Created Equal

The Electoral College was created in 1787 through something that made the founding fathers great -- compromise. But in that compromise the founders failed to confront deep-seated inequalities in the nation, and created a government that still today reflects that injustice.

Four Tops founding member Duke Fakir talks about capturing lightning in a bottle with Motown in the 1960s.

Art is a reflection of society, and society is a reflection of art. American music has been a global standard bearer for a century, in part for its ability to shift dramatically with society. Two Motown insiders talk about how the legendary record label resisted and then embraced change in the '60s.

Created Equal host Stephen Henderson speaks with "Blood in the Water" author and University of Michigan professor Heather Ann Thompson about the modern mass incarceration and its implication on communities.

Being "tough on crime" is politically popular. But does it make communities safer? In 1971 a prison uprising in New York state opened the door for President Richard Nixon and Governor Nelson Rockefeller to push for harsh drug laws with lasting repercussions.

“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” The team at ESPN's The Undefeated website talks about covering black American life holistically in the media landscape.

Who tells your story? The media hold the narrative for marginalized people, for better or worse. The word "carjacking" written in print got swept into a '90s narrative about black American life.

These "Declarations" feature more thoughts from the experts you hear in episodes of Created Equal. This week, author and professor Lester Spence (01. The Kiss) discusses the effect of "neo-liberalism" in American politics and marginalized communities.

How one man's livelihood was destroyed with a simple kiss.

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