Authentically Detroit

This week, Authentically Detroit is amplifying youth voices! The Vaulted Youth Podcast Program provides youth the opportunity to develop and produce their very own podcasts! This week we introduce The Black Bubble, The Culture Channel, and Black N Smart - original podcasts created by our young people.  FOR HOT TAKES: COULD $1,200 A MONTH IN DIRECT CASH HELP DETROITERS? THIS GROUP THINKS SO   WHITM...

Spring has sprung this week on Authentically Detroit! Orlando sat down with Dr. Eddie Connor, Spokesman for the American Cancer Society, Author, and recipient of The President Obama Lifetime Achievement Award. The two discussed Eddie’s journey as a cancer survivor and among many things, what it means to forgive. FOR HOT TAKES: DUGGAN PUTS CRIME ON RESIDENTS - TO THE TUNE OF $700,000   COOLEY HIGH...

This week Authentically Detroit spent 313 Day discussing the housing crisis.  Donna sat down with Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas, the stars of HGTV’s Bargain Block, plus Tansley Stearns, President & CEO of Community Financial Credit Union (CFCU). The group discussed Bargain Block & CFCU’s new partnership, which intends to make home buying more attainable for Detroiters! FOR HOT TAKES: VACANT...

This week Authentically Detroit discusses the importance of on-the-ground philanthropy! Donna and Orlando sat down with The Gilbert Family Foundation’s Director of Detroit Community Initiatives, Darnell Adams, to discuss how Black Detroiters are leading Dan Gilbert’s $500 million philanthropic pledge to the Detroit community.  FOR HOT TAKES: MICHIGAN STOPPED OHIO TOXIC WASTE LAST WEEK, BUT WE IMPO...

This week Authentically Detroit hosted a special live episode with historian Jamon Jordan! Jamon is the founder of The Black Scroll Network, History & Tours, LLC and currently serves as the official Historian for the City of Detroit. In honor of Black History Month, Jamon discusses Detroit’s history as a center for Black Power beginning during slavery.  FOR HOT TAKES: ELECTION DENIER KRISTINA...

This week, Authentically Detroit sits down Jeremiah Steen! Jeremiah founded The Steen Foundation, sits on the Board of Trustee's for the Skillman Foundation and is the brain behind Critical Youth Theory. On top of that he is also a student at the University of Detroit Mercy. Learn more about Jeremiah's work here . For Hot Takes: Mayor Mike Duggan proposes $156M budget surplus spending to...

This week Authentically Detroit sat down with author Tinisha D. Brugnone. She and Orlando discuss her book, Pimpette Chronicles: A Modern Black Woman’s Guide to Dating Safely and Navigating These Mean Streets. Tinisha shares her inspiration behind the book as well as some of her history as a filmmaker.  You can find Tinisha’s novel out now, on Amazon .  FOR HOT TAKES: MICHIGAN INFLATION RELIEF CHE...

This week Authentically Detroit sat down with Charity Dean of the Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance. The episode begins with a somber discussion on the murder of Tyre Nichols and the state of policing in Black communities. Donna, Orlando and Charity also discuss the deliberate destruction of Black wealth in Detroit with the construction of I-375 and what constitutes reparations for those impac...

This week Authentically Detroit welcomed our new cohort of Vaulted Youth Voices! This podcasting program geared towards high school students in Detroit gives students the opportunity to develop and produce their own podcast! This week we had Nashae Johnson, Faith Smith, and Jason Dyer join us for a discussion on the importance of using your voice. This compelling conversation gave students the opp...

This week Authentically Detroit celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  The episode begins with a quote from Dr. King’s, Letter from Birmingham Jail and hits the ground running from there. Anika Goss of Detroit Future City and Dr. Andre Perry, author of Know Your Price and senior fellow at Brookings Institute , joined Donna and Orlando to discuss the importance of building economic power in Black c...

This week Authentically Detroit looks at the justice system.  Donna and Orlando discuss the hiring and subsequent resignation of a formerly incarcerated employee of the Michigan Supreme Court. They also discuss Mayor Mike Duggan’s comments regarding what issues the state government should prioritize. Finally, they discuss President Joe Biden’s increased funding for law enforcement and the record h...

This week Authentically Detroit returns from winter break! Donna and Orlando hit the ground running this year starting with a discussion on the I-375 redevelopment committee. Next, they discuss the invisible crisis of youth homelessness and the rising housing epidemic. The duo takes a look at Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s plans for her second term in office and what the implications may be for Detro...

