Detroit history

Detroiters might remember the magic of Boblo Island Amusement Park. But whatever happened to the Boblo boats that transported people back and forth to the island? A new film tells the tale of an effort to restore one of the steam-powered ships.

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

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.

The state health department pays social media influencers to promote COVID vaccines. The story of Elsie Roxborough, a Black Detroiter who passed as white in New York. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan marches on with his fight against blight.

"What up doe?" If you’ve heard the term before, you probably know it as a greeting or maybe even a question. But for many Black Detroiters, the phrase is a piece of home. Today, we'll talk about the history of "what up doe" and what it means to its originators.

Jamon Jordan is an educator and a historian, and has been telling Detroit's story for a long time. Now the city has named him its own official City Historian.

Today, a look into Michigan's COVID plan amidst the latest surge. Plus, we revisit our conversations with two local historians.

Jamon Jordan is an educator and historian who's been telling Detroit's story for along time. Now he's working as the city's official historian.

Today, what new campaign finance reports tell us about dark money in Michigan in this regulatory moment. Then, farm to school programs bringing fresh locally-sourced produce to schools in Petoskey and other cities around the state. And, we’ll talk with the first official historian for the city of Detroit.