To learn more about the unique challenges African American women entrepreneurs face, “American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson spoke with two Black women entrepreneurs from Detroit.
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 inPolitical and Public Policy Information
One Detroit – Beyond the Ballot Box: A One Detroit Election Special with the Detroit Free Press
One Detroit and reporters from the Detroit Free Press have teamed up for a special one-hour episode dedicated to demystifying our state’s election process.
Posted inArts & Culture
One Detroit Arts & Culture – Detroit’s punk rock history, Underground Railroad art exhibit, Comedian Brett Mercer
One Detroit producer Chris Jordan takes viewers back to the two-day punk rock festival to learn more about the origins of Detroit’s punk rock history and how it continues to evolve.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit – Voter attitudes, Detroit update, DPSCD Supt. Dr. Nikolai Vitti, Mario Moore exhibit
One Detroit hears from voters across metro Detroit about where they land on key issues this midterm election season.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – The Black church’s role in Black politics
Host Stephen Henderson sits down for a robust conversation with Detroit Branch NAACP President Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony of Fellowship Chapel and Rev. Charles E. Williams II, senior pastor at Historic King Solomon Baptist Church and president of the Michigan Chapter of the National Action Network.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – DPSCD Supt. Dr. Nikolai Vitti, Forgotten Harvest’s CEO Kirk Mayes, Detroit’s Black fraternities & sororities
One Detroit contributor Stephen Henderson sits down with Dr. Nikolai Vitti for a wide-ranging conversation.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – Black Midwest Symposium, Detroit Artists Market, State of the Hood Summit
Stephen Henderson sits down with one of the event’s planning committee members, Marquis Taylor, to learn more about the goal of the symposium, this year’s theme— Presence and Protest, and the featured speakers.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit – Army Recruitment Shortage, Joe Louis Greenway, Ozzie Rivera’s Salsa Band, ‘Making Black America’
Gen. McConville talks about COVID-19 and the labor shortage’s impact on the military, as well as the military’s investments to attract more youth to serve.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit Arts & Culture – Detroit Bass Day, Kadima Music Therapy, African World Festival
At Kadima, a mental health services center for people dealing with persistent mental health challenges who need help living independently in the community, its Creative Expressions program has given clients the opportunity to blend music and arts with their treatment goals.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – Making Black America Documentary, Black Fraternities and Sororities
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the creator of “The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song” and “Finding Your Roots,” has produced a new PBS documentary, “Making Black America: Through the Grapevine,” celebrating Black joy and resilience.