Stephen talks with the heads of two Detroit nonprofits involved in administering Michigan’s new COVID Emergency Rental Assistance Program, United Community Housing Coalition and Homeless Action Network of Detroit, which will help tenants catch up on back rent payments and avoid future evictions
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.
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American Black Journal: Women in the Black Church
We’ll continue our yearlong series on The Black Church in Detroit with an up-close look at the role of women in the Black Church, as we mark Women’s History Month.
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American Black Journal: Conviction Integrity Unit / Tuskegee Airmen
Stephen talks with the director of the Conviction Integrity Unit and two men who were freed after serving 32 years and 19 years in prison, respectively, on wrongful murder convictions. Plus, the legendary Tuskegee Airmen.
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Detroit’s community priorities
Our spring fundraising campaign starts today and your support helps our team listen to Detroiters and report on what matters most to them. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom?
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American Black Journal: Children and the pandemic / Heidelberg Project
It has been one year since Michigan had its first confirmed cases of COVID-19, and while the pandemic has had a profound impact on us all, Stephen takes a up close look at its effect on children.
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American Black Journal: American Heart Month / Scarab Club
February is American Heart Month, and we’ll talk about the importance of leading a heart healthy lifestyle all year long. Stephen talks with Dr. Kimberly Farrow about the disproportionate number of African Americans who experience heart disease and stroke and how you can reduce your risk.
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American Black Journal: WGPR as a National Historic Landmark / Sphinx Finals Concert
This week we’ll look at the legacy of the country’s first African American-owned and operated television station, Detroit’s WGPR-TV62. Plus, we’ll remember Karen Hudson Samuels, the driving force behind the creation of a broadcast museum and national and state historical designations for WGPR.
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American Black Journal: The Black Church Film and The Black Church in Detroit
On the next episode, we launch a monthly series focusing on “The Black Church in Detroit,” and produced in collaboration with the Ecumenical Theological Seminary and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
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American Black Journal: Detroit Teachers / A Generation Found
Detroit Federation of Teachers President Terrence Martin joins Stephen to talk about the current state of education and virtual learning during the pandemic.
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American Black Journal: New Year Roundtable
Stephen Henderson leads a candid discussion with roundtable guests on President Joe Biden’s policy agenda during his first 100 days in office, the release of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from prison, and the concerns among African Americans over the COVID-19 vaccines.