February is Black History Month and WDET’s Detroit Evening Report collected stories from listeners for the Black History Listening Project.

Hadiyah Ahmad is the wife of late Imam Nadir Ahmad, founder and director of Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, one of the first Islamic schools in Detroit. She serves as the Administrative Assistant at the school.

In an interview with WDET, Hadiyah Ahmad shares the story of her husband’s life.

Religion brings Ahmad to Detroit

She says they both converted to Islam from Christianity in 1973. They lived in Virginia before moving to Detroit.

Imam Nadir came to Detroit in 1980 to study Islam at Wayne County Community College’s Muslim World Studies program. Ahmad says Imam Nadir was working on writing a book.

“He’s always been an avid reader and researcher. He studied the religion constantly,” she says.

Ahmad says Imam Nadir studied under Dr. Shahbazz from Masjid Wali Muhammad. The mosque was given historical designation in Detroit in 2013. It was the first temple for the Nation of Islam before becoming a Sunni Muslim mosque.

From student to teacher

Nadir Ahmad became an Imam and taught at the Sister Clara Muhammad School, starting as a 5th grade teacher and eventually making his way up to assistant principal and principal.

“He’s always been committed to giving the children an Islamic education,” Ahmad says.

Ahmad says following the closure of the Clara Muhammad school, Imam Nadir opened Al-Ikhlas in 1991 as a space for kids to continue their Islamic education.

“We had our children, and many parents had their children that they didn’t want them to go to public school. So we decided that… we weren’t going to wait. We were going to continue with Islamic education. He said that, well, we’re going to branch out and open our own school,” she says.

In an effort to allow all students to attend, he created a sliding pay scale for tuition.

Family and community focus

Ahmad says Imam Nadir balanced his home life as a father and husband while working for the community.

“He was doing what he loved doing,” she says.

“We worked hard together, and he always let me know what his mission was and where we were going and what the plans that he had,” she says.

The couple was married for 53 years and worked together in the schools.

Ahmad says Imam Nadir did a lot of work behind the scenes.

“Allah had blessed him with so many talents; he could basically do anything that he decided to do. We didn’t hire a lot of different people to do a lot of different skills, but he did most of it himself,” she shares.

After Imam Nadir’s passing last month, several students shared their memories online, saying they were inspired to come together. They also created a fundraiser in his honor to raise funds for the school.

Ahmad says he was a little obsessed with his role.

“He could not even think unless he thought about the children, what they need, when they need it, how they need it. He loved those children,” Ahmad expresses.

A life of service and a lasting legacy

Imam Nadir previously served in Vietnam, having been affected by Agent Orange from his time in service. Ahmad says he got cancer in 1997 and had to remove a kidney. But that didn’t stop him from continuing his work.

“It didn’t really start affecting him until 10 years ago. He had to get on dialysis. He was the type of person that he never really let anything stop him from what he wanted to do in terms of leading the school he was teaching during this time, he was Mashallah,” she says.

Ahmad says Imam Nadir’s legacy is his love of Allah and the love of community. He died in January 2026.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago is hosting a virtual Immigration and Detention 101 training in partnership with several Asian American organizations.

The Michigan nonprofit Rising Voices, which organizes Asian American women to get civically engaged, says the training will cover current immigration, detention and deportation information for Midwest AAPI audiences.

The training takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, February 24 from 7-8:30 p.m.

Additional headlines from Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

Chinatown streetscape

The economic development group Midtown Detroit Inc unveiled the finalized plans for streetscape improvements in Detroit’s Chinatown neighborhood at Cass and Peterboro Street. 

The plans include wider sidewalks, upgraded lighting, and cultural elements like murals and bronze plaques. 

State Senator Stephanie Chang secured $1 million dollars in the state budget for the streetscape project. She says the project is one way to preserve culture and history. 

“During this chaotic and challenging time in our country that we are in right now where there are efforts to erase history and demonize and rip people away from immigrant communities, it’s so important that we proudly celebrate culture and community.” 

