“Long before Black people mattered in America, they mattered in Detroit.” That line alone sets the tone for this powerful Detroit is Different conversation with Joe Louis Barrow II, founder of Joe Louis Southern Kitchen and son of the Brown Bomber himself. In this episode, Barrow reflects on Detroit as sacred ground for Black legacy—where the Great Migration, Black Bottom, industrial labor, women’s liberation, and quiet acts of resistance all converged to shape Black America’s past and future. He shares how Detroit didn’t just celebrate Joe Louis the fighter, but protected and preserved Joe Louis the man, keeping his legacy alive seventy years after he left the ring. Barrow speaks candidly about entrepreneurship as community responsibility, reminding us that his father “was never seeking attention—he wanted people to see themselves in him.” From boxing to business, from activism done quietly to food done with love, this conversation traces how legacy isn’t about nostalgia—it’s about modeling possibility. Joe Louis Southern Kitchen becomes more than a restaurant; it’s a living porch, a gathering place where generations sit together, taste memory, and pass down values. This episode connects Detroit’s history of dignity, labor, and Black excellence to a future rooted in community, patience, and hope—because as Barrow reminds us, “Change is not possible without hope.”

Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.

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“We hate poverty. We have to find a way to eliminate it.” That’s how Maureen Taylor— a historic Detroit frontline warrior for the poor—sets the tone for this electrifying Detroit is Different conversation recorded inside the historic General Baker Institute. From the moment she says she’s “a blue-collar African American from way back,” Maureen unfolds a legacy woven through Black Bottom, the Great Migration, and Detroit’s first Black-owned cab company founded by her grandfather who came north “my grandfather chased by the Klan but driven by purpose.” She recounts the wealth, ingenuity, and community care that shaped her childhood on McDougall—Halloween streets full of thousands of kids, Polish and Italian neighbors trading pierogis and cheesecake, and a Detroit where “we didn’t need anything else from anybody else.” Her stories move into activism: meeting General Baker after throwing rocks off a college roof, being “saved” by Maryann Mahaffey, organizing with Marian Kramer, and fighting water shutoffs all the way to the Vatican—literally. Maureen’s voice bridges Detroit’s past and future, reminding us why legacy Black culture isn’t nostalgia, but instruction. This episode is a masterclass in resistance, family, faith, and the unbreakable spirit of Black Detroit.

Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.

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Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“I enjoy bringing joy for us all.” That’s how Erika Monaé Lewis — founder of The EMG Network and creator of Networking on Purpose — explains the spark that’s been in her since childhood. In this Detroit is Different conversation, Erika unpacks how growing up on the East Side near the old city airport, running the block with friends, and soaking in the wisdom of the neighborhood shaped her gift for connection. “I want to see you win. I want to see you grow,” she says, tracing her journey from DSA drama major and pomerette to HR leader refusing to “sign off on injustice,” to a coach teaching professionals how to turn relationships into results. Erika breaks down why networking isn’t small talk — it’s self-leadership, imagination, and joy rooted in legacy Black Detroit culture. From migration stories out of Olive Branch, Mississippi to the discipline it takes to step fully into entrepreneurship, Erika reminds us that “failure is never final,” and that authentic relationships are a form of wealth our grandparents modeled long before LinkedIn. This episode is a bridge — from the past practices that kept Black Detroit alive to the future strategies that will keep us connected, empowered, and winning together.

Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.

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Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“‘I finally realized my purpose the moment my daughter was born’,” Ken Chandler says as he opens up in a rare, vulnerable, and powerful first-ever public interview on Detroit is Different. In one sweeping, emotional journey, Ken traces his family’s three-generation Detroit legacy—from his grandfather’s East Side business empire to the hard truths of what happens when legacy isn’t passed down. He speaks candidly about childhood trauma, gang culture, becoming a chameleon for survival, and the lifesaving mentorship that guided him out of the streets. But it’s fatherhood—“my legacy, my purpose, my healing”—that becomes the heartbeat of this conversation. Ken breaks down the generational curse of absent fathers, the moment a panic attack in the hospital revealed his calling, and how his nonprofit aims to rebuild the community accountability Black families once relied on. This episode is an emotional bridge between Detroit’s past and its future, showing how Black men reclaim legacy through love, presence, healing, and the reimagining of what fatherhood means. Overflowing with honesty and Detroit grit, Ken’s story reminds us why legacy Black culture evolves not through wealth, but through intentional fatherhood and community roots.

Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.

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Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“If it’s not there, you build it.” With that declaration, Jahra McKinney—Director and Director of Collections at the Detroit Sound Conservancy—steps into the Detroit Is Different studio and delivers a masterclass on legacy, love, and the power of preserving Black culture. In this rich conversation, Jahra traces her family’s Detroit story from her grandmother Essie’s legendary Oakland Avenue beauty shop—“she was meticulous… a matriarch”—to the vibrant West Side community that raised her during Detroit’s golden era of neighborhood life. She reflects on becoming an artist and organizer shaped by jazz greats like her late husband Harold McKinney and the intergenerational music ecosystem that “kept Detroit excellent by passing the torch.” Jahra shares how losing Harold revealed the urgent need for a Black-led archive—“I realized nobody was preserving us… so I had to learn to do it myself”—and how that mission fuels the Detroit Sound Conservancy’s restoration of the sacred Blue Bird Inn. This episode is a living bridge between the Detroit that was and the Detroit being rebuilt through cultural memory, community love, and creative discipline. It’s a celebration of the people who “stood on shoulders and became shoulders”—a blueprint for honoring the past while preparing space for the next generation of Black Detroit brilliance.

Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.

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Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“We can use the same skills we learned organizing on the block to organize inside the halls of power.” That’s how Senator Stephanie Chang frames her journey—from a young volunteer knocking doors with Detroit activists to becoming one of the most grounded and community-rooted legislators in Michigan. In this Detroit Is Different conversation, Chang reflects on learning politics at the true street level, honoring water warriors like Mama Lila Cabbil (RIP) and Monica Lewis-Patrick, and carrying forward the multiracial advocacy traditions that shaped Detroit—from Vincent Chin to Black Bottom. “The issues I’m fighting now,” she says, “are the same ones I cared about before I ever thought about running.” With stories of living at the Boggs Center, lessons from Grace Lee Boggs’ organizing tree, and reflections on raising Black and Asian children in today’s Detroit, Chang unpacks how identity, justice, and policy collide. This episode is a bridge—connecting Detroit’s radical past to its rapidly shifting political future—and shines light on why grassroots leadership still matters in a city where water, land, affordability, and dignity remain at the center of the struggle. It’s an inspiring reminder that movements make leaders, and leaders must stay accountable to the movement.

Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.

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Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“Detroit would be a sad place if we weren’t all different,” says Hot Sam’s co-owner Tony Stovall, opening a conversation that moves like a masterclass in Black Detroit legacy, style, and spiritual grounding. In this Detroit is Different episode, Tony traces his journey from East St. Louis to the Eastside, from a 15-year-old getting his first suit to becoming co-owner of Detroit’s oldest Black-owned clothing store, a century-strong institution that shaped generations of our city’s fashion identity. “You have one opportunity to make your first impression,” he reminds us, weaving lessons on manhood, mentorship, and the power of loving our people out loud. Tony shares how he and Mr. Green built Hot Sam’s through grit, customer devotion, and faith—“Nothing comes between me and my partner but me or him”—and how Detroit’s flair impacts the world. This episode speaks to past and future: migration, Motown elegance, Black entrepreneurship, and why keeping the Black dollar circulating is a cultural responsibility. If you love Detroit, if you believe in legacy, if you believe that style is spiritual—this is required listening.

Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.

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Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

“If we don’t remember what 1926 taught us, we’ll miss what 2026 is calling us to do.”In this electric Detroit Is Different episode, Gary Anderson—Artistic Director of Plowshares Theatre Company—pulls us deep into the crossroads of past and future Black liberation through the lens of Black theater. Anderson reminds us that W.E.B. Du Bois’ 1926 call for theaters “by us, for us, about us, and near us” still hits with urgency today as America heads toward its 250-year anniversary. Through stories ranging from the rebirth of the KKK to Black women losing jobs in record numbers, he argues that the same pressures that shaped our ancestors’ creative resistance are re-emerging—and theater remains one of our sharpest tools for truth-telling, healing, and institution-building. Anderson shares why Plowshares’ 36-year legacy matters, how Black theater has always whispered the messages our people needed, and why 2026 will launch work like Roberto Clemente: A Diamond Within to unite Black Detroit across generations. From FUBU to Killmonger, from collard greens to cultural survival, this conversation is a masterclass in how Black Detroit remembers, creates, and fights forward. If you care about legacy Black culture—its roots and its next chapter—you need this episode.

Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.

Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.

Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com