Potholes, Roads and the Future of a Michigan Rustbelt Town

Good school districts are more than a function of how much money they collect from taxpayers.  Schools must connect with the community where they are located in ways that go beyond math, science and reading.  

Flint, Michigan at one time was the envy of America. Flint leaders developed and funded the concept of the Community Schools Program.  The Flint School District and its Community Schools Model drew people from across the nation and the world to study the educational model. The concept was replicated in thousands of school districts in the United States and abroad.  

The product of that district's efforts were after-school programs that enriched the community and provided learning experiences for the whole family after school was in recess.

Skip Harbin, a life long native of Flint, as well as a former teacher, school administrator and school board member shares with us the "golden years" of the Flint Community Schools.  Skip provides context and insight to the devolution of on of America's great industrial towns.  He discusses the effects of economic changes that resulted from GM's globalization, the breakdown of family structure and the growth of Charter and private schools.  

This interview is part of a series of personal histories that showcase the people of Flint, Michigan.  They provide a tapestry from which to view the dramatic economic and social change that has come to the heartland of America.---

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Our guest is musician Howard Ryan, a native of Wisconsin who now lives in San Francisco, California. Ryan, also known as Hauras composed a song, "Flint, Michigan," intending to make a social statement about the problems of the beleaguered rust belt city. 

Ryan is a musician and composer who is known for his work in the drone music genre. He has released several albums and EPs that showcase his unique style of electronic music, which often incorporates elements of experimental and ambient sounds. Ryan is known for his ability to create immersive and atmospheric soundscapes that draw the listener in and transport them to another world. In addition to his solo work, Ryan has collaborated with other artists in the drone music scene and has performed at various music festivals worldwide.

Drone music is a subgenre of electronic music characterized by its slow, repetitive rhythms and sustained tones. It often uses synthesizers and electronic instrumentation to create a meditative and ambient soundscape.

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Please visit Band Camp to download a copy of the song Flint, Michigan, or the album In these Coming Days by Hauras.  To obtain other works of music by Hauras and Howard Ryan, please visit the Helen Scarsdale Agency website.

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Our podcast guest is Daniel Moilanen, a Fenton area native now living in Flint.

 Dan is currently the Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts (MACD). His leadership in this organization brings conservation-minded farmers together to reduce toxic algal blooms in the Great Lakes by encouraging environmentally sound agricultural techniques.   

The Michigan soil conservation districts have been working to modernize farming practices to protect Lake Erie and its surrounding ecosystems. One key aspect of this effort has been implementing precision agriculture techniques, which involve using advanced technology to monitor and optimize crop production in real time.

One example is GPS-guided machinery, which allows farmers to precisely target inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, reducing the risk of over-application and runoff into the lake. Additionally, the districts have been promoting the use of cover crops and conservation tillage methods, which help to improve soil health and reduce erosion.

Another important aspect of this effort has been the development of nutrient management plans, which help farmers to optimize the use of fertilizers and minimize the risk of excess nutrients entering the lake. These plans involve working with experts to identify the most effective and environmentally friendly fertilization practices for specific crops and soil types.

Overall, these efforts have helped to improve the sustainability of farming in Michigan and protect the health of Lake Erie while also supporting the economic viability of the state's agriculture industry.

Dan is a graduate of Albion College. Recently, the Flint-Genesee Chamber of Commerce selected Moilenan as one of 40 Under 40 distinguished young community leaders.

Dan Moilanen has a wealth of experience in small business ownership, community service, and political engagement. He is the founder and former owner of Vehicle City Tacos, a popular downtown Flint food truck. His community and political involvement include serving as leader of the Genesee County Democratic Party and the Genesee County Young Democrats.

Dan is with us to discuss Michigan environmental issues like soil conservation and better and less harmful agricultural practices that help keep our water resources and wetlands free of harmful pollutants. Michigan is the second largest producer of agricultural commodities in the United States. Outmoded farming practices in Michigan threaten to deplete its rich soil over the next 60 years. 

In recent years Dan has continued his interest in music by performing with a SKA Punk Band in the Flint area.  We are sure you will find our guest fun and exciting and learn how important it is to protect our food and water resources through conservation.

Visit the Genesee County Conservation District website to learn more about Flint area programs and projects.  

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Fixing aging roads and bridges in cities like Flint, Michigan, needs creative solutions for its hollowed-out city with blocks and blocks of vacant homes. While a vacant house can be torn down, the near-bankrupt municipality must maintain the aging paved roads in front of those houses. Is the answer to downsizing or shrinking the city? How difficult is that to do?   Get some answers to these questions and others.

Please share your thoughts with us by email or voice message.

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Midnight in Vehicle City by author Edward McClelland is a book that tells the story of Flint, Michigan, during the Great Recession and the struggles of its residents as they try to survive in a city that has been hit hard by the economic downturn. The story centers around autoworkers struggling to make ends meet and their challenges of working for General Motors Corporation in the 1930s. Those challenges included poor pay and working conditions.