Midtown Detroit launched a fundraising campaign to raise the remaining $1.6 million. The construction is slated to be completed by the fall of 2027.  

-reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

Tlaib seeks to expand Head Start

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib proposed a bill she says would expand Head Start to 11 million children. The program provides early education and support for health care and housing to low-income families and their kids. Tlaib says the Trump administration has hurt Head Start by closing offices and withholding funds. She says underfunding has led to staffing shortages and aging facilities.  

-reporting by Pat Batcheller  

Limiting PFAS exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is sharing resources on ways to decrease PFAS exposure. PFAS are a group of harmful chemicals in the environment, also known as “forever chemicals”.

MDHHS says possible ways to decrease exposure is using certified PFAS-reducing water filters, following fish and deer consumption guidelines and limiting the use of stain-resistant and non-stick items. People should also avoid contact with foam on water surfaces such as on lakes and streams. 

High exposure to PFAS may lead to high blood pressure or other complications during pregnancy, decreased immune system response or the development of kidney and other cancers. 

Skating in the D 

The office of Gabriela Santiago-Romero, Detroit’s District 6 city councilwoman, is hosting a skating party. The third annual event will take place at RollerCade Detroit.

The event is on Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Entry, skate rental, and pizza are free for the first 250 residents who attend. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

A Dearborn father, Abdelouahid Aouchiche was detained on Oct. 6 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside Masjid Al-Furqan in Detroit, on his way to the pre-dawn Fajr prayer with his son and others.

Aouchiche’s wife Lorenda Lewis says he sent his son inside the mosque, and instructed him to call his mother to pick him up. 

“When I went to pick Abdullah up, he was outside by himself, and he said he hadn’t seen his father. He doesn’t know where he is. And then I realized they were parked over to the side, and they let the window down so that the kids can see him for the last time,” she shares.

Aouchiche was taken to the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, which houses over 1,400 people.

Lewis says it’s been a struggle to visit the facility, due to frequently changing policies, visitation times, and the 4 hour drive. She says the policies discourage you from visiting.

“It will alternate one hour for one week and three hours for the following week. So you will have to get up four o’clock in the morning to be there on time, because if you got there by a certain time… you were not allowed to visit,” she explains. 

Concerns of mistreatment at the facility 

In December, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), who is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, visited the facility, noting its dire conditions.

Tlaib’s office says they received multiple reports, “including frigid temperatures, inadequate food, unsanitary facilities, difficulties accessing attorneys and loved ones, translation and communication issues, and problems obtaining medical care.”

After the visitation, Tlaib released a statement in which she says,  “I am fighting for the freedom and dignity of every immigrant, asylum seeker, and refugee who calls our country home.” 

A family separated

Aouchiche and Lewis share four children, between the ages of 6 and 12. 

Lewis says the current policies do not allow more than four visitors total in a day. With the kids being minors, they were not all able to go back to see their father together.

“But because there’s only four people, and they’re under 18, they could not go back there alone. So I was the only one that can go back there,” she says. 

Lewis says she is concerned about the conditions at the facility.

“They don’t have blankets. They have like a sweater type, something that they sleep with… the heat is horrible and it’s wintertime, but they don’t even have a blanket to sleep with,” she shares. 

Lack of religious accommodations 

Lewis says her husband was not receiving halal food in the beginning—only eating peanut butter, rice, and noodles. Since then, halal food has been provided, she says.

She says she’s also concerned for Muslims who observe fasting and worship during the month of Ramadan, which began Tuesday night. 

“Only in this one pod where he is there are over 300 Muslims… he said they have 12 prayer rugs and no Qurans,” she says. 

She says she’s also concerned whether people will be able to eat a pre-dawn meal to begin fasting, and the meal at sunset to break fast.

“Are they going to accommodate the Muslims getting up four or five o’clock in the morning so that they can eat breakfast at that time and then having suhur, and then having iftar when it’s time to break fast? With the way that they’re doing things, I’m not really sure,” she shares.

