Host Stephen Henderson takes a look at key stories and conversations focusing on racial disparities, police brutality, arts and culture, and the show’s Black Church in Detroit series.
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
American Black Journal – Detroit’s Black church leaders look ahead to 2023
As faith leaders of smaller churches in the community, the pastors talk about the challenges they are concerned about in 2023, both within their church walls and out in the community.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit – Best Of: One Detroit’s favorite stories and conversations from 2022
The One Detroit team now reshares some of these impactful stories in a series of “Best Of” episodes.
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One Detroit – Mayor Duggan capital plans, Black Church holiday help, Gift of Art holiday exhibit
One Detroit Producer Will Glover gets an update from BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett, who’s been closely following Mayor Duggan’s capital plans.
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One Detroit Arts & Culture – ‘Da Kink in my Hair,’ Motor City Youth Theatre, Detroit Sugarbush Project, Hinduism history
The critically-acclaimed ‘da Kink in my Hair’ musical by Trey Anthony has returned to Toronto for its 2oth anniversary production.
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American Black Journal – Covenant House Michigan 25th anniversary, Judge John A. Murphy retires
Michigan Third Circuit Court Judge, the Honorable John A. Murphy, has announced his retirement after 44 years on the bench.
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One Detroit – Michigan lame duck sessions, District Detroit development plans, ‘Noura’ play
As lawmakers in the state legislature and congress wrap up a year that saw contentious election races, major debates over abortion access, and a plethora of other big decisions, the traditional lame duck sessions coming in the next few weeks may look a little different.
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One Detroit Arts & Culture – ‘Noura’ play, Detroit’s Black fraternities & sororities, ‘Wild Horses’ play, Eli Dyon performance
A new play by the Michigan-born and internationally renowned Iraqi American actor and playwright Heather Raffo has premiered as part of the Detroit Public Theatre’s eighth season and the theatre’s first season at its new, permanent home in Detroit.
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American Black Journal – The 30th anniversary of the Malice Green murder
Thirty years ago, on November 5, 1992, Malice Green, an unarmed Black man, was killed by two white Detroit police officers after the officers approached Green in his parked car on the city’s west side.
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One Detroit – Detroit home repairs, ‘Bad Axe’ documentary, Detroit Sugarbush Project
In partnership with Detroit Public Television, BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett went around the community to talk with Detroit residents about the difficulty of getting major problems fixed at their homes.