For decades, Ohio was a bellwether state, whose presidential pick signaled who would come out on top nationally. That was true from 1964 until 2020, when Ohio voters picked Donald Trump, but Joe Biden won the presidency.

Journalists Casey He and Ryan Konarska tracked the changes in the state's political character, from being a national bellwether to consistently voting reliably red in the electoral college. Their analysis can be found on Midstory, the Toledo-based Midwestern storytelling hub.

GUESTS ON TODAY’S SHOW:

• Casey He, Journalism and Political Science student at Northwestern University

• Ryan Konarska, Managing Editor at The Daily Princetonian

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Polling for the presidential election is incredible tight in Michigan. That means both the Democratic and Republican parties are vying for voters in the slimmest of margins. It appears both major party candidates think the place to make inroads is with Black men in Detroit.

GUEST:

• Sam Robinson, reporter, Detroit Free Press

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There are many Michigan communities hurting badly right now. What can you say about what this year has been like, for people who have family, and friends in Lebanon, or Gaza, or Israel? Bilal Beydoun lives in Dearborn - the town where he grew up. And he’s one of about 82,000 Lebanese Americans who live in Michigan, many of whom still have ties to Lebanon. Today, he shares his personal story and perspective.

GUEST:

Bilal Beydoun, lifelong Dearbornite, Lebanese-American

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On today's episode, we sat down with Mara Cecelia Ostfeld, an associate research scientist and the research director at the University of Michigan's Center for Racial Justice at the Ford School of Public Policy.

Mara helped us better recognize the attitudes of Michiganders across the Detroit Metro area relative to immigration. Ostfeld and other researchers focused their survey on Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Ypsilanti. Across those populations, residents were asked, "Do you think it should be easier or harder for foreigners to immigrate to the U.S. legally?"

Then, Michigan Public's own Steve Carmody, in part inspired by Mara Cecelia Ostfeld's study, spoke to residents from other cities and counties including Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott. Abbott desires a President who will reduce the flow of immigrants moving in from the Southern border.

In other areas, like sections of Detroit and Pontiac, some Black Republicans, like Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, maintain that "Young Black men are saying right now that they feel that people who are illegally coming into this country are getting treated better than they are.”

Altogether, the topic of immigration looks to be a key factor in attracting voters in the upcoming election. Former President Trump and Vice President Harris each have a plan for solving what many identify as a problem with immigration. Those solutions tend toward mass deportation on the one hand and the creation of earned citizenship pathways on the other.

GUESTS ON THIS EPISODE:

• Mara Cecelia Ostfeld, associate research scientist and research director at the Center for Racial Justice at the Ford School of Public Policy at UM

• Steve Carmody, reporter for Michigan Public

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Meredith Kennedy- Fisher is the executive director of Miigwech, Inc., an organization that aims to increase voting among tribal citizens this election year.

She talked with host April Baer about what tribal voters care about in the upcoming election, some barriers for members who really want to vote, and a guide for every tribal ID that exists in Michigan.

Kennedy-Fischer says people don't realize that there are 12 federally recognized tribes that exist in Michigan.

"Now, a lot of that has to do with the fact that there is a lack of education within Michigan curriculum about Native people," said Kennedy-Fischer. "We're always in the past. We're never in the present or the future."

Listen to the full conversation on today's podcast.

GUEST:

Meredith Kennedy- Fisher, executive director of Miigwech, Inc.

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The practice of Anishinaabe contemporary artist Kelly Church marries traditional craft with stunning visuals in her Black Ash basketry. In this conversation you'll hear how she learned the craft, how it's done, and the impact of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer on the tradition. You can see Kelly's work at the UM Stamps School in Ann Arbor now.

GUEST:

• Kelly Church, Anishinaabe artist

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Hadassah GreenSky is an artist, activist, and musician. She is also the organizer of the Vibes with the Tribes, an annual Native American and cultural festival held in Detroit since 2020.

You may know her from a viral photo of her and a few fellow dancers in front of the former Christopher Columbus statue in Detroit.

Another one of her projects is a documentary, referred to as The Red Ghetto, which documents the lives of Native American families living in the Cass Corridor. According to GreenSky, those who lived in Detroit all had stories of relatives living in the Cass Corridor.

"I think I heard an auntie once say there was over 120 different nations once represented in the city of Detroit, and there's still remnants of that," said GreenSky. "But, there's no, like, historical documents that talk about this. It's all just stories that all of us have."

GreenSky has also been vocal about water rights. This year, they are organizing a Prayer Walk for the Water on Indigenous Peoples Day, Oct. 14 from 1-5 pm on Belle Isle in Detroit. The event is in commemoration of Grandma Josephine Mandamin, who, as an elder, walked around all of the Great Lakes, several times.

GUEST:

Hadassah GreenSky, artist, community organizer, curator, cultural worker, indigenous futurist working as a visual and music artist, dancer, bead artist, seamstress, graphic designer, photographer, videographer and model

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People have been immigrating to Michigan from Arab countries for more than 100 years. And they've been involved in politics and community building just as long. So, how does that history inform this present moment in American politics as news of recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon reach an Arab and Muslim American electorate already mobilized for Gaza?

We talked to Hani Bawardi, associate professor of history at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He told us about how Arab Americans' political identity has shifted over the years, and what it looks like in this moment.

GUEST:

Hani Bawardi, associate professor of history at the University of Michigan-Dearborn

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.