Community steps up to support the family 

Lewis says her husband’s detention has put a huge strain on her family.

“Something like this happened all of a sudden, with uncertainty, has taken a lot on my family, the children are having their father around. He paid most of the bills, so now I have to make sure that I work double time and put in extra hours so that I can pay the bills that he was paying,” she says. 

She may have to get a second job to provide for her family, something Lewis says will be difficult in her line of work as a doula.

Community members have put together a GoFundMe to help the family get on their feet. Lewis says she’s grateful people are stepping up to help, but she’s concerned about the funds running out. 

Lewis is also concerned about the mistreatment of others held at the North Lake Detention Facility in Baldwin. She says some people have no one to visit. Lewis says there are efforts to organize bilingual or multilingual volunteers to visit through a team at the Islamic Center of East Lansing by emailing info@lansingislam.com. 

Lewis says she’s leaning on her faith to get her through this time, during the spiritual month of Ramadan and prayer. 

She says there needs to be policy changes in the facility. 

“Their policies need to change, the visitation needs to change… we are not criminals. The detainees there are not criminals, and we’re being treated and our families are being treated like criminals and that needs to stop,” she says. 

Since conducting this interview late last week, Abdelouahid Aouchiche was transferred to Louisiana over the weekend and has since been moved to Texas.

The holy month of Ramadan kicks off this week.

Syrian Canadian author Nadine Presley has written an illustrated children’s book, “A Ramadan Night,” to showcase the holiday in Syria, where she grew up. 

“It’s set in Damascus… It’s a boy going on a walk with his father, and kind of just experiencing all the elements of a Ramadan night and taking it all in and engaging all of the senses,” she explains.

The book was illusrated by Asma Enayeh, who also grew up in Damascus, Syria.

Capturing a child’s perspective

Presley says she interviewed several young kids to find out their favorite part of Ramadan, finding out that they enjoyed the night strolls, staying up late and having sweet treats. Along with her own experiences in Syria, she wanted to capture the element of Ramadan from a child’s point of view.

“There are so many different aspects and elements to the month that make it so alive for us. So I really wanted to kind of engage all of the senses in bringing it to life and really passing along that emotion of what Ramadan night feels like,” she says.

Sharing the holiday in new places

Presley says Ramadan is different in the West. As a mom of three, she’s busy creating a a space in her home to celebrate. She also has a large Muslim community to share the holiday with.

However, it’s different from her childhood experiences.

“When I was, when you’re in Syria, and like, the Adhan goes off… the whole neighborhood, like comes alive… but we are very fortunate here in Canada to have a really good, really big Muslim community,” she shares.

Learning through feeling

The book’s main character interacts with objects to share his emotions, as he attempts to navigate “what Ramadan feels like.” 

“One of my big intentions when writing is that any child or adult that’s going to read the book, that they’re going to feel close to the main character. They’re going to feel inside the story, not at a distance,” she explains.

She says its a way for all kids to learn more about the holiday.

Presley says it was also important to share positive stories of Muslims, especially with male characters. 

Presley’s book, “A Ramadan Night,” was released last month.

The Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the end of Temporary Protected Status for Yemen. The designation was first granted to Yemeni nationals in September 2015 due to war in the country. TPS designation was renewed several times between 2017 and 2024.

Noem says the conditions in the country have improved, no longer warranting TPS. She says the designation was meant to be temporary.   

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about 1,400 Yemeni nationals had TPS status as of last year.  

Secretary Noem says TPS beneficiaries who have exhausted their lawful basis for staying in the U.S. have 60 days to self-deport—that’s April 14. People are encouraged to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP Home app to report their departure for self-deportation, which includes a complimentary plane ticket and a $2,600 dollar bonus, which Noem says leaves the possibility of legal opportunities for future immigration. Those who do not leave may be arrested and deported and cannot return to the U.S.  

TPS recipients can seek out legal residency through asylum or work visas. 

