It has been more than two years since George Floyd’s murder sparked huge commitments from businesses and organizations to expand their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the workplace.
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 – Black Church’s Role Reducing Gun Violence, ‘Hastings Street’ Musical
In the wake of the recent mass shootings across the country, American Black Journal continues its “The Black Church in Detroit” series with a look at the Black church’s moral and spiritual roles in reducing gun violence in the community.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit Arts & Culture – Cen4Pal, Dance Theatre of Harlem, DakhaBrakha, Aisha Ellis Trio
Detroit Public TV’s “Detroit Performs: Live from Marygrove” team visits Cen4Pal, in Wixom along the Novi-Wixom border, to talk with the organization’s Cultural Ambassador Nandita Bajaj, Program Director Collin Kuss and Business Manager Gary Elsner about the environment Cen4Pal is cultivating and the mission to boost students’ confidence through the creative arts.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – ARISE Detroit! Neighborhoods Day, COTS 40th Anniversary, Aisha Ellis Trio
Detroit’s massive, annual community service event known as “ARISE Detroit Neighborhoods Day,” returns for another year.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit Arts & Culture – Concert of Colors, Common Chords, Body Artist Sandra Epps, Monique Ella Rose
The Concert of Colors music festival, Detroit’s annual world music festival, returns to stages across Detroit this year, July 16-24, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the festival.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – Overturning Roe V. Wade, MRCC Training Center, African World Festival
Dr. Farrow shares how overturning Roe V. Wade will affect Black women’s medical decisions and put them at greater risk than they already are.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – Gospel Music in the Black Church
“American Black Journal” continues its “Black Church in Detroit” series with a look at the history of Negro spirituals and gospel music, and the influence these two genres have had on contemporary artists.
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One Detroit – ‘Detroit ’67,’ DSO 2022-2023 Season, Cuban Pianist Chucho Valdes, BAIRA Performance
Ahead of the 2022 Labor Day weekend festival, WRCJ “The Swing Set” host Linda Yohn sits down with Valdés to talk about performing at the upcoming festival and his role as the 2022 artist-in-residence.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal – Reducing Gun Violence and Crime in Communities of Color
“American Black Journal” Producer Marcus Green takes us to the march and rally on Detroit’s east side.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
One Detroit – Vincent Chin’s Legacy, Juneteenth Celebrations
One Detroit’s Senior Producer Bill Kubota explores how Vincent Chin’s legacy has shaped a new wave of Asian American civil rights activists.