civil rights

Joan Sampieri, a well-known Washtenaw County advocate for civil rights and a role model to many, passed away in January. In the '70s, she ran women’s and girls’ defense classes and served at a rape care center. After moving to Michigan, she became President of the League of Women Voters of Washtenaw County. Sampieri’s daughter, Jennifer Fairfield, talked to WEMU's Caroline MacGregor about her mother’s life and legacy, including her work with the Ann Arbor chapter of the NAACP and the Western Washtenaw Democrats.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered her eighth and final State of the State address Wednesday night. She worked to sell a divided Legislature on a 2026 agenda that will help set her legacy and the stage for elections that will determine Michigan’s next political chapter. We have more from Rick Pluta.

A state court of appeals panel says a police misconduct investigation by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights can continue more than three years after the initial claim was filed. We have more from Rick Pluta.

We are halfway into Black History Month, and today, WEMU's Caroline MacGregor was joined by City of Ann Arbor Police Chief Andre Anderson. A 34-year law enforcement veteran with a reputation for facilitating community dialogue in the goal to end racial injustice, he joined the department a year ago. He served on the President's Task Force on 21st-Century Policing, and his work was inducted into the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, D.C.

A packed house filled the Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center Thursday night for a town hall on immigrants’ rights. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

Michigan’s attorney general is encouraging residents to know their rights when dealing with immigration enforcement. Colin Jackson has more.

The parents of Ypsilanti students detained by immigration enforcement officials last week have met with representatives of a local immigrants' rights resource center. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor reports.

An Upper Peninsula zoo is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to refuse a case that seeks to expand human rights protections to include chimpanzees. We have more from Rick Pluta.

Persistence and action. Colin Jackson reports those were among the main themes at Monday's Day of Celebration in Lansing to mark Martin Luther King Junior Day.

Hope requires action—that was the message put forth on Martin Luther King Day by former Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. She was the keynote speaker at Eastern Michigan University’s annual MLK President’s Luncheon. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.