Michelle Jokisch Polo
As WKAR's Bilingual Latinx Stories Reporter, Michelle reports in both English and Spanish on stories affecting Michigan's Latinx community. Michelle is also the voice of WKAR's weekend news programs.
Michelle joined WKAR in August 2020.
Before joining WKAR, Michelle was the inclusion reporter at WGVU Public Media, covering stories of people at the intersections of racial justice immigration reform, criminal justice system reform, reproductive justice and trans and queer liberation. Michelle began her career as a journalist as the head reporter at El Vocero Hispano, the largest Hispanic newspaper in Michigan.
Michelle has a master's degree from Grand Valley State University and a bachelor's degree from Calvin University.
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Latinas are the second-largest minority group of women in the workforce. Yet, many are struggling to reap the benefits of their economic potential -
President Joe Biden's executive actions that temporarily halts most asylum claims at the southern border is leaving many immigrant families in limbo, hoping they'll be eligible to reunite with their loved ones. -
Michigan has become the first state in the country to automatically restore voting rights to people as they leave prison.
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The initiatives aim to end "period poverty" — a lack of access to menstrual products. Health concerns and equity are motivating students. -
Spanish and Swahili dictionaries are banned in Michigan prisons. An official says the ban is to prevent prisoners from being disruptive. -
Black doulas are setting out to help change the dramatic Black infant mortality rate. In Michigan and across the country, Black infants die far more frequently than white babies.
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Ashley Medina is so busy cutting mullets for all kinds of people in her Lansing, Michigan, shop that she may have to give up other styles. -
As states across the U.S. begin lifting indoor mask mandates for the fully vaccinated, there's widespread confusion. Both businesses and customers are struggling over their decisions on mask-wearing. -
As Michigan lifts its indoor mask mandate for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19, business owners and customers feel both confusion and political tensions over whether to mask in public.
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For the past six weeks, 24 students at Ann Arbor Community Learning Center have been doing their virtual classwork on computers provided by the public school district.
