Washtenaw United
Mondays During Morning Edition
WEMU has partnered with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to explore the people, organizations and institutions that are creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is, Washtenaw United.
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Depending on career path or job choice, women are still playing catch-up in the American workforce. The inequity is not just in job-to-job comparisons but also in access to employment opportunity. Creating that opportunity is what the organization “Dress for Success Michigan" is all about. WEMU's David Fair talks with its communications liaison, Alexy Rudolph, about how futures are being changed to reverse historical inequities.
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March is Women’s History Month, and each week on "Washtenaw United," we’ll bring you a different story highlighting the amazing accomplishments and progress being led by women and organizations in our community. This week, WEMU's David Fair talks with Alfreda Rooks. She is director of community health at Michigan Medicine and is being honored as the United Way for Southeastern Michigan's Washtenaw County Woman of the Year.
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For more than 100 years, the Girl Scouts has worked to help turn young girls into strong, productive women. March is Women’s History Month, and the evolution of the Girl Scouts as an institution continues. JoAnna Roach is adult education and enrichment director for Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan. She was a scout herself and now dedicates her professional life to working with girls and volunteers in what she calls “the best job in the world.” JoAnna joined WEMU's David Fair as the first guest on a month-long Women’s History Month series on "Washtenaw United."
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There is an exhibit that will be available from March through the month of May called, “Family Foundations: Four Stories of Black Washtenaw County Community Building.” It is an interactive exhibit put forth by the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County. There is a long, rich African American history in our community, and much of it is never taught or widely shared. Museum president and CEO Joyce Hunter joins WEMU's David Fair with some lessons and knowledge we can all benefit from in this final Black History Month 2024 installment of "Washtenaw United."
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The 2nd annual Black History Month art exhibition is on display at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti. This year’s theme is taken from the title of a book written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or community?" The exhibition is sponsored by former State Representative Ronnie Peterson and his wife, Ypsilanti Township trustee Gloria Peterson, and is put forth by the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County. AACHM board chair, Dr. Debby Covington, and Mr. Peterson joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the exhibit and its impacts.
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The theme of Black History Month this year is African Americans and the Arts. The Ann Arbor-based Willis C. Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale is celebrating 50 years of sharing the legacy of African American spirituals in 2024. It has spent five decades combatting the lack of inclusion for Black composers in chorale and classical music spaces. WEMU's David Fair talks all about it with the president of the chorale, Sharon Vaughters, in advance of some special performances in Ann Arbor on another Black History Month edition of "Washtenaw United."
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There is a long and storied history of African American farmers in Washtenaw County. Its impacts are often overlooked and underappreciated. Bringing the stories to light is the mission of the Ypsi Farmers and Gardeners Oral History Project. The project is headed by University of Michigan-Dearborn Assistant Professor of Human Services Dr. Finn Bell. He not only joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the project but brought Patricia Wells with him. She is a master gardener with a rich history of her own. This is the first in a series of Black History Month editions of "Washtenaw United" for 2024.
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When a new academic year starts in the fall, the Lincoln Consolidated Schools will begin celebrating its 100-year anniversary, and the preparations are already underway. Such occasions are a good time to reflect and look ahead. WEMU's David Fair does exactly that with the district's superintendent, Robert Jansen.
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There are a number of health care issues we are dealing with: lack of affordable service for the uninsured, lack of affordable health insurance, inadequate adolescent health care and health education and a lack of people of color as health care providers. The Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti is specifically designed to address those issues. WEMU's David Fair spoke with the center’s executive director, Alex Plum, to find out what is working and what more needs to be done.
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MLK Day is a day of reflection and service. And it's an opportunity to set forth an agenda to continue building on Dr. King's "Dream." WEMU's David Fair engaged Washtenaw County's racial equity officer, Alize Asberry Payne, for a conversation on where the community is and where it's going.