The Black Church – and their leaders – are woven deep into Detroit politics. Pastors were instrumental in unifying congregations and public support during the civil rights movement.

Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) are among those who have made the jump from the pulpit to Congress. So political aspirations for spiritual leaders is not uncommon.

In Detroit, the city is looking for a new mayor. There are a dozen people in the running. Among those vying for the job is Reverend Solomon Kinloch Jr. of Triumph Church – which boasts 40-thousand members across Detroit, Flint and Southfield.

1:1 with Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. 

In an interview with Detroit Public Radio’s Russ McNamara, Kinloch lays out what he thinks the city needs out of its next mayor.

Rev. Solomon Kinloch: We are at a point right now where we don’t just need an executive and an administrator. We need a unifier, but more importantly, we need a builder. And that’s what I’ve been doing for 27 years as a community leader.

Russ McNamara: Do you see the job of mayor as similar to your current job?

SK: Dr Frederick Sampson, who was a pastor of another generation right here in the city of Detroit, used to say that the church’s address is a compilation of multiple addresses. And so it’s not that people are beaming out of another place to come to this place. They comprise and they populate this place. So it gives me a unique capacity every weekend and every day during the week, when we meet to hear the intimate concerns of people. And one of the concerns Russ that people have, they have a distrust of institutional politicians. They want government to just work good. And we got to get back to making sure that government is working good for the people it’s supposed to work good for

RM: So, what is the best way to kind of build these coalitions and build Detroit up?

SK: I believe we got tremendous stakeholders and resources, but also relationships in the city of Detroit, I believe, bringing together our residents, bringing together our Black presidents, bringing together our union leaders, bringing together for lot philanthropical leaders, bringing together also our corporate leaders, coming together (with) activists and advocates, coming together in a round table, and not having people Lord their will or their agenda on us, but convening a table where people can collectively be a part of their own destiny and their design.

RM: Attendance has been dropping fairly steadily over the past several decades, especially among younger folks. Politicians, of which you now are, dream of courting the younger vote. What have you done in your own congregation about reaching out to youth?

“Church is not just interested in worshiping on the weekend, but doing the work for the betterment of people every day during the week.”
– Rev. Solomon Kinlock

SK: People want to be a part of something that’s doing something because you can do good. And so one of the things that we have sought to do is partner, not just our worship on the weekend, but also giving people an opportunity where they can participate in the building of their community. The fabric of my whole life is woven together by that thread of commonality. I came from the New Bethel Baptist Church where my pastor was the Reverend Robert Smith, Jr, who currently serves there. Aretha Franklin’s father, C.L. Franklin was his predecessor, and all we know how to do is not to use the pulpit as a pedestal to promote a person, but we were taught that the pulpit is a platform to lift an entire community of people. And I believe that when people see that, particularly young people, see that. Church is not just interested in worshiping on the weekend, but doing the work for the betterment of people every day during the week. They want to be a part of that.

RM: You don’t have any plans to step down from your current position.

SK: I will, as mayor, continue to preach on the weekend, but the day to day operations are already being managed by a tremendous executive team.

RM: Your announcement was well attended at the Fox Theater. How do you plan to walk that tightrope so your congregation is uplifting the Lord and not the person who happens to be running for mayor?

SK: Triumph church is 105 years of age. They understand that is bigger than me, is bigger than all of us. We have a responsibility in our present age in order to live in a way where we leave a better world when we leave it than the way we walked into it. And the church was there long before I showed up. It was more than 70 years long before I showed up. We want to make sure with this moment that it is there long after we’re gone.

The Mexican Patriotic Committee of Metro Detroit hosted its 60th annual Cinco de Mayo Parade on Sunday.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Mexico was the underdog in that fight. France would eventually win the war and establish a period of control over Mexico. The battle remains a symbol of the resistance and resilience of the Mexican people against colonial powers. 

But celebrations this year have been impacted by fears of immigration raids. Events in Chicago and Philadelphia were cancelled. Residents in Detroit raised similar concerns, but it didn’t stop the celebration. 

