arts create both onstage and behind the scenes. Drawing from his family's legacy of educators and musicians in Detroit Public Schools, John shares how storytelling, performance, and cultural expression became gateways for leadership, mentorship, and social activism. The conversation explores how Detroit's artistic institutions cultivate confidence, preserve Black history, and create spaces where difficult conversations about race, identity, and justice can unfold through creativity. From family stories about Detroit's historic trolley system and the city's legendary music culture to his own work developing productions like the Obsidian Theatre Festival, which platforms Black theatre. His journey reminds us that the arts are essential civic infrastructure—cultivating imagination, strengthening relationships, and organizing people around a shared vision for a more just and vibrant future. The Obsidian Theatre Festival (OTF) launched back in March 2021 as a platform for emerging Black voices in theatre and film. Visit to www.obsidianfest.org today to explore and discover more. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

In this episode, Donna and Sam sat down to discuss what went down at the 2026 Eastside Candidate Forum. The Eastside Candidate Forum, held in partnership with SEIU Michigan, took place on July 18th, ahead of the 2026 Michigan U.S. House, State House, and State Senate elections.At the forum, residents had the chance to learn where candidates stand on community priorities, local policy, and issues shaping Detroit's Eastside.To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit and watch the replay, click here. THIS WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:NO SHRI FOR ME: MCKINNEY BRINGS PROGRESSIVE CONGRESSIONAL HOPEFULSSupport the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

“The idea that things can fundamentally be better—and that we can make that happen—is what pulled me into organizing.” On this Detroit is Different episode, Chris Gilmer-Hill, candidate for Michigan State House District 8, connects his campaign to family history, Black Detroit memory, and years of grassroots political work. He traces his roots from his great-grandmother Annabelle coming from Louisiana to Wayne University in the 1930s, to his family becoming “the first Black family on their block” in University District with a racial covenant crossed out in Sharpie, to stories of sharecropping, labor struggle, and the Elaine Massacre shaping his understanding of power. Chris shares how Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign moved him from watching politics to organizing, rooted in the belief that “a better world is possible.” Through DSA and Detroit campaigns, he began knocking doors for Lyra Spencer, Denzel McCampbell, and others, learning that real power comes from “normal people” talking to neighbors about policies that can materially improve their lives. He has canvassed across Detroit—east side, west side, southwest, every council district—and says the work taught him that people are willing to listen. This episode shows how family knowledge, socialist values, environmental justice, and door-to-door organizing brought Chris from studying systems to fighting to change them. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

In this episode, Donna and Sam sat down with Organizer and Labor Policy Expert, Jasmine Kaltenbach to discuss the upcoming 2026 Eastside Candidate Forum.The Eastside Candidate Forum , held in partnership with SEIU Michigan, takes place on July 18th, ahead of the 2026 Michigan U.S. House, State House, and State Senate elections.At the forum, residents will have the chance to learn where candidates stand on community priorities, local policy, and issues shaping Detroit's Eastside.To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit and register for the forum, click here. THIS WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:HOW THE OBAMAS ARE MOTIVATING BLACK VOTERS IN MICHIGAN'S U.S. SENATE RACESupport the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

“As a lawyer, I have to be tough—but as a mom, I balance that with my soft approach.” Attorney Renette L. Jackson, founder of Legally Mom and author of Act Like a Teen, Think Like a Lawyer, brings fire, wisdom, and Detroit-rooted love into this powerful Detroit is Different conversation. With “at least five” generations tied to the city, Jackson traces her story through veterans, nurses, Northwestern pride, and the family home near Quincy and Gladstone, where “grandma's porch” and a clean alley shaped her understanding of safety, connection, and community. She honors her grandmother as “a general and a nurse,” a woman whose toughness and tenderness became the blueprint for Jackson's own legal mission. From Southfield High to Washington D.C., from politics to parenting, she shares why watching Detroit leaders helped her realize, “I need to go back home.” This episode is about more than law—it is about protecting families, preparing youth, and carrying ancestral strength into the future. Jackson's story reminds us: Detroit's past is not behind us; it is training us. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“I got the best of both worlds, country and as well as Detroit.” Tia Graham, co-host of WDET 101.9 FM's 'The Metro,' brings that layered truth into this Detroit is Different conversation, tracing her family's journey from Alabama and Arkansas to Detroit, where factory work, survival, and community shaped generations. From her grandfather “fleeing the Klan” to her Joy Rd upbringing near Exit 9, Tia opens up about the past that built her and the neighborhood that raised her. She remembers block parties, kids playing football in the street, the Boys and Girls Club, the Belle Isle strip with her Big Sister, and the everyday beauty often hidden from national & traditional media's Detroit narrative. “It was just our neighborhood McDonald's,” she says, challenging the way people talk about Joy Rd. This interview matters because it connects migration, memory, media, and Black Detroit's future. Tia's story shows how community survives through elders, siblings, culture, laughter, and people who choose to tell the truth with care. Listen to hear how a Detroit voice behind the microphone became a witness to the city's resilience, rhythm, and responsibility. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“Resources have been taken from the bottom and funneled up to the top.” Theo Pride, Organizing & Fiscal Operations Manager of Detroit People's Platform and founding member of Detroiters for Tax Justice, returns to Detroit is Different with the kind of grounded political clarity that gives listeners “some game.” Recorded on Juneteenth, this conversation moves through Detroit's past, present, and future, connecting freedom, poverty, development, tax justice, and Black political leadership. Theo reflects on the historic rise of Mayor Mary Sheffield, saying Detroit now has “somebody we know who is right from the city,” while also naming the unfinished work ahead for neighborhoods that have not felt the benefits of downtown growth. From food lines that remain long after COVID, to “working class folks” being squeezed by policy, to the belief that government must step in so “everybody has what they need,” Theo frames Detroit's challenges through community power. This episode matters because it asks who development is really for, what Black Detroit deserves, and how organizing can turn struggle into policy, resources, and a future where everyday Detroiters are centered. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