Additional headlines from Monday, Feb. 16, 2026

Detroit police officers suspended 

Two Detroit police officers have been suspended for coordinating with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Detroit Free Press reports that led to two people being possibly deported.

Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison requested the officers’ pay be suspended. Previously, Bettison told Detroit City Council members the police department does not do immigration enforcement.

On Feb. 9, a Detroit sergeant called Border Patrol when an officer requested translation services for a non-English speaker during a traffic stop, prompting an investigation by CBP who then took the person into custody. Another incident occurred in December, when an officer called Border Patrol while investigating a felony warrant.

The Board of Police Commissioners will decide this week whether to suspend the officers’ pay. Bettinson says officers have been discouraged from working with Customs and Border unless a detainer is issued and signed by a judge.  

US Immigration Customs Enforcement purchases Romulus facility

A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told CBS News Detroit on Sunday the federal agency has purchased a facility in Romulus.  

The facility is expected to bring nearly 1,500 jobs to the area, just under $150 million in economic activity and more than $33 million in tax revenue. 

Last week, Romulus Mayor Robert McCraight said in a Facebook post that the Department of Homeland Security secured a building about 6 miles northwest of Detroit Metro Airport. 

McCraight said that the detention center would be opposed by the city at all levels and he is working with legal counsel to determine what authority the city has to stop it. 

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley  

College Fair

The Williams Recreation Center is hosting a college fair next week. It will feature admissions and scholarship information, financial aid guidance and student and alumni engagement. Light refreshments will be provided, and it’s free and open to the public.

Call 313-628-2039 or email taylor.small@detroitmi.gov for more info. The college fair takes place on Feb. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Bangladeshi ambassador to the United States visited Hamtramck Saturday to meet with Bangladeshi Americans. Tareq Md Ariful Islam joined a town hall at the Gates of Columbus Banquet Hall to discuss U.S. – Bangladeshi relations. 

Michigan Bangladeshis hope to get a permanent consulate office in Michigan to service the thousands of Bangladeshis in the state. In October 2025 the Advisory Council in Bangladesh, chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, approved a proposal to open a consulate office in Michigan. It’s one of five offices scheduled to open around the world. People applauded as Ambassador Islam announced plans are moving forward to open the consulate office in Detroit.  

The Embassy has provided mobile consular services over the years. 

Additional headlines for Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

Ismael Ahmed memorial

A celebration of life memorial service was held for Arab American activist Ismael Ahmed yesterday at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn. Ahmed passed away on Jan. 31.

Speakers included Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and business leader Nasser Beydoun, who shared personal memories during the celebration of his life.

Friends talked about his commitment to public service and the arts. Ahmed co-founded the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services and the Concert of Colors. He also led the Michigan Department of Human Services under former Governor Jennifer Granholm. Ahmed hosted two music shows on WDET including This Island Earth. 

-Reporting by Pat Batcheller

Candidates for governor discuss education

Some candidates for governor discussed their education plans during a Michigan Education Association forum in Detroit. They generally agreed schools need more counselors and other support staff. 

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, says schools do need more money. She also says the state should stop relying on a per-student funding model. 

“Different needs meet different communities. And, as I’ve talked to educators around the state, the number one thing that keeps coming up is just that, that an x amount of money for a student in Muskegon is not going to be the same as x amount of money or the same amount of money for a student in Iron River. The needs are different. The cost model needs to be different.”

Democrat Chris Swanson, Republican Mike Cox, and now-independent former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan also participated in the forum. 

Dearborn Night of Innovation

The City of Dearborn is accepting applications for the Night of Innovation Pitch competition. The event is presented by the American Arab Chamber of Commerce. Five businesses will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges to compete for monetary awards. First prize is $25,000; second place is $10,000; and third place is $5,00 dollars for seed funding.  

The City of Dearborn’s Director of Economic Development Jordan Twardy says the pitch competition is a way to showcase entrepreneurial talent in the city. Dearborn residents and business owners can apply by Feb. 27 by visiting BetOnDearborn.com.

