The Metro

The Metro

"The Metro" covers local and regional news and current affairs, arts and cultural events and topics, with a commitment to airing perspectives and uncovering stories underreported by mainstream media in Detroit.

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The Metro
22-acre park opens on Detroit’s riverfront

There’s a new park on the riverfront in downtown Detroit, and you can’t miss it. 

The 22-acre Ralph C Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park is located along Detroit's riverfront between the Ambassador Bridge and the Renaissance Center. It features a whimsical playground and splash pad, two covered basketball courts, hundreds of newly-planted trees and a water garden.

The park's opening is the result of 8 years of outreach, planning and design. The seed funding was provided by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and the project was led by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

Jim Boyle, Vice President of Programs and Strategy at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation told The Metro the new park connects neighborhoods that border downtown via the Joe Louis Greenway and the Riverwalk.

"It's a regional asset that's an economic driver for talent, and a major place where people want to be. But, it's also a neighborhood amenity that makes living in those neighborhoods that much better."

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Centennial Park is now open to the public on Detroit's Riverfront.

00:15:41
Oct 29, 2025 3:10 PM
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More Episodes

The Metro
What it looks like to repair Detroit homes

One of the biggest issues Detroiters face has to do with their homes. There are a fair number of homes in the city, but over 20,000 of them are in dire need of repairs. That includes leaky roofs, electricity issues, and asbestos in the walls.

The problem is large, but one retired firefighter, Gary Ringer, is trying to chip away at it. He joined The Metro to discuss the challenges he encounters and why he volunteers around the city. 

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

00:14:10
Oct 29, 2025 1:15 PM
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The Metro
Passenger Recovery Community Center provides a safe space for artists

Arts and culture in Hamtramck are thriving, yet not many know about its community and resources offered to a wide array of people.

Passenger Recovery was founded in 2016 with the goal of helping traveling artists maintain sobriety with tools and resources to allow for safe experiences on the road.  

Now, the artistic and sobriety space, Recovery Community Center, is trying to do even more to foster and protect local and visiting talent, and to expand its programming. They've found they often partner with the Hamtramck Queer Alliance, providing a safe space for many different groups in the area. 

Bryan Wolf is the Director of Passenger Recovery and Passenger Radio, a music and sound professional and educator. Tim Price is the Outreach and Marketing Director of Social Media for Passenger Radio WHCK. He is also the founder and curator of the Christopher Street Gallery in Hamtramck.

Bryan and Tim joined The Metro to talk more about what’s being happening in Hamtramck’s arts and culture scene.

00:15:02
Oct 27, 2025 4:14 PM
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The Metro
MOCAD celebrates 20 years of bringing fine arts to the community

Jova Lynn, co-director of the Museum of Contemporary Arts Detroit, joined The Metro to talk more about renovations, new exhibitions and 20 years of MOCAD. 

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

 

00:16:46
Oct 27, 2025 3:13 PM
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The Metro
Building a Detroit that moves everyone

Detroit was built for cars, but its future depends on people. Public transit in the Motor City has long struggled to keep up with the city’s needs, from unreliable service to missed school days and lost job opportunities. In this episode, we explore what it would take to build a Detroit that truly moves everyone.

Transit advocate Deanne Austin joins Robyn Vincent to talk about how mobility shapes opportunity, what Detroit’s next mayor must prioritize, and how better buses could strengthen education, access, and everyday life.

00:23:50
Oct 27, 2025 12:57 PM
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The Metro
CONTAINER on The Metro: Elonte Davis

Capturing love through photography

Elonte Davis is a Detroit-based photographer and a 2025 Kresge Fellow. His work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

For Elonte, photography is a powerful tool to spread love and joy, helping people see themselves differently and with greater appreciation.

00:16:47
Oct 27, 2025 8:0 AM
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The Metro
The case for a more representative democracy

America does not have a democracy. Author Osita Nwanevu, a writer at The New Republic and The Guardian, says that's true because of the electoral college, gerrymandering in the House of Representatives, and a Senate that gives more power to land than people. 

Nwanevu joined The Metro to discuss his new book, and why creating a fully representative democracy could make us all better off. 