In this episode, Donna and Sam sat down with the City Council Person for District 4, Latisha Johnson Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Wayne State Dr. William Shuster, and Environmental Justice Director at Eastside Community Network, Dr. Marie Garcia to discuss what's happening with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) and the canals in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood.To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit, click here. THIS WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:ABDUL EL-SAYED LAUNCHES NEW AD TARGETING BLACK VOTERS AFTER MALLORY MCMORROW DROPS BID FOR SENATE Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

In this episode, Donna and Sam sat down with Sheba Rogers, Liz Kennedy, Ali Lakhani  and Valerie Kelly-Bonner to discuss a series of mental health roundtable discussions Detroit Justice, Henry Ford Health's Trauma Recovery Center, and Strategies to Overcome Obstacles and Avoid Recidivism (SOOAR) have hosted in the city.Trauma is often thought of as an injury resulting from a motor vehicle crash or gunshot wound. However, trauma can be any event resulting in physical, emotional, or life-threatening harm that has lasting adverse effects on an individual. The Trauma Recovery Center (TRC) is working to promote resiliency and holistic recovery for survivors following a crime. Their mission is to maximize the recovery of traumatically injured patients, families and communities through support, mental health services, education and access to resources.Since its founding in 2005, SOOAR has been committed to enhancing the lives of those in need throughout the Metro Detroit area. They measure success not just through data, but through the stories, feedback, and visible improvements in community well-being. SOOAR uses a holistic approach—offering education, support, and engagement—to promote healthier behaviors, reduce harms, and build stronger, resilient communities.The Detroit Justice Center (DJC) is a non-profit law firm and advocacy organization working to create just cities where every life is valued and supported with dignity and care. They are a national organization rooted in Detroit—a city emblematic of both the harms of racial capitalism and the resilience of community-led solutions. They engage in legal, policy, and narrative work to inspire the work of building just cities across the nation.To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit, click here. THIS WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:BENSON BRINGS GOVERNOR CAMPAIGN ACROSS MICHIGAN Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

“I am a lifelong Eastsider. I was born, raised, educated, and I still live on the East Side of Detroit.” Toinu Reeves, Michigan State Senate candidate for District 3, joins Detroit is Different with a story rooted in neighborhood, family, and economic vision. From being born at Hutzel Hospital to growing up near Mack and Chrysler, from Bates Academy to deep family roots in Jefferson Chalmers, Reeves carries the Eastside into every part of his campaign. He remembers Jefferson Chalmers as “one of the most beautiful places,” filled with big trees, river parks, swans, canals, elders, cousins, Spades tables, and pickup basketball. Known as the “Eastside Economist,” Reeves explains why he is running: to bring lived experience, financial knowledge, and policy skill together for a district that deserves more than campaign promises. With a background in economics, finance, public finance, tax policy, and trade, he breaks down “economic leakage,” collective ownership, neighborhood investment funds, and how Detroiters can build wealth by owning pieces of the businesses they already support. This episode is about protecting legacy, building Black wealth, and electing leaders with the tools to turn Eastside experience into policy that works for the future of Black Detroit. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“I came here from her love an spirit of Detroit”—that truth opens a powerful Detroit is Different conversation with Yelena Ramautar, Community Engager for the Caribbean Community Service Center, about migration, belonging, memory, and the work required to truly become part of a community. Yelena traces her journey from Guyana to the Bronx, then to Detroit in 2015 after her adoptive mother told her, “I got a home. Just come on. You can find your way and figure it out.” She reflects on New York gentrification, school closures, immigrant identity, and the shock of being “othered” at a predominantly white college after growing up among Black, Caribbean, Latino, and African communities. In Detroit, she learned that relationships may crack the door open, “but you have to do the work to show that you're invested.” Her mother's Detroit story—Cass Tech, Wayne State, teaching, and hearing Dr. King speak on Woodward—connects Black excellence, movement history, and family legacy. This episode asks what responsible cultural connection looks like as neighborhoods change and diasporic communities meet. Yelena's story reminds us that Detroit's future depends on honoring memory, resisting extraction, building trust, and turning migration into meaningful commitment to people, place, and shared liberation across generations. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

In this episode, Donna and Sam ran down some of the hottest political topics across the city including some of the upcoming primary elections. They also sat down the Jessica Kwalli, the owner of Jessica Blair Beauty.Jessica Kwalli is no stranger to identifying and servicing the needs of others which is why she is the Founder & CEO of Black Diamond Beauty Supply Co. LLC. As a native Detroiter, she was always at the epicenter of beauty and fashion. Growing up in the inner city made her realize there was a lack of representation and ownership in the hair care industry reflecting its largest consumers––African Americans. After repeated incidents of poor customer service and a lack of knowledge in Black hair at local beauty supply businesses, Kwalli made it her mission to create a hair care disruptor by the people and for the people.To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit, click here. Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

