This week, Donna and Orlando sat down with Saunteel Jenkins to discuss her vision for Detroit’s future. This episode is the second in a series of interviews with candidates in the race for Detroit’s 76th mayor.

Saunteel Jenkins is a lifelong Detroiter, former Detroit City Council President, gun violence prevention advocate, and former CEO of The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW), where she kept families healthy, safe, and warm.  

Saunteel worked as a social worker, director of the residential treatment center at the Mariners Inn homeless shelter for men in Detroit, national business development director for a private education company that provides services to low-income children in at-risk school districts, and at one time ran her own dessert catering company, Petite Sweets.

She is a proud graduate of Cass Technical High School and Wayne State University, where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work.

To learn more about Saunteel Jenkins and her six priorities for Detroit, click here.

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The Authentically Detroit Podcast Network in collaboration with Detroit one million presents: The Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Sam Robinson!

Together, Donna and Sam illuminate the complexities of Detroit’s unique political landscape and give residents a resource for navigating civic engagement and election season.

On this episode, they are joined by community advocate and candidate for city council in District 7, Denzel McCampbell to discuss the role of city council in a strong mayor city, why he’s running, and what voters should expect. 

To learn more about Denzel and his campaign, click here.

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This week Donna and Orlando hosted a live episode at the Stoudamire Wellness Hub with Yodit Mesfin Johnson, the President and CEO of Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW) to discuss navigating the new normal.

Utilizing facts published by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, they define the new normal as the dismantling of our government’s systems and institutions. Together, they come up with practical solutions and also invite the audience to offer wisdom and share strategies of resistance. 

As President & CEO of NEW, Yodit stewards their bold vision, strategic direction and overall operations. A mother, poet, strategist, and champion for human rights and social change, she first joined NEW as a consultant in 2008, and became CEO in 2020. 

Yodit thrives in building community around the questions that matter most; how can we unlock the potential and possibility needed to radically transform our communities, see the ecosystem and the whole, and design and act in ways that bend the long arc of history towards balance and harmony?

For more information on Yodit’s work with NEW, click here.

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The Authentically Detroit Podcast Network in collaboration with Detroit one million presents: The Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Sam Robinson!

Together, Donna and Sam illuminate the complexities of Detroit’s unique political landscape and give residents a resource for navigating civic engagement and election season.

On this episode, they are joined by Kamau Clark, the Southeast Michigan Lead Organizer for We The People Michigan, to discuss how he got into organizing, his role in this year’s elections, and how to engage young people in local politics. 

Topics of Discussion include:

• The opening of the Hudson’s building
• The validity of research methodology of Black and Hispanic wealth increases
• Community Violence Intervention (CVI) as an alternative to policing
• The male loneliness epidemic and right wing messaging 
• Defining the working class
• Journalism's role in highlighting the working class

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This week, Donna and Orlando sat down with Cartographer and founder of Detroitography, Alex B. Hill to discuss how data-driven neighborhood classification aids in the discrimination of Detroiters. 

Detroitography is a project started by Alex to bring together Detroit cartographers and their work. In 2021, he wrote that although over the past decade, redlining has received increased attention in popular press and across academic disciplines, there’s a larger story of spatial racism before and after redlining. 

Alex argues that spatial racism is not limited to a single set of maps, but is embedded within institutions. Now, he wants the long history of spatial racism teased out and examined as new data-driven practices have resulted in “orange lining” that generates inequitable opportunities for Detroiters. 

To read Alex’s full write up of how spacial racism is impacting Detroit, click here. 

FOR HOT TAKES:

DETROIT CHAMPION, FATHER, HUSBAND, DIES AFTER CORONAVIRUS DIAGNOSIS 

DETROIT 67 EXHIBIT BECOMES PERMANENT, DEDICATED TO MARLOWE STOUDAMIRE

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The Authentically Detroit Podcast Network in collaboration with Detroit one million present: The Black Detroit Democracy Podcast, hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Sam Robinson!

The purpose of this podcast is to encourage Detroit's citizens to stay vigilant in the fight for justice and equality, with a special call to action for Black Detroit. We seek to build awareness of our history as a gateway to freedom, a beacon for justice, and a laboratory of liberation. Together, Donna and Sam will illuminate the complexities of Detroit’s unique political landscape and give residents a resource for navigating civic engagement and election season.

