If how you touch the lives of other people is in any a measure of a good life, then Swanson Funeral Home founder O’Neil D. Swanson lived a good life and we are all the better for it.
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: Small Business / Detroit neighborhoods / Remembering Marlowe Stoudamire
Stephen talks with marketing consultant Mark S. Lee about how small businesses can stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, he has a frank conversation with Pastor Barry Randolph of Detroit’s Church of the Messiah on how the outbreak is impacting residents in city neighborhoods. And, Stephen remembers a colleague and friend, Marlowe Stoudamire.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal:The Roundtable on the Presidential Election
The American Black Journal roundtable holds a frank discussion on the impact of the coronavirus on the Democratic primary, and the November presidential election.
Posted inEducation
American Black Journal – River Rouge School District / Roundtable
We’ll see how the River Rouge school district is providing students with food and learning materials while schools are shut down in wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Stephen holds a frank roundtable on the impact of Covid-19 and the response so far. Plus, the panel weighs in on how the November presidential election is shaping up.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
American Black Journal: The World of Work / Women Authors / Susan Watson
University of Michigan professor Alford Young, Jr. talks about his groundbreaking book on low-income African Americans living in Ypsilanti and their views on navigating a world of work that focuses on technology. Plus, we’ll celebrate the literary work of female authors and look at efforts to get more women to write and publish books. And, Stephen remembers his former colleague and Detroit Black Journal contributor, Susan Watson.