In this episode, Donna and Sam ran down some of the hottest political topics across the city including Mike Duggan's exit from the governor's race, Detroit's census case, UAW endorsements, money out of politics, and more!They also discuss Juneteenth and the importance of telling the story of Black people's freedom. The word "Juneteenth" bleeds "June" and "nineteenth," and the day is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. It became a federal holiday in 2021.Juneteenth marks the arrival of Union troops in Galveston, Texas. Many enslaved people already knew about the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. What they lacked was the power to make freedom real. Union troops enforced emancipation and helped transform freedom from a proclamation into a reality. Freedom on paper and freedom in practice were not always the same thing. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom delayed is freedom denied — and freedom enforced changes lives.To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit, click here. THIS WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:SHEFFIELD BACKS BENSON IN MICHIGAN GOVERNOR'S RACE Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

“Literally all of the creative gifts I have come from him.” Brittini Ward brings that truth into Detroit is Different with a conversation rooted in lineage, love, and the music that raises us. From tracing her family's migration through Kentucky, Arkansas, Jackson, Mississippi, Parkside, Six Mile, Palmer Park, and Sherwood Forest, Brittini shows how “this creativity, this movement, this dance, this Detroit, this down south” lives in the body before it ever becomes art. She reflects on her father—“drawing,” “pop locking,” DJing, writing, singing, serving as Sergeant Ward, and still making tapes saying “Goodnight, LaMarr Ward, goodnight, Ashlee Ward, goodnight, Brittini Ward” so his children could feel him close. That spirit becomes Baba Duke, her multimedia exhibition at Irwin House honoring music fathers and daughters through oral histories, portraiture, sound, memory, and love. This episode is about more than an exhibit; it is about how Black Detroit preserves fathers, daughters, neighborhoods, and futures through story. It connects the past we inherit to the future we build when memory becomes community practice. Come listen, feel, remember, and bring somebody you love there. Visit Baba Duke at Irwin House Detroit, 2351 West Grand Boulevard, Thursday–Saturday 12 PM–7 PM and Sunday 12 PM–6 PM. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

In this episode, Donna and Sam welcomed director and the founder of Plowshares Theatre Gary Anderson plus playwright Cándido Tirado to discuss the world premiere of “Roberto Clemente: A Diamond Within,” an original play written by Tirado.“Roberto Clemente: A Diamond Within” dramatizes the life of baseball great Roberto Clemente, one of the few Latin athletes who recognized his African ancestry. From his origins in Puerto Rico to his lengthy professional career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Clemente advocated for the civil rights of Black and Latino individuals both in and outside of baseball.They also took some time to discuss data centers and their potential impact on the community following Governor Gretchen Whitmer's controversial appearance at OpenAI's data center groundbreaking in Saline and a proposed data center on Detroit's east side.To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit, click here. THIS WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:WOMEN ARE DYING AT MICHIGAN'S ONLY FEMALE PRISON, AND LAWMAKERS ARE DEMANDING CHANGES Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

In this episode, Donna and Sam welcomed the latest member of the Authentically Detroit Podcast Network, Kamaria Gray, to discuss her newly released podcast “Roots & Wonder.” Roots & Wonder Podcast is a storytime space where little ones are invited to slow down, listen closely, and remember.Each episode retells beloved African folktales carried across generations through voice, rhythm, and imagination.They also took some time to break down what's happening with the contaminated demolition dirt in the city, which some believe led to the conclusion of Mike Duggan's Gubenatorial campaign. To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit, click here. THIS WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:MONEY OUT OF POLITICS BALLOT INITIATIVE TURNS IN 561K SIGNATURES Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

“It's not one lane… it's multi-lane, like 75 or something.” Dre Clemons brings that Detroit truth into this episode of Detroit is Different, sharing a life shaped by Joy Road, hip-hop, design, education, and community responsibility. Known through worlds connected to Detroit's Most Wanted, Whodini, music, product design, transportation design, and architecture, Dre explains how growing up near Wyoming, Livernois, Rouge Steel, arcades, Dairy Queen, McKenzie, and Cass Tech built his imagination. He remembers Joy Road as “both a joy and a treacherous place to be,” where industry, danger, family, music, and style all moved together. Dre's story opens a deeper understanding of Black Detroit creativity: the same hands that touched hip-hop culture also studied computer-aided drafting, designed products, taught at College for Creative Studies and the University of Michigan, and poured into young people. This conversation matters because it connects Detroit's past to its future—showing how neighborhood lessons become art, engineering, entrepreneurship, and education. Dre Clemons reminds us that Detroit brilliance has always lived in the streets, schools, plants, bands, and families that shaped the culture. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“We got the goods for you here.” Drake Phifer returns to Detroit is Different to share the heart behind Detroit Diaspora, a cultural festival built around the music, movement, art, food, vendors, and unmistakable style Detroit has carried across the world. In conversation with Khary Frazier, Drake frames the event as a homecoming for Detroiters and descendants of Detroiters whose families, creativity, and influence now live across the globe. Detroit Diaspora honors the DJs, dancers, visual artists, makers, and community builders who keep the city's spirit alive wherever they land. More than a festival, it is an immersive celebration of Black Detroit's cultural reach—connecting Paris, Berlin, Washington, D.C., Thailand, and beyond back to the city that shaped the sound. 8th Annual Detroit Diaspora Day Fest is a 12-hour celebration of global Black culture where the family reunion, art opening, house party, marketplace, cipher, and block party meet.This year's musical experience brings together selectors, artists, and cultural storytellers, including: DJs will move the crowd, artists will showcase visual stories, vendors will share fashion, food, jewelry, wellness, and cultural goods, while canopy lounges create space to connect. Experience cultural storytellers from Detroit, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, D.C., St. Louis, Cleveland, and beyond. Explore the Detroit Diaspora Pop-Up Art Show curated by Kirsten Jordan, Jonathan Kimble, and Drake Phifer, featuring Dwele, Asia Hamilton, Anita Sewell, Anthea Calhoun, Alecia Robinson, Audrey Johnson, Brian Nickson, Corey Chavis Jr., and more. Explore the Detroit Diaspora Pop-Up Art Show featuring Dwele and more. Detroit is Different will be live onsite capturing features. Come ready to dance, shop, view art, connect, remember, and celebrate. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“The Black church has the ability to do so much—and it can do so much more.” Dr. Charles Williams, pastor of historic King Solomon Baptist Church, joins Detroit is Different for a powerful conversation on faith, family, organizing, and the sacred responsibility of serving Black Detroit. Dr. Williams opens up about how Dr. Charles Simmons of the Hush House, a member of King Solomon, connected him to the legendary church over a decades ago—a house of worship where Malcolm X delivered “Message to the Grassroots,” Dr. King spoke, Joe Louis gave, and generations organized for freedom. Now Michigan Chair of the National Action Network, Dr. Williams reflects on his Detroit roots, his family's migration story, and the wisdom he gained as a young reverend from Rev. Horace Sheffield II and Rev. Jim Holley. He shares how King Solomon continues to be more than a church: “a social center,” a place of advocacy, community action, and healing. With his wife's work in health and well-being shaping their ministry, and his doctorate from the University of Michigan grounding the Black Church's role in the Black family, this interview bridges Detroit's past and future. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