On this inaugural episode, they are joined by the one and only Reverend Larry Simmons, the Executive Director of Brightmoor Alliance who has been a fixture in the city of Detroit for decades. Topics of Discussion include:

• Emergency Management vs. DOGE
• Financialization of Detroit
• Race war vs. Class war
• Environmental Justice
• Immigrant labor exploitation and historical oppression of Black people
• The upcoming 2025 Detroit mayoral and city council elections

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This episode marks the first in a series of interviews with candidates in the race for Detroit’s 76th mayor. First up, Donna and Orlando sit down with Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. to discuss his vision for Detroit’s future.

Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr., was born to the late Solomon, Sr. and Janie Kinloch on July 28, 1973.He has been a minister since the age of 14, beginning under the tutelage of rev. Robert Smith, Jr. at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan.

In 1998, pastor Kinloch accepted the call to pastor at triumph church, in detroit, michigan. At the beginning of his tenure, Triumph's membership was less than 50 people. Under Kinloch's visionary leadership, Triumph church has since blossomed into a multi-site phenomenon, utilizing eight campuses and hosting fourteen weekly services for more than 35,000 members.

Extraordinary growth and dynamic leadership has helped drive Triumph's community outreach and ministry initiatives. Pastor Kinloch currently serves on the board of directors for various civic and community organizations. He is married to his best friend, and partner for life, Robin, and together they have one son, Kadin Elijah.

To learn more about pastor Kinloch, click here. 

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This week, Donna and Orlando sat down with Ebony Walls and Anne Marie Veneroni of Big Brothers Big Sisters to discuss their upcoming annual event and Imani Elie, the founder of The Detroit Travel Company (DTC) to discuss how she’s revolutionizing the way people think about travel. 

The Detroit Travel Company was created in December 2016 by Detroit native and Navy veteran, Imani Elie. Created as a boutique travel business, DTC has evolved into a multifaceted company known for its luxury travel experiences, adventure practices, and retail success. 

Today, DTC is a full-service hospitality company offering a one-of-a-kind mix of travel, concierge, event planning, and retail services.

Under Imani’s leadership, DTC is more than just a business—it's a platform to empower others, bring people together, and put Detroit on the map as a global destination for travelers and event-goers alike.

To learn more about Detroit Travel Co., click here. 

FOR HOT TAKES:

BARRIER-BREAKING DETROIT JOURNALIST AND MUSICIAN LUTHER KEITH DIES AT 74 

BID TO BUILD BRIGHTER FUTURES AT THE GREAT BIG AUCTION

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This week, Donna and Orlando sat down with Vaulted Youth Voices participant, Kenneth Russell and the curator for Umoja Fine Arts to discuss the Youth Artist Workshop, an initiative dedicated to celebrating African American creativity. 

Kenneth Russell is a young artist and sophomore at Southeastern High School who has been learning to combine his artistic background with civic engagement through the Vaulted Youth Voices podcasting program. 

Umoja Fine Arts (UFA) is a family-owned art publishing and distribution company committed to helping the Detroit Metropolitan area celebrate the great artistic achievements of local and internationally acclaimed artist. 

Founded by Ian Grant, they recently organized the Black History Month Youth Artist Workshop, an initiative dedicated to celebrating African American creativity and fostering the next generation of artists while encouraging the preservation of Black history and Culture through art.

To learn more about Umoja Fine Arts and Ian’s work, click here. 

FOR HOT TAKES:

MICHIGAN SCHOOLS, FAMILIES GRAPPLE WITH NEW TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICIES

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This week, Donna and Orlando sat down with Sam Robinson, independent journalist and founder of Detroit one million, to discuss Michigan’s Democratic Convention plus the Mayoral and City Council races!

The trio discussed Sam’s insights about the convention and the implications for Detroit’s residents and leadership. Together, they explore the future of Detroit’s governance and how it will impact the community moving forward. 

Detroit one million is a journalism project centering a generation of Michiganders growing up in a state without a city with 1 million people, and the competing forces working to bring people back.

Sam is currently the only independent reporter covering the 2025 Detroit mayoral race through the lens of young people, who the city’s current mayor calls “Michigan’s greatest export.”

To learn more about Detroit one million and Sam’s work, click here. 

FOR HOT TAKES:

MICHIGAN LAWMAKERS OVERHAUL PAID LEAVE, WAGE LAWS IN LAST-MINUTE DEAL

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