“Black Power” is widely known as a political slogan — a rallying cry to mobilize Black Americans to attain social, political and economic power and fuel a sense of self-determination. 

A lot of progress has been made since the Civil Rights Movement in the ’60s and ’70s, but Black Americans today still face major systemic obstacles. Black people are more likely to live in poverty and they have one-tenth the wealth of white Americans.

Those factors are important indicators. But could directing attention to the gains Black people have made and replicating those circumstances offer better outcomes than comparing overall wealth?

Andre Perry is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute and the author of the new book, “Black Power Scorecard: Measuring the Racial Gap and What We Can Do to Close it.” In the book, he suggests that a reframing of this problem might help us rethink how we assess its solutions.

Perry joined The Metro on Wednesday for a deep dive into the mentality behind this book.

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Public media began as classroom radio in the 1920s. It was dry, instructional, and pretty boring. Most only thought of news as newspapers or the anchors you see on your parents’ favorite channel every morning.

But it evolved to combine entertainment, education, and lessons in democracy. That evolution helped shape National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service into platforms that elevate untold community stories and give us and our kids the tools to live better lives. NPR and PBS not only tells us the news happening locally and nationally, they give children a safe avenue for early learning.

Josh Shepperd is a historian and author specializing in public media at the University of Colorado Boulder.

He joined The Metro to talk about the history of public media in the United States, and the Trump administration’s current attacks on public broadcasting.

President Donald Trump has asked Congress to pass a rescission package that would claw back funding for foreign aid programs and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The package has already passed the House and now the Senate has until July 18 to approve it.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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In the 1999 film, “The Best Man,” we were introduced to novelist Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), whose writes a book loosely based on his friend group that causes chaos and tests relationships amid a close friend’s wedding — for which he served as best man.

“The Best Man” was a staple film in the Black community. The friendships highlight the struggles of young adults trying to get their careers off the ground, early marriage stages and more. The bonds between those characters are so nuanced, it’s one of the reasons it became a hit.

For many it showed a multitude of different characters that we typically don’t see in film and television. That’s one of the reasons writer and director of the film, Malcolm D. Lee, says he created the film.

Now, 27 years later, after a second film and a series on Peacock, those characters are transitioning from the screen to a new book, “The Best Man: Unfinished Business,” co-written by Lee and author Jayne Allen.

Lee joined The Metro to share more about the book ahead of an author event on Tuesday at Detroit’s Garden Theater.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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