Examining the economic outlook for 2023 and its impact on African Americans, “American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson speaks with Mark S. Lee about the financial forecast as the pandemic eases.
Stephen Henderson
Stephen Henderson is an award-winning journalist, author, and broadcaster whose work is rooted in Detroit and shaped by a deep commitment to public-interest reporting and civic life. A native Detroiter, he is the founder of BridgeDetroit, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering the city through sustained engagement with residents and their primary concerns. Over nearly three decades, he has focused on the forces that shape cities and communities—urban policy, government accountability, education, race, and economic inequality—with an emphasis on how public decisions affect everyday lives.
His work bridges print, television and radio, and it brings together data, history, and lived experience, helping audiences understand not just what is happening, but why it matters and what comes next.
He is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary and has received more than two dozen national honors for his writing and editing, including recognition as Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists. His career has spanned some of the country’s leading news organizations, including the Chicago Tribune, where he helped build one of the nation’s earliest digital news platforms; the Knight Ridder Washington Bureau, where he covered the U.S. Supreme Court; and The Baltimore Sun, where his editorials contributed to clemency for a death row prisoner.
In Detroit, Henderson spent more than a decade at the Detroit Free Press, where he became the first African American to lead the editorial page and the paper’s first Black Pulitzer Prize winner. He is also the host of American Black Journal on Detroit Public Television and the founder of The Tuxedo Project, a literary arts and community initiative based in the home where he was born.
Henderson is the co-author of The Civility Book (Wayne State University Press, 2025), a reflection on disagreement, democratic culture, and the importance of sustaining civic dialogue. A frequent moderator, speaker, and convener, his work continues to focus on strengthening public conversation and helping communities navigate disagreement, change, and the challenges of democracy.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit – Ukrainian refugee students, Rev. Horace Sheffield III, DSO’s Classical Roots concert, One Detroit Weekend
One Detroit’s Bill Kubota sits down with students, teachers and administrators at the Manoogian School to learn about the common thread that connects these two communities throughout history and how some refugee students are responding to the war back home.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – Detroit’s Black political representation, Michigan State University mass shooting
“American Black Journal” contributor Orlando Bailey, the engagement director for BridgeDetroit, sat down with longtime Detroit political consultant Adolph Mongo to talk about the city’s Black political representation over the years, how it has changed and why
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – Black History Month at The Wright, Sphinx Organization 25th anniversary, Sphinx Competition 2023
Resistance and resilience have always been a part of the African American experience, and this year the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is celebrating Black History Month with the theme of “Black Resistance.”
Posted inArts & Culture
One Detroit – Detroit hip hop history, Matt Elliott, Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers, One Detroit Weekend
In celebration of hip hop’s 50th anniversary this year, One Detroit contributor Bryce Huffman takes a deep dive into the history of Detroit hip hop and how it’s still evolving today.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit: Michigan’s caregiving crisis, Richard Florida discusses downtown Detroit’s future
Caregiving: It’s a responsibility that those of us with aging loved ones may inevitably face. And for three Michigan caregivers, the life changes and challenges that come with it have become part of their everyday life.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – Wayne State Black Studies grant, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, Empowering Black businesses
Wayne State University has received a new $6 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to further invest in studies about the Black experience.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit – The future of downtown Detroit: Discussions from the 2023 Detroit Policy Conference
One Detroit brings their viewers special coverage from on-location at the 2023 Detroit Policy Conference that explores what key Michigan government and business leaders think about the future of downtown Detroit.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – MLK Day at The Wright, 1963 Walk to Freedom, Jit Masters
Ahead of the Jan. 16 event, the museum’s Director of Learning and Engagement Marline Martin joins “American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson to preview the full day of special programming for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit – Detroit Policy Conference 2023, Mobile health resources, Black Church 2023, Gretchen Valade death
Detroiters will have a chance to learn more about upcoming efforts to build a more equitable and prosperous future for downtown Detroit at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s 2023 Detroit Policy Conference.