In this special live episode, Donna and Sam sat down with the producer of Authentically Detroit, Sarah Johnson and Jerjuan Howard, the owner of the newly opened Howard Family Bookstore for a powerful evening rooted in storytelling, reflection, and community.The discussion surrounded the creation of Divining Freedom, a novel written by Donna. This multigenerational story explores the legacy of the Great Migration, the building of Black institutions, and the women who carry communities forward when systems failed them.They also spoke with JerJuan about his writing journey, and what it means to create and share Black literature within Black-owned spaces. The conversation serves as a reminder that storytelling is not only an art form, but a way of preserving memory, challenging systems, and imagining new possibilities for our communitiesTo purchase copies of Divining Freedom, click here.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

In this special live episode, Donna and Orlando reunite for a book talk at the Charles H. Wright Museum in collaboration with Next Chapter Books. This compelling book talk featured two exceptional Detroit authors: Aaron Robertson, author of The Black Utopians, and Michelle Adams, author of The Containment. Together, they explored the enduring relevance of Black Utopia, freedom, and justice in a timely conversation about history, place, and the futures we imagine.To purchase copies of The Black Utopians and/or The Containment, click here.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

“There's no place on the planet, and I mean that, that loves my dad the way that Detroit does.” Joyce Barrow-Henderson, daughter of boxing legend and Detroit champion Joe Louis, brings warmth, history, and family truth to Detroit is Different as she prepares for the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership birthday celebration honoring her father on Saturday, July 23, 2026, at 10am at the Warren Trailhead, 7241 McDonald, Detroit, MI 48210. In this powerful conversation, Joyce shares why Detroit's love for Joe Louis still feels personal, saying here he is not distant history—he is “Uncle Joe.” She opens up about the Joe Louis Foundation's mission, rooted in his “kindness,” “generosity,” education, and community connection. The interview moves beyond the boxing ring into Joe Louis' impact on Black Detroit business, culture, sports, and pride—from Brewster Recreation Center to Black Bottom, Flame Show Bar, golf, horses, family, and the doors he opened for others. Joyce reminds us, “If you think he was a great boxer, he was an even greater daddy.” This episode connects Detroit's past and future through legacy, land, love, and community memory. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

In this episode, Donna and Sam welcomed Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Empowerment Plan, Veronika Scott, plus Chief Executive Officer of COTS Detroit, Cheryl P. Johnson, to discuss their 16-year partnership - centering a shared mission of providing emergency help for people experiencing homelessness and providing pathways out of generational poverty.The Coalition On Temporary Shelter's (COTS) dedication to the needs of homeless men, women, and children grew out of a meeting in 1981 between a group of church leaders and human service providers in downtown Detroit. Officially formed in 1982, they have a mission to address Detroit's homelessness crisis by providing shelter and essential services that help participants achieve self-sufficiency.On March 17th, Empowerment Plan - a Detroit-based, workforce development organization that produces sleeping bag coats for people experiencing homelessness - distributed its milestone 100,000th coat to COTS Detroit, its longest-running partner. Started by Veronika Scott in 2015, The Empowerment Plan creates significant economic impact by serving as a stepping stone out of poverty into a state of stability. The core of their work stems from an intensive 2-year employment model focused on providing job readiness training and support services to their workforce. To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit, click here. THIS WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE:SUPREME COURT GUTTING OF VOTING RIGHTS ACT STRIPS BLACK POLITICAL POWER, EXPERTS SAYBERNIE SANDERS DRAWS HUNDREDS IN DETROIT AS PROGRESSIVES PICK BETWEEN EL-SAYED, MCMORROWSupport the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

“I'm vested in Detroit,” Portia Powell says, and that line carries the power of this whole conversation. In this Detroit is Different episode, One Detroit Credit Union President & CEO Portia Powell shares a story rooted in Black Detroit family legacy, Eastside resilience, and the financial wisdom she first witnessed through her mother's life. From growing up near Mack and 75, watching her mother rise from hardship into homeownership and real estate, to learning firsthand that “credit and financial knowledge are gateways to opportunity,” Portia reflects on how those lessons shaped her path. With more than two decades in banking, she has truly walked the road “from a teller to a CEO,” bringing both sharp expertise and a community-centered heart to her leadership. This interview is bigger than personal success—it connects the past and future of Detroit by showing how family teaching, neighborhood identity, and access to financial tools can help build stronger communities. Portia's story matters because it reminds listeners that institutions can still feel human, leadership can still feel local, and Detroit's future grows from the people who never stopped believing in us. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