The author does an excellent job of capturing the mood and atmosphere of Flint during this time, and the characters are well-developed and believable. The book is also well-researched and provides a lot of insight into the history and culture of Flint and the larger economic and political forces that have shaped the city.

Overall, Midnight in the Vehicle City is a compelling and poignant read that provides a unique perspective on the struggles of ordinary people in an extraordinary time. It is a powerful reminder of the resilience and determination of the human spirit. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in social and economic issues or the history of the Rust Belt.

Listen to a clip of a stirring archival speech by the late Walter P. Ruether, former President of the United Automobile Workers Union. Ruether's words hit a note, given today's struggle to protect democracy.

The conversation examines the impact the strike made on the culture of Flint, Michigan, and its people. Does the intensive local activism of 1937 that spurred the birth of the UAW still exist today in Flint?

Now that the 1937 sit-down strikers are gone, why does the labor movement still celebrate this strike? What did this historical confrontation between the UAW and General Motors accomplish? Did the famous strike help build the American middle class?

Please visit the author's website if you want more information about author Edward McClelland and to purchase his book Midnight in the Vehicle City or any of his other books.

• Watch Video: Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade (1979). Oscar-nominated documentary about the women who battled the police to help and support their striking husbands inside the GM auto factories of Flint, Michigan.
• Watch Video: The Flint Sit-Down Strike and White Shirt Day. A video about the history of the historic strike. The UAW produced it.

The song "1937" in the podcast introduction and outro was written by David O. Norris and Dan Hall and performed by Dan Hall and a local choir of UAW members.   Many thanks to them and UAW Region 1-D for their assistance in producing this song.

The historical photographs included on the Radio Free Flint episodes page are courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF34-9058-C]

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Millions of American "Snowbirds" seasonally migrate from the Rust Belt to the Sunbelt. They seek more comfortable, warmer climates during the cold winters "up north." Many of the Snowbirds also come from Canada.

What is a "Snowbird," and why do they want to move around the country chasing the sunshine? Is there something this lifestyle says about us and our culture? Have our patterns of life mimicked the ducks and the geese?  

In this essay, Arthur Busch explains why he became a Snowbird and how he feels about leaving his home and family behind in Michigan to head for the Suncoast of Florida. Arthur discusses what has become an attainable lifestyle for many from blue-collar regions of America. Is being a Snowbird part of the working-class culture? For many in Michigan who spent careers working in the automobile industry, the answer is YES!

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Musician George Winters has performed for audiences for over 50 years across America.  The Michigan native is well-known in music venues in southeastern Michigan for his fabulous keyboard skills, especially on a Hammond organ.  George plays the keyboard, guitar, and harmonica and also sings. 

This podcast includes a conversation with George Winters about his long career and several unreleased tracks that include his distinctive mellow jazz and upbeat popular music.  Winters shares his story about how his music career started and grew in and around Flint and Detroit, Michigan.  In this podcast interview, he talks about how the troubles of the automobile industry affected the life of local musicians in Michigan.  

The son of a Hammond B3 organ salesman, George got his musical start very early in life in Flushing, Michigan. He entertained the audience during local theater intermission as a child by playing the organ.

George shares stories about his interactions with former Detroit Tiger star pitcher Dennis McClain, who also was an organist.  Winters tells of his amusing experience delivering a Hammond B3 organ to the home of Mark Farner of the Rock Band Grand Funk Railroad.    

In recent years he has toured the country in clubs that host dueling pianos. 

George has produced five compact disc recordings. The first, entitled "The Seed" was completed in 1994 and was recorded in less than two hours. "The Seed" was picked up by major retailers in Michigan, including Harmony House, prompting some local success. George's second effort, "Rhythm," released in 1998, comprises mostly original music with instrumentation including the Hammond B3, drums, bass, guitar, and piano.

His love of the dueling pianos concept also began in 1998 at JD's Key Club in Pontiac, MI, and continues to this day. You can see George at select Dueling Pianos clubs - click on "show dates" on his web page for a complete schedule.

With the release of his fifth CD, "Back to the B3" George hopes to put his music into more hands than ever, using the internet medium to deliver his creations. "Back to the B3" will be available soon from online retailers such as iTunes, or you can order directly from this website.

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This is a conversation with Sarah Carson about her book of poems, How to Baptize a Child, in Flint, MI. Carson's poems are a jarring portrayal of life in a declining, once mighty, and still proud American rustbelt town, Flint, Michigan. 
 
"How to Baptize a Child in Flint, Michigan" is a heartwarming and thought-provoking exploration of faith, family, and community in the midst of challenging circumstances.

The book tells the story of a young mother, Sarah, who is struggling to raise her child in the midst of the Flint water crisis. As she navigates the complexities of living in a city with contaminated water, Sarah turns to her faith as a source of hope and strength.

One of the book's most powerful aspects is how Carson portrays Sarah's faith as an active and essential part of her life. She doesn't shy away from the challenges of raising a child in a difficult environment but instead leans into her faith as a source of resilience and strength. This is particularly poignant as Sarah grapples with the decision of whether or not to baptize her child in the midst of such uncertain and tumultuous times.