Maria Elana Rodriguez is the former president of the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation. She joined The Metro on Monday to talk about the history of Cinco de Mayo and how people are celebrating. 

We also revisited a conversation with Frank Solis, a local historian who’s preserving Tejano music in Detroit. His father, Martin Solis, helped make Tejano music popular in Detroit with his band Los Primos.  As a self-taught musician, Solis started playing the Bajo Sexto, a Mexican 12-string instrument from the guitar family, and developed his own unique musical style.

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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At a recent Detroit City Council meeting, a number of people spoke during public comment period about Detroit’s Solar Neighborhood Initiative. 

People are making allegations that blight tickets are being used by the city to take property in the name of solar developments. 

While residents say they’re not opposed to renewable energy, some are questioning the city’s process for constructing solar neighborhood arrays. 

The city’s Legal Department will provide an update at Tuesday’s city council meeting on the solar neighborhood initiative. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt sat down with Detroit Documenter Hannah O’Neal and Coordinator Noah Kincade to learn more about the development. 

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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Bees’ pollinating presence helps to ensure the vitality of our food systems. 

The work of bees isn’t just happening in fields of wildflowers or quiet suburban gardens. Bees in urban neighborhoods also have an important role to play.

The nonprofit Detroit Hives has turned vacant lots into thriving pollinator habitats and community green spaces. That work includes planting pollinator-friendly trees in neighborhoods that need canopy, beauty and biodiversity. One of the group’s recent projects was at the Finney Community Arboretum and Botanical Garden, which they hope to transform into a thriving community space for pollinators and residents alike.

Detroit Hives Co-founders Tim Paule Jackson and Nicole Lindsey joined The Metro on Monday to discuss their work. 

–Segment produced by WDET’s Amanda Le Claire.

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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This year marks a time of transition in the city of Detroit.

Voters will elect a new leader of the city to replace long-time Mayor Mike Duggan, who is leaving to run for governor.

And experts at the think tank Detroit Future City predict the new mayor will face several challenges, like building new infrastructure to handle flooding and power outages.

But the group’s CEO, Anika Goss, told WDET one of the core issues the city must focus on is growing a sector some analysts say is disappearing — Detroit’s middle class.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Anika Goss, Detroit Future City: We use the language of “middle class,” but you can also use the language of “middle wage,” those within the median income for Detroit. And this particular demographic trend we really feel is important, because this is generally your tax base. They are staying in homes, buying homes, investing in their communities. And we want to focus on this because it is the largest demographic to leave Detroit.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: What would you advise Detroit’s next mayor to do to help grow that segment of the populace?

AG: First, develop the neighborhoods. Make the neighborhoods places that would retain and attract middle-class households. The second issue is, how can Detroiters grow wealth and remain in Detroit? What kind of jobs are there nearby and available that actually have a middle-class wage, not only entry wages but also growth wages. It’s an environment that also creates strong businesses and entrepreneurs that can actually grow their own business. These are elements that can appeal to middle-class households. Two other things that I think are really important, and this can be tough for mayors, but they’re going to have to figure out property taxes. They are still uneven and very, very high in Detroit. So really thinking about what can we do to stabilize and lower the property tax rate. And second, work cooperatively with the schools, public and private and charter, so that the education system in Detroit also becomes something to attract and retain families.

QK: When you talk about raising incomes, outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan has touted how many companies he says have located in the city over the last decade or so. And oftentimes those businesses are supposed to give first preference for new hires to Detroiters. The city also has work training programs available. Would you say the next mayor should they try to build on that or go beyond it somehow?

