NPR’s Melissa Block Visits Hamtramck For New Series “Our Land”

Block talks about misconceptions people have about communities across the country.

Laura Weber Davis/WDET

Longtime NPR host and special correspondent Melissa Block has been traveling across the country for her series “Our Land.” She has been reporting from communities large and small and exploring how place and history shape a community’s identity.

This week she was in the unique, multi-cultural city-within-a-city of Hamtramck. Block joins Stephen Henderson on Detroit Today to discuss her travels and what she has seen during her time in Michigan.

Block says she finds the cultural shift seen in Hamtramck and places like it fascinating. She also discusses how welcoming she has found people in the places she has visited.

“And you find that all the time, people are just so open and willing to show you what their life is like,” Block says, “and welcome you in many cases into their homes.”

Block says she finds it interesting to discover the misconceptions of the different places she visits. She says she hopes her series makes people think more about where they come from and focus more on what makes a place special.

For the next segment of her show, Block is heading to Arizona and New Mexico.

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.  

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  • Detroit Today
    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.