The Night of Innovation will take place at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center May 12 from 5-8 p.m. The event is free for people to attend. 

Hamtramck NEZ tax information session

The City of Hamtramck Community & Economic Development Department is hosting an information session about the Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax. People will learn how to apply for NEZ tax abatements.

The Coffee, Tea and NEZ session is on Feb. 23 at Kitab Cafe in Hamtramck. The event is available for two sessions; one at 12 p.m. and the other at 5 p.m.     

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Dearborn Department of Public Health says there’s been a decrease in overdose deaths in the past two years. 

Chief Public Health Officer Ali Abazeed says launching the public health department played a role in the decline.  

“We’re seeing a nearly 60% decline in overdoses in the city of Dearborn that’s directly correlated with a lot of our public health efforts,” he says. Last year, there was a 36% decline in overdose deaths. 

Abazeed says the department supplies free Narcan overdose reversal medicine at several locations and works to raise awareness about substance abuse disorder in the city.  

“Those place-based specific interventions, like the ones that we have in Dearborn again, whether it’s our very visible Narcan distribution sites, or whether it’s their community trainings, we’re seeing trends in Dearborn that are outpacing the national average,” he shares.

Narcan reverses an opioid overdose, potentially saving people’s lives.    

Abazeed says the department also distributed about 500 fentanyl test strips, close to 300 xylazine test strips and more than 7,000 units of Narcan last year.

He says the department is seeing sustained declines across the state, while the city’s declines in overdose deaths are far outpacing the statewide and national averages. 

Abazeed says the Dearborn Department of Public Health will continue to spread the word about utilizing life-saving measures to prevent overdose deaths. 

Free Narcan can be picked up from vending machines at the John D. Dingell Transit Center, the East Parking Deck at West Village Drive, the Wagner Parking Deck, and the Islamic Center of Detroit.   

Birth Detroit is Black-led, community-based midwifery practice and the first free-standing birth center in Detroit.

The organization’s co-founder, Elon Geffrard, says the practice is expanding the services it offers, with a continued emphasis on helping marginalized families.

“If you’re wanting to have an out-of-hospital birth experience in the hands of midwives, we also provide easy access care in the hands of midwives for prenatal care and individuals planning a hospital-based birth, we do GYN or well-woman services, and soon we’ll be offering well baby care,” she says.

Geffrard says Birth Detroit has served 500 families in the 6 years since its inception in 2020. She says the nonprofit also offers childbirth education classes, a fatherhood support group and postpartum classes.

Birth Detroit has been a freestanding birth center since October 2024. “Currently, we are at 12 babies who have been born at our birth center, and we are on call waiting for the next few,” she shares.

Making birthing safer 

The nonprofit focuses on empowering Black, brown, and Indigenous families, often who face higher rates of maternal and infant mortality.

“In public health we know that if we tend to those most disparately impacted, those who have experienced higher rates of illness, higher rates of death, higher rates of marginalization as well. We level up the entire ship, if you will. Everybody gets to rise up,” she says.

Last year the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said maternal and infant mortality rates were on the decline in the state.

Geffrard says the nonprofit’s standard of care is to have healthy moms and babies.

“We attend and build with intention to support those who, again, are most pushed to the margins, but thusly, we get to provide and offer to everyone the highest quality of care, the highest standard of care,” she explains.

She says Birth Detroit works to provide integrated maternal health care to keep people safe, working with a network of health care professionals.

“Sometimes, people no longer should be in the care of a low-risk provider like a midwife. They do need a maternal-fetal medicine doctor or an OB GYN,” she says.

Geffrard says babies born in the center do not have low birth weight or premature birth.

Providing the best in care

Geffrard says Detroit families deserve the best care. The center provides culturally sensitive care to advance their goal of  making high quality care accessible for marginalized communities.

The Michigan Black Birthworker Directory was created to have a central database of providers who serve Black and brown communities. It includes doulas, midwives, and lactation professionals, along with other service providers.