AG: I think build AND go beyond. I think what was great about the Duggan administration is that he did really set this environment of Detroit being a place for you to invest in. And it was at a time when a lot of companies were not thinking of coming here. Now they are. But what we found is that a lot of the companies are still looking at Detroit proper as a place for low-wage labor. We have to really market Detroit as a place that has talent for a diversity of income ranges. Really work with these companies to ensure the jobs that we’re receiving in Detroit are jobs where you can actually grow your wage over time. I feel like there were really good deals made for low and moderate wages earners. There are people who are out of work that definitely need those jobs. But we can’t just stop there and declare it a success. We have to also really consider how we bring in other jobs and prepare Detroiters for those other jobs that are making a higher wage.

QK: Along with the income and job situation, people in the city have talked for years about the overall development in Detroit seeming to focus on the downtown area. And how does it get out to the neighborhoods? Duggan, for one, had launched a series of projects to try to strengthen various blocks in the city. Again, is there something you think the next mayor should do to go beyond that? Or should they try some entirely new approach?

AG: I think that it will be imperative for the next mayor to take the Strategic Neighborhood Fund and other neighborhood initiatives even further. To really create neighborhoods that have a diversity of housing choices, that have amenities and that are looking at places for investment in these areas. There’s still several neighborhoods in Detroit where there are no mortgages, whole census tracts that do not have mortgages in Detroit. The next mayor will have that challenge of not just stabilizing the strategic neighborhood places but also thinking about where else throughout the city can we target for a variety of households and a variety of incomes. You should be able to live in a neighborhood and increase your income and not have to move out of the city. You should be able to identify neighborhoods where you can do that. And right now, even with the Strategic Neighborhood Fund initiative, there’s still only 12 middle-class neighborhoods in Detroit out of more than 200 census tracts. We still have a long way to go.

QK: Do you think there’ll be enough funding available to push such efforts?

AG: There’s never enough money to do all of the things that we want to do. You really are going to have to prioritize. And if the North Star for the next mayor is, “How do we actually lay out a growth plan for Detroit and Detroiters?” That’s a very different proposition than thinking broadly about how to make Detroit better. I feel like the Duggan administration got us to this point. It’s really important now for the next mayor to take it even further. It’s something that is absolutely imperative. I don’t see an alternative.

Church Space, the startup known as the “Airbnb for churches,” is establishing a new headquarters in Detroit.

Church Space helps congregations unlock underused real estate — fellowship halls, gymnasiums, commercial kitchens and more.

“We’re all about community, all about local neighborhoods, and we basically help churches unlock their unused space so that people in their local community can use it,” said Day Edwards, co-founder of Church Space. “When you think of baby showers, community gathering, weddings, those sort of things, that’s really where church space comes in.”

Co-founder Emmanuel Brown said the idea of sharing church facilities with the community isn’t new.

“The challenge is, most churches just didn’t have the bandwidth and capacity to support and a clear way to be able to get the word out to the community that their space is actually available to be shared,” Brown said.  “And so our platform helps churches to think through things like pricing and photography, insurance, liability, cleaning, to streamline the process so that sharing their available space with the community is easy.”

Although both founders are not from Detroit, they see a unique opportunity in the city.

“Detroit has the most churches per square mile in America,” Edwards said. “There’s so much vibrancy that starts with the faith-based community here.”

The company says it has already helped churches in other cities earn up to $100,000 annually through space-sharing. In Detroit, they hope to replicate that success while exploring new uses for vacant or underutilized church buildings — including micro-fulfillment centers — to improve last-mile delivery in underserved communities.

As for why churches were chosen for this model, Edwards pointed to affordability and community connection.

Brown says both he and Edwards are pastor’s kids. And they’ve seen firsthand the burden of maintaining church property.

“And so, our heart for the church is really to see church leaders be able to thrive and to lead well and to impact and influence their community in greater ways, without having to worry about a financial deficit as a barrier to that process,” Brown said.

The company is hosting an event in July titled “From Pulpits to Possibility,” where church leaders in southeast Michigan can learn more about the platform. RSVPs are available on Eventbrite.

A gathering on the Belle Isle Bridge this weekend is aimed at combatting violence against Black women.

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The “Black Men Unite to Fight Against Our Women and Girls” campaign is being organized in response to recent cases of violent attacks on Black women.

