An annual showcase of music, dance and culture from across the African diaspora is coming to the Motor City. 

The AfroFuture music festival will be in Detroit on August 16th and 17th with events planned throughout the week leading up to it. The music festival takes place at Bedrock’s Douglass Site near downtown Detroit.  

The festival was founded in Ghana in 2017, and this is its first year in America. Major artists like Davido and Tee Grizzley will headline concert and a slate of events leading up to it will highlight businesses and creatives in the city of Detroit. 

The festival’s Director of Operations, Akosua Ayim, joined the Metro to explain why they elected to host this year’s event in Detroit. The festival’s t-shirt design contest winner, Rohna Battle Woodger, also joined to discuss her experience training at Pensole Lewis College.

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Twenty years ago, professor Robert Darden at Baylor University wrote an op-ed in the New York Times in which he called for gospel music from its “golden era” to be preserved. That idea eventually cam to fruition with the creation of the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program. 

Stephen Newby, an ambassador for the program and a professor of music at Baylor University, joined the Metro to explain what “golden era” of gospel music is, why its still being archived today, and how Detroit artists fit into all of it.

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New tariffs imposed earlier this year by the Trump administration are starting to raise prices on some consumer goods, and many Michigan households are struggling as a result.

According to United Way’s latest ALICE (asset limited, income constrained and employed) report, roughly 41% of Michigan households are facing financial hardship. So how can people make the most out of the money they do have?

Khadija Mutakabbir, a licensed financial literacy counselor and an experienced loan advisor with Detroit Peer Money Mentors, says it starts with building healthy money habits.

The youth-led effort, funded through the city’s Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program, helps to educate Detroit youth about financial wellness and money management. Participating mentors receive extensive training on how to lead workshops and encourage participants to take control of their personal finance.

Mutakabbir joined The Metro on Monday to talk about the program and how her background in finance shaped her mission to educate others.

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Here at WDET, we feel incredibly lucky to have such an esteemed group of music hosts gracing our airwaves. On the Don Was Motor City Playlist, Blue Note Records President and music industry powerhouse Don Was pays homage to the Motor City and the artists that inspire him.

Every Friday, Was digs deep into his music archives to curate playlists and share personal stories about the artists whose songs he features. Co-hosted by WDET’s Ann Delisi, listeners hear commentary about Detroit and its rich musical and cultural histories.

Listeners and fans will again have the opportunity to celebrate the show — now in its fourth year — at the Don Was Motor City Playlist’s 2nd annual Bowling Party on Monday, July 21 at the Garden Bowl! 

Was and Delisi joined The Metro ahead of the event to share more about what’s in store for tonight. Get your tickets here.

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Sounds from across the globe are coming to Detroit this weekend for the 34th annual Concert of Colors music festival. The free festival, taking place now through Sunday, July 20, has continued to grow and gain momentum year after year. 

Among this year’s performers will be award-winning Detroit solo artists Victor Ghannam and Sean Blackman, who are collaborating together for a fusion of Arab, Armenian, Eastern jazz, and Detroit music.

They’ll be performing at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Detroit Historical Museum alongside Detroit jazz saxophonist David McMurray. Ghannam and Blackman joined The Metro ahead of their performance to share more about the heritage of the songs and how they were made. 

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Chinatown in Detroit was the destination for many Chinese immigrants who traveled to the city. Urban renewal and the construction of the Lodge freeway was then built through the neighborhood and Chinatown residents moved from Jefferson Avenue to the Cass Corridor. That’s where it existed up until Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine – a staple eatery in Chinatown for decades  — shuttered in 2000.

Now, new investments are being made into the area to revitalize what was once a cultural staple in the city. And to celebrate and continue those efforts, Michigan Humanities is hosting a fundraising event on Friday, July 18. And later this month, the Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee is hosting its first annual Block party.

Detroiter Curtis Chin is the co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City and the author of “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese restaurant” — an appropriate title given his family owned the historic Chung’s restaurant in Detroit’s Chinatown neighborhood. He joined The Metro on Thursday to discuss the history of the neighborhood and it’s revitalization.

