Riverwise Podcast
35 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -The Riverwise Podcast is bringing together Detroit citizens to consider new and forms of resistance to continuing economic and political marginalization in communities of color. For over three years now, the Riverwise collective has created media that depicts local activism and the profound new work being done in Detroit neighborhoods. Through the quarterly Riverwise magazine, Riverwise community conversations, and the Riverwise Writing Workshop, we're developing our collective voice.
The podcast format allows us even more access to grassroots organizations and individuals who are rethinking our institutions, creating self-reliant communities, and laying the path to a more equitable society. We hope you can join us as we regularly uplift these stories of personal struggle and new ideas.
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Episodes
Justice is Real for Marcus Kelley
March 08, 2024 03:27 - 36 minutes - 50.8 MBMarcus Kelly is a man on a true mission. As the Founder of Change Up, an organization led by the formerly incarcerated, his goal is to end the big business and dehumanizing policies of the prison industry. A victim of wrongful conviction Marcus spent nearly 10 years in prison. While incarcerated, he used his voice to fight for the civil rights of prisoners. This passion for standing up for what is right has remained strong since his release and he remains rooted in his vision to build system...
Justice is Real for Marcus Kelly
March 08, 2024 03:27 - 36 minutes - 50.8 MBMarcus Kelly is a man on a true mission. As the Founder of Change Up, an organization led by the formerly incarcerated, his goal is to end the big business and dehumanizing policies of the prison industry. A victim of wrongful conviction Marcus spent nearly 10 years in prison. While incarcerated, he used his voice to fight for the civil rights of prisoners. This passion for standing up for what is right has remained strong since his release and he remains rooted in his vision to build system...
City's Fraud, Extortion and Looting of the Detroit Public Library
February 20, 2023 15:59 - 57 minutes - 79 MBNo City Administration has abused the modestly funded Detroit Public Library as the current administration has. They do it with contemptuous indifference to the consequences and aggressive harm when Library leadership does not accept their dictates. Now their faithful collaborator on City Council, Scott Benson, is pushing City Council to seek the City's full control of the Library system. Criminal Fraud on Library Funds By state law, the City of Detroit serves the fiduciary functions of th...
The Natural Healthy Way: Dr. Martin Reinhardt speaks about the Indigenous Diet
January 26, 2023 19:21 - 20 minutes - 28.2 MBDr. Martin Reinhardt is an Anishinaabe Ojibway citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians from Michigan. He is a tenured professor of Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University. He is the president of the Michigan Indian Education Council and the lead singer and songwriter for the band Waawiyeyaa (The Circle). He joined the Riverwise Podcast to discuss Decolonizing Food and how to live healthy and grounded with an Indigenous diet. Indigenous diets refer to indige...
Technology and Justice with Tawana Petty
November 07, 2022 20:27 - 34 minutes - 47.9 MBDetroiter Tawana Petty has spent years fighting for policies and practices that center justice in the realm of digital technology and data in the city. As a visionary poet and author, she advocates using our creative capacities to see beyond surveillance as we imagine real safety in our communities. Learn all about her work, get the real scoop on digital justice in Detroit, and learn about the upcoming Disco Tech & Skate party happening this Sunday, November 13th, at Alkebulan Village from 1...
#DetroitOversight founder Victoria Shah
October 23, 2022 19:06 - 38 minutes - 52.3 MBFounder of #DetroitOversight and President of the Grand River Community Block Club (GRCBC), Victoria Shah, joins Riverwise to discuss the importance of civic engagement and citizen empowerment in local government. Listen now to learn all about the Citizen Empowerment Workshop Victoria has created in conjunction with Riverwise, why she and her neighbors decided to form the GRCBC, and why it is so important for all of us to get engaged, vote, and hold our elected officials accountable. The Ri...
