co(sin)e series:embracing solidarity

Written By Shayla Zimmerman

I am not free while any woman is unfree, even though her shackles are very different from my own.

Audre Lorde

In this episode of Radicals for Good, we start our co(sin)e series - a series of roundtable discussions designed to solve the equation for building community power through voting, decision making, and civic participation. This roundtable includes, Aly Thee Activist, an activist against police brutality from Grand Rapids; Lexis Zeidan, a Palestinian-American organizer and co-founder of the Uncommitted Movement; and Jenn Onwenu, host of Detroit-based talk show, AskJenn.

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Who’s in this episode?

LEXIS ZEIDAN

Lead at Arab Americans for Progress

Lexis Zeidan is a Palestinian American organizer, strategist, and former educator whose work has centered on building community power in Detroit and across Michigan. In 2024, she became a co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement, helping turn a Michigan primary campaign into a national movement that mobilized hundreds of thousands of voters and challenged the political establishment to reckon with communities it had too often taken for granted. Today, she co-leads Arab Americans for Progress and works across political strategy, fundraising, communications, and movement building. At the heart of her work is the belief that power isn’t something communities should have to ask for, it’s something they can build.

JENN ONWENU

Host of Ask Jenn

Jenn Onwenu is a dynamic community leader, media host, and advocate dedicated to uplifting Detroit through culture, connection, and meaningful dialogue. As the host of the talk show Ask Jenn, filmed and produced in Detroit, she spotlights culture creators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, blending insightful interviews with her signature warmth and humor.

aly bates

Activist in Grand Rapids, MI

Aly Thee Activist is an activist from Grand Rapids Michigan. Since the year of 2020 she has been dedicating her time to fighting against police brutality both through direct action and social media. She has helped raise money for mutual aid, petitioned for the honorary road name change of Breonna Taylor Way, as well as brought attention to police brutality in Grand Rapids on an international scale. Today she continues her work in the community along with fighting for justice for lives stolen by police violence and white supremacy.

ARABIA SIMEON

Artist and Activist

Brianna Bryant has been an artist and activist in Detroit Michigan for 25 years. Her expertise falls within uplifting Black and Brown Detroiter’s liberation and joy in each project and organizing efforts. For her intersections of social justice, art, and digital storytelling she has been featured in the Detroit Institute of Arts, TED Countdown, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and in Forbes 30 Under 30 2019 Summit.

Shayla Zimmerman

Founder & Host of Radicals for Good

Shayla is a Detroit-based community organizer, storyteller, and activist whose work centers community power, collective care, and everyday acts of resistance. She currently leads for good co., a consulting firm for values-aligned organizations. She started community organizing at 15 years old, since then she’s led local and national climate resilience and water justice initiatives and built grassroots emergency response efforts on Detroit’s East Side. Previously, she was producer and co-host of Michigan-focused conversations on United Way’s Virtual Town Halls.

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