Minister Troy Muhammad is one of the organizers of the event. He says the Belle Isle Bridge was chosen as the campaign launch site in remembrance of Deletha Word, who was beaten by a man on the bridge after a traffic accident in 1995. Word died after either jumping from the bridge to flee the man or being thrown from the bridge.

The group plans to offer conflict resolution and domestic violence prevention classes and produce billboards and public service announcements in the future.

Each man in attendance will be asked to be responsible for five other men. Men will gather at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, on the island side of the bridge. 

Other headlines for Friday, May 2, 2025:

• Cinco de Mayo is on Monday but Detroit will celebrate Sunday with the 60th annual Cinco de Mayo Parade in Southwest Detroit. The parade begins at noon at Patton Park and will end at Clark Park. 
• As the Cinco de Mayo Parade winds down Sunday, the Blessing of the Low Riders revs up at the Motor City Dance Academy. The annual event showcasing lowrider cars and bikes will take place from 2-5 p.m. Sunday, and feature live music and dance performances, food and art vendors, and the blessing of vehicles. 
• Jazz vocalist Penny Wells will perform at the Detroit Historical Society’s Jazz in the Streets of Old Detroit series next Thursday, May 8. Proceeds from the event help support the work of the Black Historic Sites Committee.  

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Communities across Michigan — including several in metro Detroit — will be holding special elections on Tuesday, May 6, for a range of local ballot measures and races.

Check if you’re registered, find your polling place, or view a sample ballot here.

Macomb County

Mount Clemens

Voters in the Mount Clemens Community School District will have a $91.8 million bond proposal and millage reduction on their ballots.

The district says the funding would be used to renovate and revitalize its historic buildings, make critical infrastructure improvements, create modern learning spaces, and address safety and security needs.

Find more information about the bond proposal at mtcps.org.

Oakland County

Ferndale

In Oakland County, voters in Ferndale will see another Headlee override operating millage proposal on their ballot.

Ferndale voters rejected a previous iteration of the Headlee override in November, with roughly 54% of residents voting against it. City council members voted in January to include an adapted proposal on the May 6 ballot that aims to address some of the concerns cited by residents during town halls and listening sessions. If passed, the millage would take effect on residents’ Summer 2026 tax bills.

More information about the proposal, including the changes that were made and its potential cost impact on residents, can be viewed at ferndalemi.gov.

Additionally, voters in the Ferndale School District — which includes portions of Pleasant Ridge, Oak Park and Royal Oak Township — will have a school improvement bond on their ballot.

The $114.8 million bond proposal would not increase voters’ tax rates, according to the district, and would enable “transformational improvements” at its middle and high school buildings. Among the updates would be a new academic wing, modernized classrooms, updated fine arts spaces, safer school entry points, and improved student services.

For more information about the school bond proposal, visit ferndaleschools.org.

Clawson

Voters in Clawson will have two charter amendment proposals on the ballot.

The first is asking voters to determine the size of city council. A “yes” vote would maintain the city’s four-member council — excluding the mayor — rather than expand the council by two additional members, as adopted by council in 2023.

The second charter amendment relates to the council members’ term limits, and can only be passed in conjunction with the first amendment.

The full proposals can be viewed at cityofclawson.com.

Madison Heights

Residents in the Lamphere School District will see an $85 million, 30-year school improvement bond proposal on the ballot.

The district says the funding is needed to enhance school safety and security, expand learning opportunities, and update school infrastructure. If passed, the cost to homeowners would be 4.15 mills ($4.15 per $1,000 of taxable property value).

For more specifics on what the bond funding would be used for, visit lamphereschools.com/bond2025.

Proposals 2 and 3 — a non-homestead operating millage renewal and 2-mill hedge — would maintain the current millage rate if passed, allowing the district to retain $5 million for staffing, instructional and extracurricular programming, maintenance and operations.