The Electrifyin’ Filthy Rockwell
July 18, 2022 19:23 - 31 minutes - 43.3 MBThe Electrifyin’ Filthy Rockwell speaks with Riverwise’s managing editor, Megan Douglass, about his passion for music, art, and community. Nominated for a grammy for his production role in Kanye West’s “Mercy,” and mentored by greats such as George Clinton, J.Dilla, and Juan Atkins, Filthy’s goal is to both mentor younger musicians who come behind him as well as provide them a space where they can learn, create, and be supported. Listen and learn about his beautiful cultural preservation spa...
Be Creative featuring visual Artist Curtis Wallace
April 11, 2022 22:06 - 46 minutes - 64.4 MBCurtis Wallace joins Megan Douglass with his energy and spirit of bringing art to the community. Curtis Wallace, the creator of the Be Creative Studio, is determined to use his artistic gifts and wisdom to help people of all ages learn how to let go of their doubts, explore their talents, and lean into their own creativity. He opens up about the importance of Art and Community and keeping your spirit, worth, and passion together as an artist. Megan has her friend share more about new ideas, ...
Russia, Ukraine, & the USA : Russ Bellant Interview
February 25, 2022 15:32 - 1 hour - 88.1 MBIn the US media there is much news and warlike talk for warlike preparations in the Russia/Ukraine region of the planet. We are promised no actual US war will take place. Perhaps that is true. But US troops are being placed in eastern Europe, purportedly for logistical purposes. But you do not need the 82nd Airborne Division in eastern Europe just to set up shelters for displaced persons, as the Pentagon has claimed. Americans often go along with drumbeats for war and can become indiffer...
Re-Districting in Michigan
February 14, 2022 02:07 - 32 minutes - 44 MBMichiganders, do you know your congressional district? This podcast is an excellent informative overview of the changes in the election districts. Responding every ten years to the US Census voter districts change. This year's process has more transparency, but there is still much to learn. Megan Douglass hosts this dynamic podcast to lay all the information out for you. Isra Daraiseh, Democracy Coordinator for Michigan Voices & Maryli Secrest, formerly of Michigan House Dems join Megan to g...
Shimekia Nichols of Soulardarity
February 02, 2022 20:16 - 33 minutes - 45.5 MBShimekia Nichols shares how traditional 9-5 work left her disinterested and unfulfilled. The void led her to volunteer at D Town Farms, Detroit Food Security Network, and We The People Detroit. Witnessing the unified effort, peopled pace and strategic brilliance of Baba Malik Yakini and Monica Lewis Patrick inspired the path Shimekia walks today. Today she leads Souladarity, a small but mighty non-profit housed in Highland Park that has become a locally and nationally recognized leader in en...
Robert Mendoza on Indigenous Organizing
December 15, 2021 20:55 - 33 minutes - 45.6 MBRoberto Mendoza joins the Riverwise podcast to talk about his works of activism and organizing for a lifetime. Mendoza was a mentee and friend of Grace & Jimmy Boggs where they all met in Maine. Soon after the relationship of organizing for environmental justice and more were captured. Today Mendoza works in Oklahoma within the environmental and Indigenous community organizing. In this discussion, we talk about California, Maine, Oklahoma, and what all places meant to Roberto's life and from...
Dr. Charles Bell on the Failure of School Safety
November 16, 2021 14:51 - 33 minutes - 45.4 MBThe school-to-prison pipeline is a common talking point throughout urban centers. Dr. Charles Bell led research and studies exploring the impact suspension and expulsion have on students. Dr. Bell is a Detroit Public School graduate that is now a professor at Illinois State University with a critical focus on Child Development. His new book "SUSPENDED: Punishment, Violence & The Failure of School Safety" is one of Source Booksellers' most recent and insightful books. In this Riverwise interv...
