Soledad im soledad obrien. Welcome to matter of fact from michigan. Were here at the Detroit Institute of arts. Famed mexican artist diego rivera painted this mural all around me. Its called detroit industry. And its a tribute to the citys manufacturing roots. But detroit didnt just build cars, it manufactured hope. It was where the American Dream came to life. With a large bloc of blue collar workers, michigan eventually became part of the reliable blue wall for democrats, until 2016, when donald trump won the state by the slimmest of margins, less than 1 of the vote. Michigan hadnt gone red since electing george h. W. Bush in 1988. But in 2020, pundits of every stripe acknowledge black women voters will be the kingmakers, or queenmakers. They turned out more than any other group in 2016 and 2012. Africanamerican women have long been political players. Our special correspondent joie chen retraced the steps of some of americas greatest Political Forces to understand their influence here in detroit as part of our matter of fact listening tour. Joie the rich red georgia clay once sprouted fields of cotton and made a comfortable life for families like grace allens. But in the early 1950s, they, like so many others, moved north wanting more. We wanted to do a better living. We wanted to do more than just chop cotton and pick cotton and hoe and do this and that and the other. Joie and your children. Mmmhmm. Joie you didnt want them to have that life. I wanted them to have a better life than i had. Joie she brought her two boys north to a strange city, got a job working on the assembly line, and built two businesses of her own. I just wanted to do something to help somebody. A conversation in a barbershop is the most authentic thing you can have in detroit. Joie at the kutitout barbershop on detroits east side, Marlowe Stoudamire tells us the history of his city. As early as maybe 1915, a lot of black people were transitioning from the south, a white south primarily, to come to detroit for a better opportunity. Joie thats the great migration. Thats the great migration. Joie some six million African Americans moved north in whats known as the great migration. Detroits black population alone grew more than 34 in the first half of the 20th century, with women like grace allen leading the way. How does she fit into that picture . I think she represents a lot of stories you havent heard, women who had to maybe do it all. From being the foundation of congregations, from volunteerism, to leading organizations specifically at a grassroots neighborhood level. Joie they were also the women who kept their families safe in detroits darkest hours, the long hot summer of july 1967. Law and order have broken down in detroit, michigan. Joie when an explosion of longsimmering frustration and rage at an oppressive police force sparked rebellion on 12th street. Those clashes echo even today in the cavernous vacant houses. Andy largely empty streets of detroits north end, where we could doubt, even for just a moment, any hope for detroits resurgence. That is, until we meet jasmin barnett. I am my ancestors wildest dream. I am a youth activist. Joie at 29 years old, with two degrees in hand, she moved into a Fragile Community to support its girls. The correct way to ask for sugar is may i please have some sugar, ok . Joie barnett launched ladies in training, a program to encourage social and professional skills and to expose these girls to a world beyond clairmount avenue. A lot of girls who live in this neighborhood, they live right here, which is 10 minutes from downtown, and they have never even been to downtown detroit. Joie she credits her activism to the woman who encouraged her dream, her grandma grace allen. Did you realize that you were kinda creating a path for us to follow . I was hoping someone would follow me. She may not know that, my parents might not even know that. That was a Guiding Light for me making sure that i do the right thing. Joie with a role model who served as a church leader, union officer, and elections official, stepping into Community Service was an obvious choice for barnett, especially to empower Detroits Young black women at a critical moment in american politics. Beyond just voting, jasmin and her peers are increasingly active in detroit politics. Four women of color sit on the city council, including its president. And two of detroits congressional delegation are women of color. It is our right and our duty to get up and vote on election day. Joie is it prime time for africanamerican women . I believe so. I think its our time. I think its our time because, after so long you cant take no. You have to go out and get your yes. Joie getting their yes, and getting ready to lead another generation of women in power. In detroit, im joie chen for matter of fact. Next on matter of fact at what point do we pull this plug and say you know what, its not worth it anymore . Patience and savings run thin for farmers caught in the middle of the president s trade war. Plus soledad your political back story is an odd one. Very few people go from working at microsoft to sort of popping up as Lieutenant Governor. Hes the highest elected African American in michigans history. So whats next for Garlin Gilchrist . Work so hard give it everything you got strength of a lioness tough as a knot rocking the stage and we never gonna stop all strength, no sweat. Just in case you forgot all strength. No sweat secret. All strength. No sweat. When your vneck looks more like a uneck. Thats when you know, its halfwashed. Downy helps prevent stretching by conditioning fibers, so clothes look newer, longer. Downy and its done. A lot of folks ask me why their dishwasher doesnt get everything clean. I tell them, it may be your detergent. Thats why more dishwasher brands recommend cascade platinum. With the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. For sparklingclean dishes, the first time. Cascade platinum. Soledad about a year and half ago, President Trump tweeted trade wars are good and easy to win. But so far, American Farmers seem to be the losers in the president s trade war with china. Here in michigan, on top of tariff trouble, that made it harder to sell soybeans and pork to china, the state had one of the wettest years in its