Residential tax rates on primary residences would not increase if any of these initiatives pass, according to the district. However, the millage rate would decline over the next few years if the bond proposal is rejected.

Know your rights

Michigan’s primary election will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. Check back for updates to WDET’s Voter Guide as the election gets closer.

Three years ago, “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” sold out shows at the Detroit Opera House for the first time in over a decade.

Now, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer behind that success is back in Detroit. 

Anthony Davis returns this month to present “Central Park Five,” a gripping opera that tells the true story of the wrongful convictions of five Black and Latino teenagers in the assault of a white female jogger in Central Park in 1989. 

It’s a case that involved President Donald Trump, who at the time became an outspoken voice for convicting the teens. He spoke with WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper about the politics of bringing an opera like this to the stage, and how it feels to be back in Detroit.

Performances will take place on May 10, 16 and 18 at the Detroit Opera House. Visit detroitopera.org for tickets and more information.

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

More stories from The Metro

This week, we’ve got local markets for every occasion, from Mother’s Day to Cinco de Mayo. Plus, new art exhibits, live DJ sets from your favorite WDET hosts and an immersive Star Wars cantina experience. Read on to learn more.

Shop around

On Saturday, May 3, Swanky Lady Couture is partnering with Wayne County Community College to present an early Mother’s Day Market. There will be a flower bouquet bar, a permanent jewelry station, professional family portraits and more to inspire Mother’s Day gift ideas. Food trucks will be available on-site. Admission is free and the event goes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit their Eventbrite page.

Also on Saturday, May 3, Batch Brewing is hosting a “Derby de Mayo” celebration featuring a Mexican market, lucha libre wrestling, and themed food and cocktail specials for both Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby. The market will highlight local vendors selling everything from jewelry to juices from noon to 6 p.m., then wrestling is scheduled for 7–9 p.m. Food trucks from Taqueria El Rey and La Sultana will be on-site starting at noon and guests can watch the derby in the taproom. For more information, visit Batch Brewing Company on Facebook.

The 7th Annual Urban Arts & Eatery Expo returns to Eastern Market on Sunday, May 4 from 2–6 p.m. Visitors can enjoy beverages and street food from around the world while exploring over 60 local vendors offering unique and handmade goods. Early bird tickets are $3 online. For more information, visit urbanartsexpo.com.

See a show

On Saturday, May 3, Spot Lite Detroit is throwing a 39th Birthday Bash & Fundraiser for the Heidelberg Project, one of the longest-running outdoor art installations in the city. Starting at 7 p.m., there will be live DJ sets from Kenjiro, Liz Warner (host of Alternate Take Thursdays at 8 p.m. on WDET), Shigeto (host of The New Music Show Saturdays at 8 p.m. on WDET), Turtle Bugg and Waajeed (host of The Boulevard Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on WDET). Tickets are $23 online. For more information, visit ra.co.

From Wednesday, May 7 through Sunday, May 11, the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn is hosting the 18th Annual Arab Film Festival, featuring the best critically-acclaimed and award-winning films of the Arab and Arab American world. Genres include drama, comedy and documentary, in both short-form and feature lengths. Each film is subtitled in English and can be watched either in-person at the museum or virtually. Tickets can be purchased separately for each screening, or passes are available for the full festival. For more information, visit aanmfilmfest25.eventive.org.

Explore an exhibit

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History’s newest exhibition, “Luminosity: A Detroit Arts Gathering,” celebrates 60 years of The Wright with over 60 artworks from present-day Detroit artists, long-departed masters and the museum’s archive. Spanning painting, sculpture, photography and more, “Luminosity” illuminates Detroit’s creative spirit through shared histories, personal reflections and bold artistic exploration. The exhibit is on display now through March 2026. For more information, visit thewright.org.

One of MOCAD’s newest exhibitions, “Code Switch: Distributing Blackness, Reprogramming Internet Art,” explores the relationship between Black cultural production and the legacy of computation as a mode of creative inspiration. The exhibition builds on an archival timeline of radical visions from Black makers and thinkers and brings together an intergenerational roster of contemporary artists to unpack the correlation between body and machine, informed further by the “age of the internet.” The exhibition opens on Friday, May 2 and will be on display through August 10. For more information, visit mocadetroit.org.