Danny Glover Accomplished Actor and Life-long Activist
October 28, 2021 02:09 - 1 hour - 86.3 MBDanny Glover sits down with the Riverwise podcast. Glover was in town to connect with the activist and revolutionary community in Detroit. The Detroit Visionary Community Fair in the heart of Detroit's South East community welcomed Glover to speak to an enthused grass toots audience. For this podcast, Megan Douglas and Khary Frazier talk to Glover about today's ideas, his friendship with Grace Lee Boggs, and reparations. It was an insightful discussion that also questioned the hosts and you ...
Why are Detroiters not Voting in the Local Election?
October 04, 2021 01:50 - 40 minutes - 55.9 MBEpisode Notes Denzel McCampbell joins host Khary Frazier on this episode of the Riverwise podcast to discuss 'Why so many Detroiters are not Voting?' This discussion explores ideas that led to McCapmbell's interest in running for City Clerk. Voter education, voter responsibilities, and political expectations are all explored in this episode. Denzel shares what he sees is broken in the system and how it can be fixed. This was a very tough discussion which speaks to the lack of representation...
The Revolutionary Potential of Paint: A Conversation with Street Artist Konstance Patton
September 24, 2021 01:51 - 45 minutes - 62.3 MBEpisode Notes Episode Description: As a Black, Indigenous woman raised in and around Detroit, artist Konstance Patton, who now resides in New York, knows only too well the ways in which our current systems are designed to keep certain bodies and ideologies out of certain spaces. However, with the lockdowns that occurred during the summer of 2020, Konstance and a contingent of artists in New York found new ways to reclaim space, reassert their belonging within gentrified cities, and bring th...
Yasmin Majid of the Corona (Queens NY) Black Panther Party
August 25, 2021 03:14 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBEpisode Notes Yasmin Majid was inspired by her neighborhood. As a child, the legacy of Langston Hughes, witnessing her family support Malcolm X, and watching the start of the Black Panther Party reach New York inspired her. Yasmin’s work with the Party placed her in journalism assisting with the Panther Paper, information dissemination, and supporting artists. Working alongside the likes of Assata Shakur and Afeni Shakur, Yasmin is part of the strength of the legacy of Brilliant Sisters tha...
Harold Taylor of the Los Angeles Black Panther Party
August 25, 2021 03:11 - 35 minutes - 33.1 MBEpisode Notes Harold Taylor is from Black Los Angeles. Taylor’s swagger and vibe ooze the essence of the LA street smarts well aware of Black consciousness. Taylor was a comrade and soldier in arms with the late LA Black Panther Party leader Bunchy Carter. Taylor’s work organizing churches for the breakfast program and recruiting attendants for the political education classes placed him in high regard throughout Los Angeles. In this interview, Taylor opens up about Bunchy Carter, community...
Arthur League of the Los Angeles Black Panther Party
August 25, 2021 03:00 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBEpisode Notes Arthur League was born in Tennessee. Growing as a child in the American South through the 50’s and 60’s being Black instilled discipline and willingness in Arthur. From TN his journey landed him in Los Angeles where he was drawn to the Black Panther Party. Protecting the neighborhood against destructive elements of dope pushers and Police brutality was the work of the Black Panther Party Arthur took up. A month after joining the Party he faced the charges and conviction of fir...
Indigenous Rights Advocate and Musician Hadassah GreenSky
July 13, 2021 15:28 - 39 minutes - 54.5 MBEpisode Notes Indigenous Rights Advocate and Musician Hadassah GreenSky of We Are Culture Creators joins the Riverwise podcast to discuss culture and social justice in Michigan’s Indigenous community. Hadassah shares her background and some of the footprint of Michigan’s Indigenous tribes. GreenSky talks about the activism of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and how it impacts Michigan. Finally, she speaks about the upcoming Vibes with the Tribes Festival coming up on August 28th at 41...