history. And frigid temperatures last winter didnt help either. And as our correspondent Jessica Gomez tells us, the trade war and weather woes are hurting more than farmers. They are trickling down to the communities around them. We have under our control approximately 3300 acres. Normally this time of year, we would be seeing lush green crops growing, and right now we are looking at brown dirt everywhere. Jessica that brown dirt, spanning hundreds of acres across the smuts family farm, southwest of lansing. Hard to believe now, wet weather was to blame for one of the worst planting seasons theyve ever seen. It didnt rain a lot those days, but it rained enough that were we unable to get back into our fields. Its usually 6 or better, taller. Jessica and in westphalia, the corn that did get planted on the schafer farm was weeks and weeks late, brown patches where it was just too wet. What yield theyll get at harvest still unclear. It was tough. You want to go to work, you want to do your job, you want to plant the crops, but its just too wet out there to do it. Jessica without corn to feed their dairy cows, leroy and Stephanie Schafer may have to buy it. That could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars lost. I dont know where that money is coming from. Jessica the weather creating the perfect storm for the schafers and other michigan family farmers. On top of years of declining income, theyre now caught in the middle of an escalating trade war with china. We are challenged, to say the least. Jessica ernie birchmier, from the michigan farm bureau, visits farmers like the schafers, and behind the smiles, sees the stress. But he says this crisis is now extending far beyond the dairy barns. Our Rural Communities are made up of farmers and businesses that support those farmers and farmers that support these businesses. Jessica in rural towns throughout michigan, the reverberations of struggling farms already being felt. Bags and bags of seed returned to bob mansfields company, unable to be planted. And he worries his Grain Elevator will be still empty come harvest. We are shrinking the business to fit the business that exists today. Jessica at bader and sons, a john deere dealer in portland, the Service Department is busy, but in sales, the sounds of silence. Sales manager Mitchell Thelen is a father of six. It just slowed down so bad. You dont get the phone calls, you dont get the walkin business. Jessica since farmers arent coming to him, thelen is going to them. You get to know the farmer a little bit more personal now that you are face to face with them. A lot of guys are nervous, very nervous, they dont know what next year is gonna bring. Good morning, what brings you out . Jessica but its a tough sell these days. Not today. Why not today . Cause corn arent worth 5 and soybeans arent worth 10. Jessica while many farmers here support trade reform trade reform we could really use a trade deal. Jessica for those like duane smuts, their patience, like their savings, is wearing thin. How many more years of this could you withstand . Not very many. Were burning through capital at a rapid rate here, and we dont need any more of these anytime soon. Jessica neither do the rural towns that rely on michigan farmers. The true impact of whats happening here, like this years harvest, may be too soon to tell. Were in mile four of a marathon here. Over the next 12 to 18 months of this marathon, this story is gonna be told. All right, we will be seeing you, gordon. Jessica a story Mitchell Thelen hopes doesnt end here, that better days are down the road. So do the schafers, who worry their sixthgeneration dairy farm wont make it to seven. What part of it is the toughest . I dont know, kids wanting to come back and not knowing how to let them back. Just the income overall. Not knowing. Its a big question mark. Jessica in westphalia, michigan, for matter of fact, im Jessica Gomez. When we come back in a state that donald trump won by 10,000 votes, we won by 10 points. So whats his advice for democrats trying to take back the white house . Plus, a decadesold debate. Why republicans cant agree on the birthplace of the republican party. Soledad after being shut out of power for years, democrats won all major statewide races in michigan last november. Those dems said its just a preview of whats to come in 2020. When Governor Gretchen Whitmer picked a relatively unknown Garlin Gilchrist as her running mate, there was a collective who . From both parties. He was a suprise pick and bold move. Lieutenant governor Garlin Gilchrist, its so nice to have you. Thanks for talking with me. Its weird to say have you because here i am in your home state. Lt. Gov. Gilchrist well, thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. Soledad of course, of course. So talk to me about detroit. The narrative around detroit is always comeback. Its a comeback, its in the middle of a comeback. There a lot of people who would say the comeback has not come back to them and that its actually passed them by, and of course those are some communities of color in this area. Lt. Gov. Gilchrist well, im a detroiter, nativeborn and raised. As Lieutenant Governor, i still live in the city of detroit. And it is true that there has been progress on a number of fronts. We saw communities, we saw philanthropy, we saw business come together in a way that weve never seen in the citys history because the city is so important. But it is true that there are so many people in our city and in this broader metro area, frankly, who still need to be part of the progress. Soledad so how do you do that . I mean, if you just look at one indicator, like home loans back in 2007 when blacks made up 82 of the city, they had 75 of the home loans. That number has gone down significantly even though blacks make up 79 of the population so that sort of lt. Gov. Gilchrist well, thats an indication that you know the mortgage crisis hit black homeowners and black families harder than perhaps any other community. And so in a city thats as black as detroit is, you saw it. So were trying to, first of all, work to challenge to say how can these lending institutions first of all step up. Theyre doing better. They have recovered. Now its time for them to help families recover as