In this episode, Donna and Sam introduce the latest segment on Authentically Detroit, What's Happening at ECN featuring Outreach Manager for the Housing & Economic Department at Eastside Community Network, Kevin Ashwood.Kevin leads resident engagement, community outreach, and program education efforts centered on housing stability, wealth building, and neighborhood empowerment across Detroit's Eastside.They also introduce the latest addition to the Authentically Detroit Podcast Network, 482Forward Education Organizer, Arlyssa Heard. Arlyssa is taking 482Forward's mission and turning it into a podcast! Have You Heard? Is a podcast dedicated to addressing school reform from all angles. Whether it be students, teachers, parents, or administrators - Arlyssa wants to talk to them all and get to the bottom of one question - how can we produce better outcomes for our students?To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit, click here. Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

In this episode, Donna and Sam recap some of the top headlines from the weekend's Michigan Democratic Party Convention! Many celebrated over the weekend as Michigan progressives scored key victories. Michigan Democrats say they are closer together ahead of the midterm elections, despite the existing divisions within the party over foreign wars and corporate power.Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit secured nominations for Secretary of State and Attorney General at the endorsement convention.However, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and Jordan Acker were booed by party delegates on Sunday. The outbursts illustrated the major divide between Democrats as leaders attempt to unite ahead of the 2026 midterms. Acker was ultimately ousted by civil rights attorney Amir Makled as nominee for the University of Michigan Board of Regents while Stevens will face Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate Primary in August. To stay up to date on all things Authentically Detroit, click here.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

“Land is wealth,” and in Detroit that truth hits different. In this powerful Detroit is Different conversation, Attorney Anthony Adams joins Khary Frazier to break down what home ownership really means in Detroit today—not just living in a house, but having “legal title to the property,” clear paperwork, and the protection to hold on to what our families worked for. Adams explains how Detroit went from a city rooted in Black homeownership to one facing what he calls an “economic tsunami,” where overassessment, foreclosure, land contracts, and fraudulent deeds have put generations of Detroiters at risk. He makes deed fraud plain: “someone who has no claim of interest in a property gets possession of a property and transfers it to someone else,” often leaving families shocked to learn a home has been stolen on paper. This episode is essential listening for anybody buying, inheriting, protecting, or fighting for a house in Detroit, as Adams lays out why title work matters, why “you can't get title from someone who's never owned it,” and what families must do right now to defend their legacy. From elders in nursing homes to homes passed down without clear deeds, this is a deep, practical, and urgent conversation about wealth, vigilance, and community survival. The past taught Detroit that homeownership builds stability; this episode shows how protecting it shapes our future. Attorney Anthony Adams practices at Marine Adams Law PC, marineadamslawpc.com, (313) 961-5535. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“As you know, literacy rates in Detroit are low… we needed a third space,” Jerjuan Howard says, and that conviction powers this special on-location episode of Detroit is Different from inside the Howard Family Bookstore. Raised in this very community, Jerjuan takes listeners into a vision rooted in memory, mission, and neighborhood love as he shares how a boarded-up building at 13803 Puritan Ave became a living dream through patience, craftsmanship, and collective support. “When I came home from college… I knew I wanted to invest back into Puritan,” he explains, connecting this bookstore to the same community-centered energy that has driven his work with Umoja Village and the Umoja Debate League. More than a place to buy books, this emerging space is being shaped as an essential Black Detroit third space for coffee, tea, poetry, youth discovery, local authors, and everyday connection. With stories of legacy, literacy, ownership, and the power of neighbors building with their own hands, this conversation captures both the past and future of community on Puritan—just weeks before the grand opening on April 25, 2026 at 11 a.m. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“Once I saw that, I knew that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be on radio.” That spark carries this rich Detroit is Different conversation with Gerald McBride author of the new book God and the DJ. Gerald McBride is a legendary radio DJ, voice-over master, and filmmaker, whose story stretches from the soul team reporter days of 1970s Detroit radio to becoming one of the city's most recognizable voices. Gerald takes listeners inside a living archive of Black Detroit sound, sharing how watching Donnie Simpson work the board with a grease pencil and razor blade made radio feel like magic, and how hearing his own family name on air made the dream real. He reflects on a time when Detroit radio was deeply tied to community, when DJs had personality, creative freedom, and real relationships with listeners. From memories of Martha Jean “The Queen” and the power of WJLB to stories of being live with Roger Troutman of Zapp and building beloved R&B artists battles, this episode is joy, history, and cultural testimony. Gerald's journey also points forward through film, including his work telling the story of Black teenagers playing hockey—proof that Black Detroit creativity keeps evolving, teaching, and inspiring future generations. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“Everybody was moving to the north for jobs,” Beverly Smith says, and in that one line she opens a powerful story of migration, Black ambition, and building something lasting in Detroit. In this Detroit is Different conversation, the founder and CEO of Detroit Smart Pages reflects on arriving in Detroit from Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1968, just after the rebellion, with her husband and young child, chasing opportunity and a bigger life. What unfolds is a rich journey through entrepreneurship, from early business ownership with Black Pages roots, to photography, to becoming a longtime publisher uplifting Black business, neighborhood stories, and Detroit's living legacy. Smith's voice carries the wisdom of someone “of the community, in the community,” and her reflections on mentors like David Rambeau and Ron Scott connect her personal path to a wider tradition of Black media, activism, and cultural documentation. This episode matters because it shows how Black Detroit has always created its own platforms, archives, and celebrations of “legends, luminaries and legacy.” Beverly Smith's story is about more than publishing—it is about how community storytelling preserves the past while giving future generations a roadmap for self-determination, visibility, and pride. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“Everybody needs that bridge.” In this Detroit is Different conversation, Njia Kai—Mama Njia of NKSK Events and Productions—pulls up with the kind of wisdom that only comes from building culture for decades. She celebrates the next wave of Detroit creators, saying she loves seeing “a continuum… the foundations aren't totally forgotten,” and laughs at how our kids swear they'll never be like us—until “what you nurtured… shows up in their lives later.” Khary and Mama Njia talk village economics in real time: pulling cables, finding last-minute food, and the “mutual support and reciprocation” that keeps Black Detroit experiences alive. With tenderness, she reflects on the loss of her daughter Indica and how community showed up—“this feels like home… this is how they used to do it”—drummers, chairs, food, altar, love. She drops game on legacy: teach the “root” so young people can innovate, balance “the intellect and the intuition,” and remember elders as “wisdom keepers… the baba tree.” From travel myths to mentoring, she reminds us: “All things are possible,” so stay curious, stay present, discern who's “born to serve,” and keep building what comes next for Legacy Black Culture because Detroit's future depends on memory turned into motion—together, always. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“Women are the backbones of family, of community,” Theresa Landrum ( of the Original United Citizens of Southwest Detroit) declares in a Detroit is Different conversation that moves with power, memory, and urgency. In this episode, Landrum traces how her family came from Tennessee into the “triple cities” of Ecorse, River Rouge, and Southwest Detroit, where Black families built businesses, bought homes on land contract, raised gardens, and created what she calls “our own Harlem Renaissance.” She lifts up a world where “we were our own mecca,” rich with doctors, teachers, churches, artists, and everyday people making life together under the pressure of redlining and racism. But this story is also a warning and a call to action. Landrum makes plain that “Jim Crow never ended, it just evolved,” and shows how pollution, industry, and disinvestment made environmental justice a life-or-death issue in Black Detroit. Her words, “the environmental justice movement was born off the backs and the work… of Black women,” frame this interview as both history lesson and organizing guide. This episode matters because it connects Legacy Black Culture to the future: protecting Black community means protecting Black air, Black land, Black health, and Black survival. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com Find out more at https://detroit-is-different.pinecast.co