Yemeni Liberation Movement
May 03, 2021 14:00 - 45 minutes - 62.2 MBEpisode Notes The Yemeni Liberation Movement (YLM) is a grassroots organization educating and mobilizing our communities to end the war in Yemen and restore liberation and sovereignty to all of Yemen. Iman Saleh and Muna Saleh are community organizers from Dearborn and Detroit, Michigan. Recently they traveled to Washington, D.C. to demand an end to U.S. participation in the war on Yemen. YLM has begin a hunger strike and call on President Biden to meet the following demands: Publicly spea...
Detroit's Form of Government
April 15, 2021 15:54 - 57 minutes - 79.5 MBEpisode Notes “Election education, government education is really important”! The words of Krystal Crittendon during her interview with Khary Fraser in this podcast a Detroit is Different series. If a properly functioning democracy depends on an informed electorate, then need to grow a rich conversation of about the state of the city and what we need from city leadership. Riverwise is dedicated to using this platform and a special magazine issue to educate the citizens of Detroit about th...
Detroit Community High School Makerspace
March 01, 2021 15:34 - 53 minutes - 51.5 MBEpisode Notes A class-action lawsuit initiated in July 2020 is demanding the City of Detroit establish a meaningful water affordability program for low-income residents and a permanent end to water shutoffs. Arguing for the plaintiffs, the ACLU and NAACP were in federal court on February 3 to oppose a motion by the City of Detroit to dismiss the lawsuit. We thought this would be a good time to share, in two consecutive podcast episodes, a conversation that was started last year with partici...
Moratorium on Home Evictions
February 04, 2021 16:36 - 54 minutes - 51.2 MBEpisode Notes Despite President Biden's extension of the federal moratorium on home evictions through March, renters and homeowners throughout Detroit and the nation are still being evicted at alarming rates. The current safeguards against home eviction lack enforcement mechanisms and furthermore, the moratorium doesn’t address the fact that renters and homeowners are falling behind due to surging pandemic-related unemployment. Cash assistance and rental and mortgage forgiveness need to be ...
Detroiters Bill of Rights
December 16, 2020 16:15 - 50 minutes - 44.3 MBEpisode Notes As we end the year 2020, Detroit People's Platform Transit Justice team member Renard Monczunski gives Riverwise Podcast listeners reason to be optimistic about 2021. Renard is part of a broad, community-based coalition brought together by Detroit councilmembers Mary Sheffield and Raquel Castaneda-Lopez in order to radically reform the city government. Together the group has introduced a 'Detroiters' Bill of Rights', which reflects decades of work by grassroots organizations t...
The Amazon Deal: a Critical Look
December 03, 2020 00:10 - 50 minutes - 37.5 MBEpisode Notes Sugar Law Center Attorney Tonya Myers-Phillips, State Fairgrounds Development Coalition members, Frank and Karen Hammer In this tenth episode of the Riverwise Podcast, we hear from three Detroiters fighting for public involvement as the Mayor looks to fast-track the sale of Detroit's State Fairgrounds property to one of the world's richest corporations. What does the Amazon deal offer besides unskilled jobs— jobs that aren't even promised to Detroiters? What broader economic...
Author and Poet Roohee Marshall
October 20, 2020 14:30 - 28 minutes - 22 MBIn this ninth episode of the Riverwise Podcast, we're joined by poet and author Roohee Marshall. Marshall has collected the insights and wisdom of 40 African-American elders through a series of comprehensive interviews. The volume, entitled A Generation Found: Precious Pearls of Wisdom, is a labor of love, inspired partly by a roadside conversation with 93-year old Ionia Woods, and partly by Roohee's own upbringing in Natchez, Mississippi. Marshall shares with us her own childhood memories a...
Nakia Wallace of Detroit Will Breathe
September 09, 2020 17:06 - 57 minutes - 78.6 MBDetroit Will Breathe continues to play a critical role in nationwide protests against police brutality-- actions that have endured for over 100 days. In our ninth episode of the Riverwise Podcast, leading Detroit Will Breathe activist Nakia Wallace takes us inside the struggle to maintain a resistance that is being waged on both a local and national front. During the August 22 Detroit Will Breathe protest in downtown Detroit, we witnessed perhaps the Detroit Police Department's most bruta...