well. Soledad can you have equitable rebuilding, which people talk about, without having gentrification . Lt. Gov. Gilchrist yes, absolutely you can. Soledad really . Because often making Something Better makes it more expensive, which immediately means that people whove been there no longer can stay there. Lt. Gov. Gilchrist well, whats unique about detroit is that it is a massive city. Detroit is the site you can combine manhattan, boston, and san francisco. They can all fit inside in detroit with room to spare. So a lot of times the expensive stuff that comes with the gentrification in other cities has to do with this scarcity of space. We dont have that problem in detroit. We can do that if we do development differently. Soledad lets talk politics. Is there a candidate in this race on the democratic side i assume who you you predict to do well, win in the in the primary first . Lt. Gov. Gilchrist the candidate who wins in michigan will be the candidate who shows up the most in michigan. The person who remembers to talk about the things that matter. When we ran in 2018 and had recordbreaking turnout in a state that donald trump won by 10,000 votes, we won by 10 points. We did that by talking about fixing infrastructure and solving problems, by closing the skills gap and investing in education and by cleaning up our drinking water. So candidates who want to win in michigan are going to stick to those issues. Soledad what is the vibe on donald trump in not just detroit, but in the state of michigan . As you mentioned, he narrowly won 10,000 votes, but a lot has changed. Lt. Gov. Gilchrist you know, i think that Donald Trumps rhetoric and policies have been dangerous and destructive for the state of michigan. But there are parts of the state where he has earned peoples support and trust. I expect him to show up in michigan and campaign, and democrats are going to need to do the same thing if we want to beat him. You know, michigan is a battleground state for a reason, but we proved in 18 that it can be a blue state if you put in the work. Soledad do you want to be governor one day . I mean, your political back story is an odd one. Very few people go from working at microsoft to sort of popping up as Lieutenant Governor. Are you on a political path one day you say, yes, i see the presidency in my sights . Lt. Gov. Gilchrist i mean, this path to Public Service was a was winding one for me, but one was responsive to peoples needs. You know, when i first ran for office in 2017, it was in response to making elections work better for people. When i ran for Lieutenant Governor alongside gretchen whitmer, it was because i saw an opportunity to apply the things that ive learned in my career from the private sector and from the Nonprofit Sector and advocacy and working in government to try to solve problems at a big statewide level. I think that if im able to work alongside the governor effectively, if im able to make good choices and have some impact on the policy area that i care about infrastructure, transit and transportation, connecting people to the internet, reforming our system of criminal justice, enabling people with ideas then the skys the limit. Soledad Lieutenant Governor gilchrist, its so nice to have you. Thanks for talking with us. Lt. Gov. Gilchrist thank you very much. Soledad you bet. When we return, the grand old dispute over the birthplace of the grand old party. Is it michigan or wisconsin . Soledad welcome back to matter of fact from detroit, michigan. Before 2016, which is when the state flipped red for president donald trump, it had been reliably blue for 20 years, despite michigan being the birthplace of the grand old party. But theres a grand old dispute over that claim. On july 6, 1854, a group of more than 1000 people met in jackson, michigan, about 80 miles west of detroit. They were outraged over the passage of the kansasnebraska territories to slavery. It was hot that day, so the crowd moved outside to a nearby oak grove, which later became known as the under the oaks convention. And the first statewide candidates were selected for what would become the republican party. Prior to that, smaller groups around the country also met to denounce slavery and start a new party, including in ripon, wisconsin. So that town also says its the birthplace of the gop. The Republican National committee has wavered on which city holds the honor, calling the ripon meeting informal and the meeting in jackson official. So both places still call themselves the birthplace of the republican party. Coming up, from Pablo Picasso to kehinde wiley, how detroit became home to one of the largest and most significant collections of art in america. Soledad finally, the Detroit Institute of arts is a crown jewel of the city. It has more than 100 galleries, with more 65,000 works of art. The dia is considered one of the most impressive fine art museums in america. So its no wonder its collection became a bargaining chip to pay off debt when the city filed bankruptcy. In the end, the art stayed with the dia, including the work of Pablo Picasso and vincent van gogh. The dia was the first Public Museum in the country to purchase a van gogh. It was his selfportrait. It also owns Kehinde Wileys famous officer of the hussars and something you can feel by mickalene thomas. Diego rivera considered this mural, detroit industry, his most successful work. And thats it for this edition of matter of fact. Im soledad obrien. We are going to see you back in washington, dc, next week. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] robert handa hello, welcome to a holiday Asian Pacific america show. Im robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. Today we feature a music legend, june kuramoto, who along with husband dan kuramoto, formed the iconic band hiroshima. June, our first musical guest when we launched our show five years ago, plays the traditional instrument, the koto, but in a very contemporary style. Shes branching off with solo efforts and we caught up with her at the Hakone Foundation gala at Hakone Gardens in saratoga where, along with band mate, kimo cornwell, she showed off her everexpanding skills. We talked to her about it, about hiroshima, and about music. Robert you knew, of course, there wasnt that many japanese