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The African World Festival is an annual event hosted by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. It’s a three-day experience with vendors, music and other performances that represent all the beauty and talent in the African Diaspora. 

African culture is so rich and widely recognized here in the city of Detroit. The festival — taking place this Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20 in Hart Plaza — has been around for 60 years. 

Zu Vernon, programming lead for the festival, joined The Metro on Wednesday to talk about what’s in store at this year’s event.

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“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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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.

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Sounds from across the globe are coming to Detroit this weekend as the Concert of Colors music festival returns for its 34th year.

The four-day free global music festival, taking place July 16-20 in Detroit’s Cass Corridor, will feature artists from all corners of the globe — from Africa and the Middle East to the Caribbean, Latin America and more. 

WDET’s own Ismael Ahmed of This Island Earth established the Concert of Colors with New Detroit in 1993, as a one-day event on Detroit’s riverfront. Today, the event draws tens of thousands of visitors to the city, helping to put a spotlight on indigenous music and cultures around the world.

Events will take place across 12 venues, from the DIA to the historical museum, with headliners including legendary R&B/gospel singer Mavis Staples, ’70s soul and R&B group War, New York’s Spanish Flight and more. In addition to music, the festival brings global food and merchandise vendors, movies, poetry, children’s activities and much more to the city.

A full schedule of events can be found at concertofcolors.com.

As a proud partner of Concert of Colors, WDET will be broadcasting special programming related to the festival throughout the weekend. Also, Ahmed joined The Metro to share more about what Detroiters can expect at the event this year.

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On Aug. 5, voters will narrow the field of Detroit mayoral candidates down to just two, who will go head-to-head in the November election.

As we draw closer to the August primary, local organizations, unions and media outlets have endorsed the candidates they believe are best for the city of Detroit.

Last week, The Detroit News’ editorial board announced its endorsement of Detroit mayoral candidate Saunteel Jenkins, touting her maturity and experience. 

Nolan Finley, editorial page editor for The Detroit News, joined The Metro on Monday to talk about the endorsement and to share his thoughts on the competitive race.

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Michigan’s schools have struggled post-pandemic, with students lagging behind in reading and math skills compared to other states.

A coalition of progressive education organizations is seeking to allocate more funding for education in Michigan through the “Invest in MI Kids” ballot initiative. 

The proposal would add a 4-5% tax on single filers who earn over $500,000, or joint filers who earn over $1 million. The group says that would generate about $1.7 billion for Michigan’s School Aid Fund.

Charlie Cavell, Oakland County Commissioner for District 19 and a coordinator for the “Fund MI Future” campaign, joined The Metro on Thursday to share more about this ambitious proposal in its beginning stages.

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The Shrine of the Black Madonna in Detroit has a long history in the maturation of Detroit’s religious and political scene. The church is guided by Pan-African Orthodox Christianity and was founded at a time when Black Americans were fighting for social and political progress. 

The Shrine’s political arm, the Black Slate, endorses political candidates whom they believe will act in the best interest of Black Detroiters.

Most recently, the group endorsed Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. for mayor of Detroit, and District 2 Councilwoman Angela Whitfield Calloway for city council. 

Kandia Milton, associate pastor at the Shrine of the Black Madonna and chairman of the Black Slate, joined The Metro to share more about the organization and its endorsements. 

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Detroit’s homeless population is growing. A one-night count conducted last year by the city of Detroit and two local nonprofits showed a 16% increase in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park’s homeless population compared to the previous year.

The count — which includes both unsheltered individuals and those in emergency shelters, transitional housing or Safe Haven programs — came out to more than 1,700 people in 2024.

People who experience homelessness or just need assistance often have to go to different places to get care and resources. Knowing where to get help can be a challenge.

