One Detroit – MSP Racial Disparity, Whitmer’s $74 Billion Budget, Kresge Eminent Artist Olayami Dabls

Photo Courtesy of the Detroit Free Press

This Week on One Detroit:

Study Shows Black Drivers Were Stopped by Michigan State Police at Disproportionately High Rates 

One Detroit Contributor Stephen Henderson examines the results of an independent study from the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice showing African Americans were stopped by Michigan State Police troopers at disproportionately high rates in 2020. The study also showed Black and Hispanic drivers were more likely to be searched and arrested after a traffic stop.

Stephen sits down with Michigan State Police Director Col. Joe Gasper and Michigan Department of Civil Rights Executive Director John E. Johnson, Jr. to investigate the findings and the steps being taken to address these racial disparities.

What to Do With All That Money? With a Record-Setting Fiscal Surplus, the Michigan Legislature Must Decide

It’s an unprecedented budget year for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature, which, for the first time in many years, must agree on what to do with a surplus of funds stemming from federal COVID-19 relief packages and an uptick in the state’s economy. Whitmer’s proposed 2023 fiscal budget of $74 billion, announced recently, was a record-setting number, but just how does Michigan plan to spend it?

One Detroit contributors Stephen Henderson and Nolan Finley come together once again for a lively discussion about Whitmer’s proposed budget — what’s included and what critics and experts think about her plan — as well as some of the striking similarities the two believe Whitmer’s budget has to former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s wish-list. Plus, they posit whether the funds will help fix some of Michigan’s biggest challenges and just how much will be passed through the Legislature in an election year. 

2022 Kresge Eminent Artist Award Presented to Olayami Dabls

Each year for the past 14 years, Kresge Arts in Detroit, a local program under The Kresge Foundation, has recognized a local artist with the Eminent Artist award for their artistic works and community engagement. This year’s lifetime achievement of the arts award was presented to Olayami Dabls. American Black Journal Producer Marcus Green catches up with the Kresge Detroit’s 2022 Eminent Artist at his MBAD African Bead Museum on Detroit’s west side for a conversation about what influences his unique style of art.

RELATED: Dabl’s African Bead Museum | Detroit Performs

As a visual storyteller and muralist, Olayami Dabls has received the annual award for the artwork he’s created in the city as well as the contributions, growth and vibrancy he’s brought back to the Grand River Avenue and Grand Boulevard intersection, where his museum sits.

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