Why this program has bipartisan support from all corners of Michigan

Local stage play highlights the legacy of baseball icon Roberto Clemente

Roberto Clemente [https://robertoclemente.com/story/] is a baseball icon. Over his 18-year career [https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clemero01.shtml#all_leaderboard] he won two world series, acquired 12 golden gloves, four batting titles, and is one of only 33 players in baseball history to collect three thousand hits in his career. Clemente’s resume jumps off the page.  But what Clemente was able to accomplish on the field may not even be his greatest contribution. Clemente’s record as an advocate for civil rights and helping others in communities is as synonymous with his reputation as his athletic achievements.  "Roberto Clemente: A Diamond Within" is an original play written by Candido Tirado. The play is being  produced by Plowshares Theatre Company [https://plowsharestheatre.org/programming/roberto-clemente-a-diamond-within/] and it runs from June 12 through June 28 in the Marlene Boll Theatre at The Boll Family YMCA.  Gary Anderson, Producing Artistic Director of Plowshares Theatre Company, joined the show to explain why he's bringing this take on Clemente's life to a Detroit stage.

Saving sacred ground: The Detroit Association of Women's Clubs makes the national endangered list

Women-led organizations marched on Washington during their historic efforts to achieve social, political and economic equality. Yet, not all women were included in the conversation. Many of the early women's suffrage groups excluded Black women and women of color. Discrimination in the movement led to the formation of Black-led organizations like the Detroit Association of Women's Clubs (DAWC). Founded in 1921 at Ferry and Brush at the height of the women's suffrage movement, the DAWC made it their mission to fight for their own version of equality—one that centered both gender and racial parity. So what happened to the DAWC, its founders, and its mission?  Every year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation compiles its list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America.  [https://savingplaces.org/stories/11-most-endangered-historic-places-2026] This year, in honor of our nation's 250th anniversary, the organization is centering its selections around the theme of equality—protecting and preserving spaces that have advanced the idea that all people are created equal. The DAWC earned a place on this year's list. Executive Director Candace Calloway joins the show to share what the designation means, and why its essential to preserve this historic space.

Danielle North on women, power and who gets through the door

Michigan has a lot of women in power — a woman governor, a woman attorney general, and the first woman to lead Detroit was elected last year. So why does Detroit entrepreneur Danielle North say some of the hardest setbacks of her career didn't come from men? She joined The Metro's Robyn Vincent at the Mackinac Policy Conference to talk about scarcity, solidarity, and how to keep the door open for more women.

Jocelyn Benson on the cost of living, data centers and the race for governor

Michigan picks its next governor in November, and the Democratic frontrunner is Jocelyn Benson. Benson made her name as Secretary of State when she refused to overturn Michigan’s 2020 election [https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/12/06/protesters-jocelyn-bensons-home-after-dark-oppose-certification/3850654001/] — even when armed protesters showed up at her Detroit home while she decorated a Christmas tree with her four-year-old son. The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award [https://www.jfklibrary.org/events-and-awards/profile-in-courage-award/award-recipients/defending-democracy-2022/jocelyn-benson] followed. So did the Presidential Citizens Medal [https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2023/01/06/michigan-secretary-of-state-jocelyn-benson-receives-presidential-citizens-award/]. Now she wants to replace Gretchen Whitmer in a state that voted for Donald Trump just 18 months ago. Her path got easier last week when independent Mike Duggan dropped out [https://wdet.org/2026/05/21/detroit-evening-report-mike-duggan-drops-out-of-michigan-governors-race/], citing low poll numbers and fundraising struggles. It got harder when her own Democratic attorney general ruled she’d broken state campaign-finance law [https://michiganadvance.com/2025/05/19/ag-benson-gubernatorial-announcement-in-public-building-violated-campaign-finance-act/] launching her bid — and when the Trump Justice Department sued her for Michigan’s voter rolls [https://www.votebeat.org/2025/09/25/justice-department-sues-michigan-pennsylvania-voter-roll-request/]. The Metro’s Robyn Vincent had 15 minutes to find out what this all means.

Detroit lands a professional women’s hockey team in the league’s fourth season

A Professional Women's Hockey League team is coming to Detroit – a milestone that was inevitable. The hockey fans here are passionate, the championships are plentiful and the hockey history here is long. Considering the city’s deep connection to hockey, it’s fitting for Detroit to be one of four cities joining the PWHL in its fourth season. Maya Smith, [https://www.theixsports.com/author/maya-smith/] a journalist with the women's athletics platform The IX sports, joined the program to discuss how it happened.