The “Detroit: Needs Management Map” aims to address that by highlighting and compiling various resources available to homeless individuals in the city. The map, created by Wayne State Master of Social Work student Cass Tretyak, includes everything from where to find food, shelter or a shower to free or low-cost medical care, employment resources, parenting support, free legal aid, and more.

Tretyak joined The Metro to talk more about the map and her work as outreach coordinator for Community & Home Supports, a local organization supporting homeless populations in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.

Check out the map below.

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A recent survey of Wyandotte’s water system by state regulators has identified “significant deficiencies” that they say “pose a significant health risk” to water consumers in the city.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) survey, released in April, reported deficiencies in four specific areas, including water treatment plant maintenance, distribution maintenance, finished water storage, and management and operations.

Additionally, the survey suggests that 40% of Wyandotte’s water system has “significant deterioration.”

“As a result,” the report said, “the city is not demonstrating the technical, managerial and financial capacity necessary to own and operate a water system.”

Paul LaManes, general manager for Wyandotte Municipal Services, says the city is currently working to address the issues highlighted in EGLE’s survey, but insisted that the water is safe to drink and poses no health risk to the public.

He joined The Metro to share more details about the survey and how the city is responding.

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The city of Detroit is suing a blockchain real estate company after many of its properties allegedly violated local safety and health codes.

Real Token, or RealT, is a Florida-based company that markets itself as a decentralized real estate security token platform. In the lawsuit, the city alleges that the company’s co-founders, brothers Remy Jacobson and Jean-Marc Jacobson, have neglected over 400 properties in the city by failing to maintain basic health and safety requirements.

“We’re talking about roofs that are leaking, sewage leaking in the basements. We have standing water as well in many of the basements…408 properties, 408 properties and not one of them has a certification of compliance,” said Detroit City Councilmember James Tate of the violations at a press conference.

Conrad Mallett, corporation counsel for the city of Detroit, joined The Metro on Tuesday to share more details about the lawsuit.

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Tourism between the U.S. and Canada has taken a hit amid trade disputes between the two countries. U.S. travel to Canada in May declined 8% when compared to the same time last year, according to Statistics Canada, while Canadian travel to the U.S. dropped 38%. 

To help change that, the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel has launched a new campaign in partnership with the University of Windsor to promote tourism in the city.

Organizers say the “40-40 Campaign,” running now through July 31, is a nod to 40 local Windsor restaurants and the nearly 40% more value per dollar Americans capture when spending their money in Canada.

Windsor-Detroit Tunnel CEO Tal Czudner and Olivia Sylvester, 40-40 project lead and a business school student at the University of Windsor, joined The Metro to share more about the campaign.

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Since Oct. 7, 2023, the world has felt different for a lot of American Jews. Much of that is related to Israel’s ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. For almost two years, Israel has been responding to Hamas’ brutal attacks in Gaza. 

The results have been devastating for Palestinians. About 55,000 people have been killed from that war. Starvation has become a profound issue after Israel’s months-long food aid blockade a few months ago. 

This is an ongoing problem, as Israel has been striking food aid centers which happened just two days ago, killing 74 people. In America, Jews generally support the Jewish-majority country that is Israel. But there are some who feel that, whether they feel kinship with Israel or not, the country’s government needs to be held accountable. 

That’s true for many members of Jewish Voice for Peace. A number of people in the anti-Zionist group are participating in a “rolling solidarity fast” to help bring more attention to the starvation happening in Gaza. 

Ruby Shapiro, a member of the local Detroit chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, joined The Metro to share more about their effort.

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Volunteers with the Michigan-based nonprofit Rank MI Vote have been working hard to get ranked choice voting on the general election ballot in November 2026.

Their effort just passed the state board of canvassers on Friday. Now they need to get hundreds of thousands of signatures over the next 180 days to get the initiative on the ballot. If passed, voters would be able to rank political candidates by their preference.

Pat Zabawa, executive director of Rank MI Vote, joined The Metro on Wednesday to make the case for ranked choice voting and why he says it would more accurately reflect the will of Michigan voters.

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