Families & Community

The environmental justice movement aims to address the disproportionate impact that environmental degradation has on people of color, the economically disadvantaged, and indigenous groups. 

Mustafa Santiago Ali spent more than two decades at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency working to fight air, water, and industrial pollution in those marginalized communities.

Today on Stateside, a Wayne State University law professor remembers Judge Damon Keith, the longest-serving black judge in American history who died Sunday at age 96. Plus, why the popular flower baby’s breath poses a threat to the coastal sand dunes of the Great Lakes.

Our state is home to the nation's largest population of Yemeni Americans. But what attracted Yemeni immigrants to Michigan in the first place?

For many, the driver was economic opportunity, particularly the kind that could be found while sailing the Great Lakes.

Two years ago, we shared with you the story of a young immigrant in Grand Rapids.

Brandon Reyes is part of a generation of immigrants known as dreamers, who arrived in the United States as children.

Margaret Lewis is a retired court reporter who lives in a big, older home in Highland Park -- the kind you say has "good bones," because it needs some work. 

She's on a fixed income, and she's done just about everything she can think of to lower her utility bills. 

One winter she even turned the thermostat down to 50 degrees.

Tenants who try to fight an eviction can quickly get caught up in bewildering legal issues. According to recent reporting from The Detroit News's Christine MacDonald, only 4.4% of renters show up in court with a lawyer. That’s compared to the 83% of landlords who have legal representation in eviction cases.

That has some housing advocates calling on the city of Detroit to provide attorneys to renters who have been evicted.

Stories of Flint's water crisis have been reported on in documentaries, magazines, newspapers, and on television and radio.  

But José Casas, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance, has found a new way to tell the stories of Flint residents — using theater.

Today on Stateside, we speak with two Oakland County public health officials about the measles outbreak there, and what residents can do to protect themselves and their children. Plus, a look at proposed reforms to Michigan's guardianship system for elderly and incapacitated adults. 

Today on Stateside, despite an upward economic trend in Michigan, nearly half of households in the state are struggling to afford basic necessities. Plus, it’s (finally) spring! We hear about the cultural significance of this transition for different cultural groups across the state.

Today, New Orleans is celebrating Fat Tuesday, also known as "Mardi Gras" in French. It's the last day before Ash Wednesday and the forty days of Lent, when many observers give up certain indulgences in anticipation of Easter Sunday. 

Delegates from the United Methodist Church voted Tuesday to continue a ban on same-sex marriage and gay and lesbian clergy.

The proposal - called the Traditional Plan - was approved by church members at the United Methodist General Conference in St. Louis.

Today on Stateside, a new plan to boost Detroit says restoring the city's African-American middle class is key to a successful revitalization effort. Plus, we hear about the Anishinaabe Theatre Exchange, a program that draws on indigenous storytelling traditions to talk about current social issues.

Today on Stateside, Michigan's new cyberbullying law goes into effect next month, but will it actually make kids safer from online harassment? Plus, a recent study from the University of Michigan finds that tens of thousands of Michigan kids and teens aren't getting the mental health treatment they need. 

William Thomas opens the front door of his house on the south side of Benton Harbor and leads the way to the kitchen.

He has a white goatee, and he has on a dark grey collared shirt and gold rimmed glasses.

He sits down at a round table with a stack of papers stuck to a clipboard. He pulls one out, a white sheet that was sent to him in the mail last fall.

Eight children and teens die by firearms every day in the United States. 

That's according to a recently-published study examining the leading causes of child and teen death in the country. 

Update, February 1, 2019, 10:26 a.m.:

Deadline Detroit reported Thursday that Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly, who refused to send out the issue of The Dearborn Historian because of Bill McGraw's story, has now fired McGraw as editor of the magazine. 

They also report that the Dearborn Historical Commission passed a resolution Thursday night in support of McGraw and his article. However, the resolution is not "binding on the mayor." 

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He's known for ushering in the five-dollar workday, the auto assembly line, and the Model T.

100 years ago this month, Henry Ford also bought his hometown newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, and used it as a platform to promote his anti-Semitic views.

Journalist Bill McGraw published a story on this topic in Deadline Detroit and joined Stateside today. He says Ford’s anti-Semitic views drew on hundreds of years of harmful stereotypes.

Cannabis, it turns out, is not just for smoking.

Since its legalization for both medical and recreational purposes, marijuana has been making its way into kitchens across Michigan, including the kitchen of Gigi Diaz. 

Diaz has been cooking professionally for years and recently, she’s started making cannabis-infused meals. She even won Best Chef at the 2017 High Times Michigan Cannabis Cup. Her business, Cannabis Concepts, does regular pop-ups all around Detroit.

“It’s really come a long way since your average pot brownie,” Diaz said.