The Brian Lehrer Show Journalism for the Common Good
Apr 23, 2026
Michelle Adams, University of Michigan law professor and Hillman Prize winner, discusses her book The Containment about Detroit and Northern segregation. Jamelle Bouie, New York Times columnist and Hillman judge, talks about national politics through historical lenses and the Hillman Prize. They explore Milliken v. Bradley, court reform, and how history shapes current constitutional and political debates.
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Hillman Prize Focus And History
- The Hillman Prize honors journalism that advances the public good across formats and historically focuses on labor, civil rights, and foreign policy.
- Jamelle Bouie emphasized the prize's 76-year history and its aim to reward work pursuing the common good.
Author Invites Readers Into Her Classroom
- Michelle Adams framed her book as inviting readers into her constitutional law classroom to tell Detroit's late 1960s–early 1970s desegregation story.
- She described researching interviews with participants and using accessible narrative to explain why integration efforts failed.
Northern Jim Crow Was Systemic And Litigable
- The Containment exposes Northern Jim Crow by showing how housing and school segregation in Detroit were systemically created and perpetuated.
- Adams highlights a trial where Detroit lawyers effectively put Northern segregation practices on trial and persuaded a skeptical judge.