“Detroit is different… it's all because of the melanin that we're getting from the sun.” In this Detroit is Different conversation, Brother Chungalia—an original member of the US Organization founded by Dr. Maulana Karenga, creator of Kwanzaa, and among the first to celebrate it—takes us from post-riot Los Angeles to the deep roots of Black Detroit. He calls his move here “inevitable,” recalling LA's Congress building politics—“Jesse Jackson had an office there”—and the discipline of a movement that spoke Swahili daily. He stitches together Conant Gardens, Paradise Valley, and the Blue Bird Inn with a moment of Black memory so wild it feels like spirit work: “She remembered me… from 1959 and spotted me in 1974,” leading to “the only time I cried tears of joy.” From there, he flips elder testimony into future blueprint—“What's the most important thing in your whole life?… breathing”—and warns that “technology is killing humanity,” pushing him to claim, “I'd rather be known… as a humanitarian,” even while rooted in Black nationalism. This episode is a bridge between the past that made Detroit's African-centered movement possible and the future our children deserve—where the Nguza Saba isn't nostalgia, it's a survival manual for Legacy Black culture today. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“Politics taught me and prepared me for a world that is more political than politics.” Wayne County Commissioner (District 2) and 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Chair Jonathan Kinloch joins Detroit is Different for a Detroit-rooted, world-spanning conversation that starts at Second & Myrtle—“you know you're Detroit when you remember” it was once Myrtle, now MLK—and reaches back to South Carolina and New Jersey family migrations. Kinloch breaks down how elders like Erma Henderson wrapped their arms around a young volunteer, handing him the City Charter and saying, “I want you to read that and… explain it to me,” then sending him to police, planning, and historic commission meetings to learn how power really moves. From Northwestern's Motown pipeline—meeting Esther Gordy Edwards—to giving artists civic honors, Kinloch reveals the thread between culture and governance: legacy is built when we protect the block, the schools, and the ballot. He names Reagan-era disinvestment, party infrastructure fights, and why “this bipartisan thing is… bull crap” when working families need results. This episode ties past and future Black Detroit: migration, mentorship, music, and the mandate to organize precinct by precinct so our people steer what's next. Tap in for stories, strategy, and Detroit love. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“Wake up people, we stay asleep”—and from that call, this Detroit is Different conversation with Kevin Tolbert, 12th Congressional District Democratic Party Chair, moves like a family reunion and a strategy session. Four generations deep—Kentucky, Tennessee, Black Bottom, then East Side to West Side—Tolbert maps how Legacy Black Detroit culture gets made through migration, work, and neighborhood bonds. He shares a laugh and love of how his parents and older siblings discovered his intellect at an early age, then turns serious about Bates Academy and Dr. Gibson's lesson: “Excuses are tools of the incompetent.” From there the talk widens to labor power and city politics—how unions built an American & Detroit' Black middle class, why government contracts “make millionaires,” and why Coleman A. Young mattered because he changed the power dynamics. Tolbert connects the past to today's fights over media narratives, water, data, and corporate greed, warning that when people stop learning history, they repeat it. It's a Detroit story about family, discipline, and organizing—why our legacy is a toolkit, and why the future depends on whether we wake up. He honors the skill, talent, and brilliance of Black Detroit and insists, “we're made of something different”— and at our best when faith and collective action are at our center. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