Detroit Historical Museum’s newest exhibition is “Heroes vs. Villains: Detroit’s Comic Book Story.” Opening on Saturday, May 3, the exhibition highlights Detroit’s contributions to the world of comic books and the generations of local creatives and fans that brought the world of comics to a wider audience and created fandom as we know it today. For more information, visit detroithistorical.org.

The DIA is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with special programming throughout the month of May. In collaboration with AAPI community groups and professional artists, the museum will showcase a dynamic mix of traditional and contemporary dance, music, visual art and more. This year’s celebration includes elements from Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Mongolian, Taiwanese and Vietnamese cultures. To see their full list of events and learn more, visit dia.org.

Feel the force

Calling all Star Wars fans! For five days only, Space Dive 313 has transformed Tangent Gallery in Detroit into a fully-immersive intergalactic cantina. Guests are required to arrive in full costume in order to maintain the Detroitooine experience. Tickets are $60 and still available for Friday, May 2, Sunday, May 4 (May the fourth be with you), Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10. The bar is open from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. For more information, visit Space Dive on Facebook.

In 1938, two young Jewish kids decided they wanted to tell a story of an invincible man, who could move faster than bullets and was a hero to all. 

Superman took flight that year, first appearing in America Action Comics #1. Kal-El, Clark Kent or Superman was representation needed during the rise of fascism in Germany. 

The superhero was created to defeat The Third Reich and Nazi’s plot to take over the world. In American culture, comic books have been a way for readers of all ages to see themselves, in one way or another, as superhuman. 

From the friendly neighborhood Spiderman to the Green Hornet — which was a Detroit Radio program before appearing in comics — these stories told the hardships, joys and sorrows of life through the lens of these fantastical characters.

William Wallwinkel is the lead curator of “Heroes vs. Villains: Detroit’s Comic Book Story,” opening at Detroit Historical Museum on Saturday, May 3, which is also Free Comic Book Day. He joined The Metro along with Vault of Midnight owner Curtis Sullivan to talk about comic book culture here in Detroit and southeast Michigan. 

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.

More stories from The Metro

In order for us to move forward, we must consider the foundation that we stand on. The shoulders of those who have done the work. On this episode of The Boulevard, we do that. We honor the story of Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale, the Godmother of House.

In this special interview, Hale talks about her musical upbringing on Detroit’s west side, being one of the few female DJs in the early ’80s and winning the Motor City Mix competition as a student at Lawrence Tech.

“In the last 10 years, I look back and go, ‘You were setting the pace.’ I was just being me.” — Stacey Hotwaxx Hale

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

The Boulevard Playlist for April 30, 2025

• “The Boulevard” – Waajeed
• “Fly Away (feat. Alexander Hope)” – Blaze
• “You Lift Me Up (Cats N’ Dogz No Hope Remix)” – Sweetness
• “Panoramica (Hyenah’s Raw Beat)” – Hyenah & Pablo Fierro
• “Took My Love (Jacobin & Domino Remix)” – Fabe
• “Body Sound (Life Recorder Remix)” – Jay Sound
• “Synthphonica” – Henrik Schwarz
• “Still Hope (Waajeed’s Searching Dub)” – Secret Sundaze
• “Baby Powda (Tedd Patterson Edit V2)” – Doug Gomez
• “Forget (Extended Mix)” – DJ Minx
• “Riley’s Song” – Moodymann
• “Helldorado (Original Mix)” – Aki Bergen
• “It’s In Your Mind” – Kyle Hall
• “The System (Original Mix)” – Angelos
• “Dynamic Move” – Dompe
• “Da Fonk (feat. Joni) [Dub]” – Mochakk