Ultimately, "How to Baptize a Child in Flint, Michigan" is a profoundly moving and thought-provoking exploration of faith, family, and community in the face of difficult circumstances. Carson's writing is engaging and heartfelt, and her portrayal of Sarah's journey is inspiring and relatable. This is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the role of faith in times of crisis.

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This book won the 2022 Lexi Rudnitsky Editors Choice Award, a poetry collection that portrays quintessentially American struggles and hopes.
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Carson peeks inside the windows of Flint's working class with a searing indictment of a society responsible for the ghastly moral failures resulting in massive unemployment and poisoned water. 

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Sarah Carson was born in Flint, Michigan. She now lives in East Lansing, Michigan, with her daughter and two dogs, who make a guest appearance on the podcast. After college, she spent ten years working with literary organizations in Chicago, including the Poetry Foundation and Switchback Books. 

Sarah is the author of two prose poetry collections, Buick City (Mayapple Press, 2015) and Poems in which You Die (BatCat Press), as well as the forthcoming How to Baptize a Child in Flint, Michigan (Persea Books, Nov 1, 2022). Her poetry and other writing have appeared in Diagram, Brevity, Guernica, the Minnesota Review, and others. You can read more of her work at stuffsarahwrote.com

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This book of poetry is available at the following retailers:

• Amazon Books
• Persea Books
• Barnes and Noble Books

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Emily Doerr is a candidate for the Flint Community Schools Board of Education. The election will be on November 8, 2022. She joined a slate of four other individuals running to serve the Flint Community Schools. These candidates agree on core principles governing their service on the Board of Education should they be elected on November 8, 2022. The other candidates on the slate are Dylan Luna, Terae King Jr, Melody L. Relerford, and Michael Clack.

The Flint Community Schools are at a crossroads facing dwindling student enrollment, financial deficits, and decisions about rebuilding school buildings. In recent years the Flint Board of Education has experienced dysfunction of its governing board. Those seeking election in Flint will face enormous challenges in fixing the school district. 

For the first time in recent memory, five respected and accomplished residents have joined together to seek to bring energetic leadership to focus on Flint's young scholars and the school district. This podcast discusses the problems facing the Flint Community Schools and possible solutions. Our podcast guest discusses her team's philosophy and plans should the voters elect them.

Radio Free Flint is not endorsing any candidates for the Flint School Board but seeks to bring forward information about the school district's problems. Our podcast guest is only the second political candidate we have ever interviewed. Flint Board of Education candidates appears on the non-partisan portion of the ballot.
 
Emily Doerr is our podcast guest. She is a Flint native and has an impressive education and resume. Doerr is a leader in the State of Michigan on community development and land use policy issues. She is also a Flintstone with deep roots in the community.

Emily received a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Central Michigan University and a Master's in Business Administration from Detroit Mercy.

View YouTube Interview of Emily Doerr with Spectacle TV with Paul Herring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-OCiLdazC0

Candidate Profile, Emily Doerr by Flint Beat (E-Newsletter)
https://flintbeat.com/meet-flint-board-of-ed-candidate-emily-doerr/

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Is it possible to make Flint laugh? If anyone can, it's Flint native Bryan McCree, a nationally known comedian, actor, and writer. He regularly tours America with shows marked by their insight into American culture and the oddities of life in our country. He is particularly astute at using humor to make us laugh at ourselves. 

In this interview, Byran shares hilarious clips of his shows featuring humor about Flint, making the audience laugh at itself and its stereotypes about race and being poor.

Byran has regularly appeared on Comedy Central, Mad TV, NBC, and Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen. He is the nephew of the late Floyd J. McCree, former Mayor of Flint. Mayor McCree was a  Michigan Civil Rights icon. Bryan's father was a jazz virtuoso, and his Great Aunt was a Broadway legend.   

The Jherri curled comic has shared the stage with comedians such as Sinbad, George Wallace, and Robert Shimmel and with the group, The Isley Brothers. Bryan is a hilarious man with a demeanor and acting skills that can keep an audience in tears with laughter.

He spent years acting at Flint's McCree Theater, a venue named after his famous uncle. It was there he honed his stagecraft skills and charm. Comedy allows McCree to assume himself as the character in his one-man shows.   He does all this with tremendous wit, insight, and a natural stage presence. 

In this interview, he shares his life growing up in Flint, his family,  attending Flint Southwestern High School, etc. He shares humorous antidotes about his younger days in Flint. Bryan tells of giving comedy shows to his classmates on the school bus each morning on their way to school. He laughs at the neighborhood days of playing the game of twelve. He never gives up on his beleaguered hometown. 

McCree describes what it is like to live in a blue-collar town like Flint, Michigan. He reflects a good-natured poke at his audiences and himself. 

Visit Bryan McCree's website to discover his scheduled shows, watch videos of his act, or get branded merchandise.

Watch Bryan McCree's comedy shows on his YouTube Channel or visit his Facebook Page.

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