This week Authentically Detroit discusses the experience of children with incarcerated parents.  Southeastern graduate and soon to be Mississippi Valley State graduate TJ Edwards has a one-on-one discussion with Orlando about how growing up with an incarcerated parent helped shape his worldview. TJ goes into detail about how ECN’s Vault teen center and participation in football helped him find a h...

This week Authentically Detroit talks water shutoffs, police violence, and mental health! Donna and Orlando sat down with the first person to join ECN’s Vault teen center, TJ Edwards. A graduate of Southeastern High School and current senior at Mississippi Valley State University, TJ discusses what led him to take his mental health seriously and how social media distorts people’s perception of the...

This week Authentically Detroit talks FOIA, right-to-work and equitable access to higher education! Donna and Orlando sat down with Danielle North of Degree Forward plus Dara Klein and Lawrence Hood of Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences (DAAS). The group discusses Degree Forward and DAAS’ new partnership providing community members with equitable access to higher education and removing barriers...

This week Authentically Detroit takes a look at the city’s jazz legacy! Donna and Orlando sat down with Kevin Davidson, Director of Design and Fabrication at the Charles H. Wright Museum. They discuss the museum’s latest companion exhibits, “Detroit Jazz: The Legacy Continues” and“Jazz Greats,” plus the future and legacy of the museum itself.  For more information about the exhibits, click here . ...

This week Authentically Detroit taps into Gen Z!  Budding Urban Planner Paul Jones III sits down with Donna and Orlando to discuss his vision for Detroit’s transportation system. Together they discuss the issues with having such a car-focused community and how we can expand our view of highway reform beyond the planned remodel of I-375. They also discuss his pandemic project - a re-envisioning of...

This week Authentically Detroit covers the 2022 midterm elections! The Hot Take of the week comes from The New York Times, Why a Democratic Black City Won’t Have a Black Democrat in the House. Donna and Orlando also sit down with Danielle Atkinson and Eboni Wells-Taylor of Mothering Justice to discuss Proposal 3, one of the most important items on the Michigan ballot. Then, they switch gears and s...

This week Authentically Detroit discusses digital justice, consentful technology and more! Tawana Petty joins Orlando and Donna to give them the rundown on surveillance, digital justice, and how they impact us as Detroiters. Petty, a convening member of the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition, introduces the podcast to the concept of consentful technology. In Hot Takes, we go over former President B...

This week Authentically Detroit talks towing and the connection between Detroit and New Orleans. Donna and Orlando catch up following Donna’s week-long trip to New Orleans. Dasjon Jordan and Chandra McMillion join them to discuss the purpose behind the trip plus the connection and history of the two unofficial sister cities. But first, Hot Takes once again covers the unjust parking ticket and towi...

This week Authentically Detroit talks power, money, and the impact it has on citizens.  Journalist Jena Brooker of Bridge Detroit joins Donna and Orlando to discuss a story she wrote about how one of Detroit’s most powerful families has pushed residents out of an east side neighborhood. This week’s Hot Take also comes out of Bridge Detroit and involves license plate readers and the constitutionali...

This week Authentically Detroit talks about police violence and the mapping of Detroit. Anthropologist, Cartographer, and Information Designer Alex B. Hill joins Donna and Orlando to discuss the Detroit Voting Map as well as his book, Detroit in 50 Maps. They dive into gentrification and what goes into naming a neighborhood. In the spirit of the upcoming election, the trio dive into the Detroit Vo...

This week Authentically Detroit takes a look at economic fairness as it relates to worker’s rights.  Donna and Orlando sit down with candidate for UAW President, Will Lehman. Will gives a little insight into some of the issues that worker’s face in the automobile industry. He also discusses how his candidacy can help auto workers in Detroit as well as worldwide. Brandon Hodges, Principal and Found...

Authentically Detroit is still talking about economic fairness in the city! Donna and Orlando bring last week’s history lesson up to date and discuss the financialization of Detroit. Donna carefully explains the economic processes that led to Detroit’s bankruptcy, plus housing displacement and how they impact Detroiters in the present day.  But first they have a sit down with organizers Juan Carlo...

Authentically Detroit is launching a new series on Economic Fairness in the city of Detroit! Donna and Orlando kick off the series with a discussion on the history of Black Detroit. Donna gives a brief history lesson that gives some background on how Detroit became one the the Blackest cities in America.   The duo also discuss Shot Spotter technology and federal funding announced for the I-375 hig...