Respect the Architect – Interview with Stacey Hotwaxx Hale

• “Down to Love Town” – The Originals
• “I Believe In Miracles” – Jackson Sisters
• “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” – Chic
• “Contact” – Edwin Starr
• “Flashlight” – Parliament
• “The Boss” – Diana Ross
• “Out Come the Freaks” – Was (Not Was)
• “Jam On Revenge (The Wikki Wikki Song)” – Newcleus
• “Din Daa Daa” – George Kranz
• “I Wonder If I Take You Home (with Full Fore) [Full Force Remix]” – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
• “Rain Forest” – Paul Hardcastle

Listen to The Boulevard with host Waajeed Wednesdays from 8–10 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

Southeast Michigan is wrapping up April with temperatures trending slightly higher than average, according to the National Weather Service. Despite several days in the 80s, early April brought cooler conditions.

“Overall, I think we are coming in just slightly above normal,” meteorologist Trent Frey told WDET. “We did have a couple of really hot days. We had 83 degrees on the 18th and then we had 80 [degrees] on the 23rd and 82 [degrees] again on the 24th.”

Rainfall totals for the month are near typical levels, with just under 3 inches. 

Frey say a low-pressure system is expected to move in Thursday into Friday, bringing widespread showers and a drop in temperatures.

“This week is kind of a microcosm of the whole month,” Frey said. “We’ll be kind of up and down the rest of this week.”

Looking ahead to summer, Frey says the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center gives southeast Michigan a 30% to 40% chance of warmer-than-normal conditions.

What’s up family? Chris Campbell here with The Progressive Underground, and it’s time for this week’s Pick of the Week. We’re shining the spotlight on Irene Renee — a vocalist, songwriter, and Detroit native whose journey through music is as rich as her voice.

She’s been singing since childhood, coming up in church choirs at Northwest and Glad Tidings COGIC in Detroit. She later took that love for music to Michigan State, where she danced, performed and eventually toured with MCM and the Hype Crew. After moving to New York, she hit the Apollo stage, sang at Café Wha?, and even plaudits and props from the New York music community.

Life took a few turns — motherhood, detours, comebacks — but the music never left her. Irene Renee re-emerged on NYC’s open mic scene, claimed wins in karaoke battles, and became a featured performer at the Sugar Shack and Zuppa Lounge. All of that led to the release of her independently produced debut album, “Serendipitous Experience.”

Her sound? Think Jill Scott meets Anita Baker with a twist of Cassandra Wilson — sultry, grounded, lyrical and real. We’ll dip into her musical vault and check out one of her signature singles. Here’s Irene Renee with “Smooth Step,” and its my Pick of the Week.

That was “Smooth Step” by Detroit native and soul songstress Irene Renee. If you’re feeling music like this, don’t miss The Progressive Underground — Saturday nights at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET. We serve up soul, nu-jazz, rare grooves, and b-side magic just for you. For the Progressive Underground, I’m Chris Campbell and until next time, stay soulful and stay tuned.

Arab Detroit is constantly in flux. In the last 10 years, new communities of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Yemen have settled here. And each new community brings with them different perspectives of what it means to make it in America — to be American. 

The backdrop is that many have fled political crises that the U.S. has initiated or intensified. 

But when they arrive in the U.S., some Arabs in metro Detroit learn that speaking up about these conflicts can be a thorny matter. Still, the last 10 years have ushered in a new wave of political representation and engagement led by Arab lawmakers and residents.

The new book, “Beyond Refuge in Arab Detroit,“ explores how life is changing for Arab Americans in Detroit and what it means to thrive here during a time of intense political turmoil — both here in the U.S. and also in many of the countries Arabs have fled.

It weaves together writings from multiple contributors who delve into politics, environmental justice and sexual stigma and violence — all through the lens of Arabs in metro Detroit.

Sally Howell is one of the editors of the book, and a professor of history and Arab American studies at University of Michigan-Dearborn. She joined The Metro on one of the last days of Arab American Heritage Month to discuss the book.

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.

More stories from The Metro