The Authentically Detroit Podcast Network in collaboration with Detroit One Million presents: The Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Sam Robinson!Together, Donna and Sam illuminate the complexities of Detroit's unique political landscape and give residents a resource for navigating civic engagement and election season.In this final episode of the year, they confront ICE targeting of Detroit students and families, press local leaders on silence and accountability, and weigh how Michigan's political shifts will shape real safety, housing, and power. For more episodes of the Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, click here.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

“We hate poverty. We have to find a way to eliminate it.” That's how Maureen Taylor— a historic Detroit frontline warrior for the poor—sets the tone for this electrifying Detroit is Different conversation recorded inside the historic General Baker Institute. From the moment she says she's “a blue-collar African American from way back,” Maureen unfolds a legacy woven through Black Bottom, the Great Migration, and Detroit's first Black-owned cab company founded by her grandfather who came north “my grandfather chased by the Klan but driven by purpose.” She recounts the wealth, ingenuity, and community care that shaped her childhood on McDougall—Halloween streets full of thousands of kids, Polish and Italian neighbors trading pierogis and cheesecake, and a Detroit where “we didn't need anything else from anybody else.” Her stories move into activism: meeting General Baker after throwing rocks off a college roof, being “saved” by Maryann Mahaffey, organizing with Marian Kramer, and fighting water shutoffs all the way to the Vatican—literally. Maureen's voice bridges Detroit's past and future, reminding us why legacy Black culture isn't nostalgia, but instruction. This episode is a masterclass in resistance, family, faith, and the unbreakable spirit of Black Detroit. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“If it's not there, you build it.” With that declaration, Jahra McKinney—Director and Director of Collections at the Detroit Sound Conservancy—steps into the Detroit Is Different studio and delivers a masterclass on legacy, love, and the power of preserving Black culture. In this rich conversation, Jahra traces her family's Detroit story from her grandmother Essie's legendary Oakland Avenue beauty shop—“she was meticulous… a matriarch”—to the vibrant West Side community that raised her during Detroit's golden era of neighborhood life. She reflects on becoming an artist and organizer shaped by jazz greats like her late husband Harold McKinney and the intergenerational music ecosystem that “kept Detroit excellent by passing the torch.” Jahra shares how losing Harold revealed the urgent need for a Black-led archive—“I realized nobody was preserving us… so I had to learn to do it myself”—and how that mission fuels the Detroit Sound Conservancy's restoration of the sacred Blue Bird Inn. This episode is a living bridge between the Detroit that was and the Detroit being rebuilt through cultural memory, community love, and creative discipline. It's a celebration of the people who “stood on shoulders and became shoulders”—a blueprint for honoring the past while preparing space for the next generation of Black Detroit brilliance. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“I enjoy bringing joy for us all.” That's how Erika Monaé Lewis — founder of The EMG Network and creator of Networking on Purpose — explains the spark that's been in her since childhood. In this Detroit is Different conversation, Erika unpacks how growing up on the East Side near the old city airport, running the block with friends, and soaking in the wisdom of the neighborhood shaped her gift for connection. “I want to see you win. I want to see you grow,” she says, tracing her journey from DSA drama major and pomerette to HR leader refusing to “sign off on injustice,” to a coach teaching professionals how to turn relationships into results. Erika breaks down why networking isn't small talk — it's self-leadership, imagination, and joy rooted in legacy Black Detroit culture. From migration stories out of Olive Branch, Mississippi to the discipline it takes to step fully into entrepreneurship, Erika reminds us that “failure is never final,” and that authentic relationships are a form of wealth our grandparents modeled long before LinkedIn. This episode is a bridge — from the past practices that kept Black Detroit alive to the future strategies that will keep us connected, empowered, and winning together. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

The Authentically Detroit Podcast Network in collaboration with Detroit One Million presents: The Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Sam Robinson!Together, Donna and Sam illuminate the complexities of Detroit's unique political landscape and give residents a resource for navigating civic engagement and election season.In this episode, they trace Detroit's housing failures from the Leland House scare to a subsidy-first market that missed real demand, then turn to solutions that center seniors, families, and accountability. Then, Maxwell Murray shows how DCFC and the Urban Football League use street soccer, food, and learning to reclaim space and teach civic power.Maxwell is a Detroit native and founder of The Urban Football League. He joined Detroit City FC in March 2024 to support youth programming and expand access to the game across Detroit. A proud Detroiter, he first connected with the club as a summer intern in 2017. He studied African and Black Diasporic Studies at DePaul University, where he founded The Urban Football League to use soccer as a tool for cultural expression and community building. At DCFC, he leads efforts to break down barriers to participation and chairs the Youth Travel Program's Community Resource Group.For more episodes of the Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, click here.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

