This Week on American Black Journal:

Covenant House Michigan celebrates 25 years of supporting homeless youth 

Covenant House Michigan, a Detroit-based nonprofit that helps homeless youth get off the street and back on their feet, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Founded in the fall of 1997, Covenant House Michigan has continued to expand over the past two-plus decades, opening a second location in Grand Rapids in 2018 and serving more than 80,000 youth through the nonprofit’s educational and vocational services and programs since its inception.  

“Our trauma-informed services help bridge the gap between potential and progress, and we also advocate for systemic change through public policy, while promoting awareness of critical issues related to youth homelessness,” Covenant House Michigan’s website indicates. 

“American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson talks with Covenant House Michigan’s Executive Director Meagan Dunn about the many reasons that cause youth to seek shelter and trauma-informed services from Covenant House. They discuss the significant number of young people who have mental and behavioral health challenges when they arrive at the agency, and the organization’s efforts to help end the cycle of homelessness among the youth. 

Judge John A. Murphy, Michigan’s longest-serving African American judge, retires after 44 years

“American Black Journal” marks an important day in Black history: Michigan Third Circuit Court Judge, the Honorable John A. Murphy, has announced his retirement after 44 years on the bench. Murphy was the longest-serving judge in Michigan and the longest-serving state-elected African American judge in the state. He was elected to the Third Circuit Court bench in 1986.  

Prior to his tenure in Michigan’s Third Circuit Court, Murphy served on Wayne County’s Common Pleas Court and 36th District Court. He also worked as a private practice lawyer specializing in labor relations. Judge Murphy received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1971 and a Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University in 1974.  

“American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson talks with Murphy about the various courts he has sat on, the important cases he has ruled on, and what he has experienced in regard to African American representation in the judicial profession. 

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Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.