Detroit Will Breathe and Protesting with Tristan Taylor
July 29, 2020 15:56 - 50 minutes - 38.3 MBThe coalition Detroit Will Breathe has been leading protests through the boulevards and side streets of Detroit for almost two months. The direct action campaign for the end of racist police violence and systemic violation of black lives is keeping the broader movement for social justice energized and on the offensive. Organizers associated with Detroit Will Breathe have drafted a comprehensive list of demands that includes the release of detained protesters, the defunding and demilitarizati...
Chris White director of Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality
July 14, 2020 20:56 - 1 hour - 47.6 MBOngoing police brutality leading to the death of George Floyd, Breona Taylor, Ahmed Arbery, and countless others has sparked street-level action nationwide. In our sixth episode of the Riverwise podcast, Amas and Eric speak with Chris White, director of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality (DCAPB) as he addresses the challenges of reimagining policing in Detroit. Working in Detroit neighborhoods since the mid-1990s, the DCAPB has focused on conflict mediation and restorative just...
Defund the Police with Paige Watkins
June 16, 2020 13:23 - 33 minutes - 26.2 MBHere in Detroit and across the country, people are self-organizing around the American legacy of police brutality. The call to defund police is being made and people around the world are responding. Rallies and community meetings are occurring outside of the Detroit Police Headquarters prior to sustained protest actions. The democratic process emerging in these spaces has led to a list of vital demands from the City and Police Chief. Behind the scenes, organizers are holding the Mayor and ...
Yolanda Jackson of the Coalition for Property Tax Justice
May 29, 2020 10:41 - 48 minutes - 35.5 MBIn this fourth installment of the Riverwise podcast, Yolanda Jackson of the Coalition for Property Tax Justice reminds us that, leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, Detroiters were already in crisis. Due to inflated property assessments made by the City of Detroit during the years 2013-2019, property owners were overtaxed by an estimated $600 million. As a result, thousands of homes were unconstitutionally and illegally foreclosed due to nonpayment of property taxes. Prior to the onset of C...
Rev Joan Ross and North End and COVID-19
May 02, 2020 19:27 - 1 hour - 39.7 MBIn this third installment of the Riverwise Podcast, Eric and Amas talk with Reverend Joan Ross from the North End Woodward Community Coalition, WNUC community radio, and the radio show, 'My Block, My Hood, My City'. Ross shares with us the vital work being done in the North End— providing aid services during the COVID-19 health crisis; battling the disproportionate effects of the pandemic in a majority-black neighborhood; and showing how community media is a resource for mutual well-being....
Maureen Taylor and Detroit's Fight for Universal Access to Clean Water
March 25, 2020 22:03 - 52 minutes - 72 MBIn Riverwise podcast number two, Amas and Eric converse with longtime activist Maureen Taylor around her family-support role at Detroit Community High and the potential of their makerspace to build a community around the ongoing water crisis affecting Brightmoor residents. Taylor's up-close perspective helps us understand the transformation taking place in DCH students as they realize their skills in a setting that promotes real problem-solving. Recorded on February 5, 2020 at the Detroit Is...
Riverwise Podcast Episode 1: Surveillance Technology
March 04, 2020 06:52 - 1 hour - 129 MBWhile city leaders are trying to sell us on surveillance technology that is costly and ineffective, are we missing the greater opportunity to openly discuss the economic factors that lead to so-called criminal activity in the first place? Join hosts Amas Muhammed, Deangelus Garcia and Riverwise Managing Editor Eric T. Campbell as they talk to guests, Whitley Granberry (Detroit Justice Center), PG Watkins (BYP100 Detroit) and Rodd Monts (ACLU Michigan) about where more cameras put us as alrea...