Lauren Abdel-Razzaq

2 weeks ago | bridgedetroit.com | Nargis Rahman |Lauren Abdel-Razzaq

Michigan is home to the third largest population of Bangladeshis in the U.S., with a significant number living in the Metro Detroit area. Bangladeshi immigrants struggle with several challenges when trying to access health care. Among them are language, cultural competency and adequate insurance. As part of a new four-part series called, “Shustho: Mind, Body, and Spirit,” WDET’s Nargis Rahman reports on how Bangladeshi women in Southeast Michigan are overcoming cultural barriers.

2 weeks ago | bridgedetroit.com | Hayley Harding |Lauren Abdel-Razzaq

Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Michigan’s free newsletter here. A review by the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office found 15 additional people who may have voted in the 2024 general election despite not being U.S. citizens — a significant increase from previous reports.

3 weeks ago | bridgedetroit.com | Lori Higgins |Lauren Abdel-Razzaq

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy. Challenges faced by working parents can contribute to chronic absenteeism, according to a new book. “The shift is like a twelve-hour shift,” said one parent whose experience was recounted in “Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism: Why Schools Can’t Solve It Alone,” which was written by two Wayne State University education researchers.

3 weeks ago | bridgedetroit.com | Eleanore Catolico |Lauren Abdel-Razzaq

Denise Fair Razo, Detroit’s chief public health officer, said she remembers the thousands of residents who died from COVID-19—and the pain that followed. “We weren’t able to save them, and that’s what hurts,” Fair Razo said. This is what happened to the survivors: In 2020, the pandemic stunned Detroit, a majority-Black city grappling with poverty, chronic illnesses and crowded housing. Stay-at-home orders disrupted learning for thousands of students, and earnings for thousands of businesses.

3 weeks ago | bridgedetroit.com | Micah Walker |Lauren Abdel-Razzaq

Marcia Black can trace her family’s migration to Detroit back to her great-grandmother Sarah Johnson. During the 1940s, Johnson made the trek from Mississippi to the Motor City, settling on Ferry Park Street in the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood. “She had six girls and one boy,” Black said.