“If we don't remember what 1926 taught us, we'll miss what 2026 is calling us to do.”In this electric Detroit Is Different episode, Gary Anderson—Artistic Director of Plowshares Theatre Company—pulls us deep into the crossroads of past and future Black liberation through the lens of Black theater. Anderson reminds us that W.E.B. Du Bois' 1926 call for theaters “by us, for us, about us, and near us” still hits with urgency today as America heads toward its 250-year anniversary. Through stories ranging from the rebirth of the KKK to Black women losing jobs in record numbers, he argues that the same pressures that shaped our ancestors' creative resistance are re-emerging—and theater remains one of our sharpest tools for truth-telling, healing, and institution-building. Anderson shares why Plowshares' 36-year legacy matters, how Black theater has always whispered the messages our people needed, and why 2026 will launch work like Roberto Clemente: A Diamond Within to unite Black Detroit across generations. From FUBU to Killmonger, from collard greens to cultural survival, this conversation is a masterclass in how Black Detroit remembers, creates, and fights forward. If you care about legacy Black culture—its roots and its next chapter—you need this episode. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“Detroit would be a sad place if we weren't all different,” says Hot Sam's co-owner Tony Stovall, opening a conversation that moves like a masterclass in Black Detroit legacy, style, and spiritual grounding. In this Detroit is Different episode, Tony traces his journey from East St. Louis to the Eastside, from a 15-year-old getting his first suit to becoming co-owner of Detroit's oldest Black-owned clothing store, a century-strong institution that shaped generations of our city's fashion identity. “You have one opportunity to make your first impression,” he reminds us, weaving lessons on manhood, mentorship, and the power of loving our people out loud. Tony shares how he and Mr. Green built Hot Sam's through grit, customer devotion, and faith—“Nothing comes between me and my partner but me or him”—and how Detroit's flair impacts the world. This episode speaks to past and future: migration, Motown elegance, Black entrepreneurship, and why keeping the Black dollar circulating is a cultural responsibility. If you love Detroit, if you believe in legacy, if you believe that style is spiritual—this is required listening. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“Boycotting is good, but building is better.” In this Detroit is Different conversation, Black Leaders Detroit CEO & Founder Dwan Dandridge breaks down what it really means to build a Black future funded by Black people—one dollar a week at a time. We talk about why a simple commitment like, “We should be able to prioritize five minutes to donate a dollar,” is not just crowdfunding, it's a direct continuation of the Million Man March energy where, as Dwan remembers, “They told us to pull out a dollar and said, ‘This is what they fear.'” Dwan walks us through how Black Leaders Detroit has moved over $5 million in no-interest loans and grants to Black-owned businesses, from barbershops to boutiques to natural hair pioneers like Textures by Nefertiti, proving that “$2,500 or $5,000 might not be a lot to some, but it can save a building, a legacy, and a block.” He also gets deeply personal—sharing how he flatlined in 2018, now lives with a pacemaker, and still chooses a leadership style rooted in sacrifice: “Everybody else gets to run to safety. If anybody goes under the bus, it ends up being the leader.” From telling funders “we don't do any ass kissing here,” to refusing to water down the name Black Leaders Detroit even as attacks on DEI rise, Dwan's ethic is simple: “I don't allow myself to want anything bad enough to compromise what's right.” This episode is about legacy Black culture as living practice—cooperative economics, spiritual courage, and the kind of reputation where, as Dwan says, “If I'm not who I say I am, I want to get exposed.” Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“We were really tired of the media narrative around Black men.” From that frustration, Darlene King-Turner – CEO & President of The Unity Collective – helped birth the National Black Men in Leadership Conference, now in its fifth year and returning to Huntington Place this December as a direct response to the murder of George Floyd and generations of distorted images of Black manhood. In this Detroit is Different episode, she traces her roots from Georgia and Alabama to the downriver 48217/Southwest Detroit corridor – a Black community of steelworkers, teachers, Black doctors, and midwives – and connects that history to today's environmental injustice, noting that those zip codes carry some of the state's highest cancer rates while being “forgotten when it's time for capital and funding.” Darlene walks us through being sent as a 17-year-old to a mostly white Christian college in the U.P. so she could “learn how America really operates,” then coming back to Wayne State in the early '90s as Africana Studies, Kente stoles, and Black graduation reshaped campus culture. From building Wayne RESA's first professional development and events department to crafting its first diversity strategy, she breaks down how “diversity brought people in the door, inclusion tried to make them feel like they belonged, but equity is what really shook the table,” and why equity isn't “taking something from you to give to someone else,” but giving people what they need to thrive. We unpack DEI's current backlash and Project 2025, why Black men still hold only 3.2% of leadership roles nationally, and why some are now afraid to even attend a conference with “Black” in the title, even as Darlene insists that “until Black men are in the boardrooms and the C-suites, this country will not grow in the way it needs to.” She frames this year's theme, The Power of Us, as both a call to action and an extension of the Civil Rights fight – from Detroit's African-centered education battles to today's reparations and racial equity work – making this episode a blueprint for how legacy Black Detroit is shaping the future of Black leadership and why loving on Black men in public is essential to the next chapter of our culture. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

The Authentically Detroit Podcast Network in collaboration with Detroit One Million presents: The Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Sam Robinson!Together, Donna and Sam illuminate the complexities of Detroit's unique political landscape and give residents a resource for navigating civic engagement and election season.In this episode, they trace how a demolition contractor without proper bonding left subcontractors unpaid, raised environmental risks through contaminated backfill, and exposed failures in selection, oversight, and ethics. They also discuss the WNBA's Detroit return and the debate over what to name the team. Finally, they break down a high-stakes fight over DTE rate hikes plus their proposed AI data center whose impact on the environment and customer rates remain unknown. Together they take a look at how statewide politics are shaping oversight and the future of environmental justice.For more episodes of the Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, click here.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The Authentically Detroit Podcast Network in collaboration with Detroit One Million presents: The Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Sam Robinson!Together, Donna and Sam illuminate the complexities of Detroit's unique political landscape and give residents a resource for navigating civic engagement and election season.In this episode, they weigh Detroit's debate flashpoint over federal collaboration, trace how crime narratives collide with community violence intervention, and unpack why history makes National Guard talk a red line. For more episodes of the Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, click here.Support the showFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.