00:23:27
Oct 23, 2025 1:45 PM
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The Metro
New Black Box theatre takes center stage at University of Detroit Mercy

While the arts and humanities are facing defunding and disinvestment nationally, there’s a brand new space to experience the arts in Detroit’s Live 6 neighborhood. 

The Detroit Mercy Black Box Theatre opens next month with a production of Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night.” It is the university’s first permanent theater on that campus, despite a 150-year history of theatre productions.

Previously, students in the award-winning theatre program had practiced and performed in temporary buildings and spaces, including a space in the YMCA in Downtown Detroit.

Jocelyn Boryczka, Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Science at University of Detroit Mercy, joined Tia Graham to discuss the new Detroit Mercy Black Box Theatre and what it means for the future of arts programming in the Live 6 area.

She says the vision for the theatre extends beyond the university walls and invites residents of the Live 6 neighborhoods to be a part of the theatre now and in the future.

The Detroit Mercy Black Box Theatre’s first production will be Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” with performances November 7-16. Tickets available online.

00:17:53
Oct 21, 2025 7:28 PM
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The Metro
InsideOut Literary Arts celebrates 30 years

For almost 30 years now, InsideOut Literary Arts has helped countless Detroit students find a love and passion for creative writing.

InsideOut was founded by Dr. Terry Blackhawk, a Detroit Public Schools teacher, who had a goal to inspire young people through the written and spoken word. Since 1995, the organization has expanded, offering classroom instructions, free performances and career opportunities after participation.

This year, the organization made it a point to fill spaces throughout the city with youth poetry. They purchased 30 billboards, replacing ordinary ads with student writing. And as you drive through the Avenue of Fashion, you’ll see a new mural by artist Oshun Williams. 

To cap the end of its 30th year, a party at The Norwood celebrates the joy and impact InsideOut Literary Arts over the past three decades.

Suma Karaman Rosen is Executive Director of InsideOut literary Arts. Hajjar Baban is an InsideOut Alum and has a master's in fine arts from University of Virginia. She is an award-winning poet and currently a poetry reader for Muzzle Magazine.

They joined The Metro's Tia Graham to talk more about 30 years of poetry and more.

00:21:05
Oct 21, 2025 12:46 PM
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The Metro
Detroit Public Library celebrates Filipino Day of the Dead with a dance party

The Detroit Public Library continues to expand its offerings in the community with a celebratory event blending Halloween with “Day of the Dead." The day of dancing will have music from Filipino EDM artist With Love, Harlow and Erika Irie.

With Love, Harlow joined The Metro to talk more about Filipino “Day of the Dead”. We were also joined by Detroit Public Library Manager Cully Sommers.

The event will take place at Detroit Public Library, its main branch, on Saturday, November 1 from 2-5 p.m. 

00:15:47
Oct 20, 2025 4:6 PM
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The Metro
Detroit Women’s Commission could shape policy alongside the next mayor

The Detroit Women's Commission is a new group in the mayor’s office.

They’re meeting monthly to discuss challenges women face in Detroit and how to improve the lives and experiences of women calling Detroit home. It’s getting started at an interesting time. Detroit could have its first woman mayor in November, a mayor that this commission would be working with.

Producer Jack Filbrandt spoke with Detroit Documenters Colleen Cirocco and Noah Kincade to learn more about Detroit's Women's Commission.

 

00:12:53
Oct 20, 2025 2:23 PM
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The Metro
Oakland County's new approach to increase vaccinations

It’s flu season, and that means public health departments are promoting vaccinations. Over the past few years,  local vaccination rates have been down, and more people have become wary of vaccines.

Oakland County Health Officer Kate Guzman joined The Metro to discuss how her office is trying to change that. 

00:19:46
Oct 20, 2025 1:17 PM
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The Metro
CONTAINER on The Metro: Donald Calloway

Donald Calloway has worked as an artist in Detroit for more than 30 years, constantly finding new ways to express his creativity. His work spans figures made from found and repurposed wood and metal, as well as portrait paintings and abstract sculptures.

A 2025 Kresge Artist Fellow and College for Creative Studies alum, Calloway has exhibited his work at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the National Conference of Artists Gallery, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

00:16:29
Oct 20, 2025 7:0 AM
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