Sep 06 How gardens enable refugees and immigrants to put down roots in new communities By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang Gardening and community gardens can help immigrant and refugee communities supplement their pantries by growing their own culturally appropriate food that isn’t readily found in grocery stores while maintaining a connection with their homeland across generations. Two community garden projects… Continue reading
Aug 21 After leaving prison, returning citizens find new ground on this Michigan farm By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang We the People Opportunity Farm is a nonprofit organization and organic farm changing the soil in people’s lives and reducing recidivism one seed at a time in in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. Continue reading
Jul 07 Cities in Michigan aren’t allowed to establish ‘gun-free zones.’ Some leaders want to change that By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang In the wake of this gun violence, the Detroit City Council approved two resolutions that sought to curb gun violence in the city. Councilmembers called for changes to an existing Michigan state law to grant cities and counties control over… Continue reading
Jun 20 How rising water costs could drive this Michigan city to bankruptcy By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang Highland Park, Michigan, an enclave city surrounded by Detroit, may be facing bankruptcy over tens of millions of dollars in water bills in the costly aftermath of a financial crisis that left residents without a working water plant. Many minority-majority… Continue reading
Apr 28 Why Arab Americans are pushing for a ‘Middle East or North African’ category on the census By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang The federal proposal for a separate MENA category would lead to more accurate federal data collection for Arab Americans. Continue reading
Feb 17 ‘Run, Fight, Hide.’ Inside the 4 hours of lockdown at Michigan State University By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, Courtney Norris In the days following the shooting, the circle of grief and trauma radiated out far beyond the current 50,000 registered students at MSU. As the most populous university in the state, and one of the largest in the U.S., most… Continue reading
Nov 04 Why Arabic ballots are now being offered in Michigan and what this means for voter access in the U.S. By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang Three days before the inauguration of President Trump, Nada Al-Hanooti’s mother, who was born in a Syrian refugee camp and speaks very little English, was able to take and pass the U.S. citizenship test. Although she was able to naturalize… Continue reading
Oct 11 What will the EV revolution mean for Detroit? By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang Detroit and the global auto industry are on the cusp of a radical transformation. How the city and the industry navigate the electric vehicle revolution will have consequences for Detroit auto workers, car buyers and people across the nation. Continue reading
Sep 12 Oklahoma City is hoping these new recommendations can become a blueprint for police reform By Adam Kemp The Oklahoma City Council adopted sweeping reforms for the police department. Six months in, here's how those changes are going. Continue reading
Sep 09 Voters in Michigan will decide whether to protect abortion this November By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang Voters in Michigan will decide whether to amend the state constitution to include protections for abortion access this November following a contentious battle over including two petition-driven proposals on the ballot. What is often an ordinary administrative process resulted in… Continue reading