MDHHS says the state now has more than 1,000 registered doulas, nonmedical birthing assistants, providing support for moms and families to improve birth outcomes.

Geffrard says Birth Detroit worked to pass legislation, including the Momnibus 9 bill package to improve maternal health for communities of color, which passed in April 2025 in Michigan, but is pending in Congress.

“We want to build trees that we will not enjoy the shade of. Our children’s children’s children deserve safety. They deserve justice. They deserve love. They deserve trustworthy care. And that’s, I think, what we’re aiming to do every day,” says Geffrard.

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ismael Ahmed dies

Arab American activist and civil rights leader Ismael Ahmed has died. He was 78 years old.

Ahmed co-founded the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in 1971. He was instrumental in the creation of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. Ahmed later worked in the Granholm administration as head of the Michigan Department of Human Services, leading one of the state’s largest agencies.

Throughout his life, Ahmed, known to many as Ish, believed strongly in the importance of fighting poverty. In a 2008 video message to DHS staff, he said:

“The question of poverty is the most important question of our time. I think we have lost the battle around that question. Many people have forgotten the importance and the powerful way poverty affects our lives.”

Ahmed founded the annual Concert of Colors series in 1993. For many years, he also hosted the programs Radio Free Earth and This Island Earth on WDET.

Reported by Jerome Vaughn.

Additional headlines for February 2, 2026

Hamtramck lead in water

The City of Hamtramck has elevated lead levels in its drinking water. The city posted a public notice on Facebook on January 22.

Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant people and children. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy evaluates lead levels in the city for compliance. Hamtramck’s lead levels exceed the action level of 12 parts per billion. There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. The designation means that 10 percent of homes tested had high lead levels.

The notice says ongoing testing occurs every six months and that service lines may be replaced.

People with faucets installed before 2014 are at higher risk. Boiling water does not remove lead. The city recommends running cold water for up to five minutes before use and having children tested for lead in their blood.

Hamtramck participates in the state health department’s Faucet and Filter Safety Net Program. Residents may be eligible for a water filter if they have lead plumbing or faucets installed before 2014. Eligible households must include Medicaid recipients who are pregnant or children. For assistance, call 844-934-1315.

https://hamtramckcity.gov/elevated-lead-levels-in-some-homes-in-hamtramck/

Dearborn overdose decline

The City of Dearborn reports fewer overdose deaths for the second year in a row, with a 36 percent decrease in 2025.

The Dearborn Department of Public Health was created in April 2022. The department installed free Narcan vending machines throughout the city to help reduce overdose deaths. It also works to raise awareness about substance use disorder and reduce the stigma around seeking help.

Narcan is a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Free Narcan is available at vending machines located at the John D. Dingell Transit Center, the East Parking Deck at West Village Drive, the Wagner Parking Deck, and the Islamic Center of Detroit.

More information is available at Dearborn.gov/PublicHealth.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is offering stipends for interns enrolled in a behavioral health bachelor or master’s program. MDHHS is allocating $1.25 million for the program.  

MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel says the funding supports mental health care workers. The Behavioral Health Internship Stipend Program is in its fourth cohort, which supported 159 students last year. The program offers money to students for unpaid internship costs such as tuition, fees, and living expenses. 

Students pursuing degrees in marriage or family therapy, behavioral analyst,  social workers and counselors are eligible to apply for the one-time stipend ranging from $5 to $15,000 each.

Applications close tonight.

Additional headlines for Monday, Jan. 26, 2026

Radon Action Month

January is Radon Action Month. Radon is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless radioactive gas that’s found in soil. It’s naturally created through the breakdown of uranium in soil around homes.

The gas can cause lung tissue damage through radiation, making it the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. 

Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy recommends testing homes every two years for exposure. People can pick up a testing kit from their local health department.    

Al-Ikhlas Director Nadir Ahmad passes away 

Detroit’s Al-Ikhlas Training Academy’s Director and Founder, Imam Nadir Ahmad passed away on Jan. 22. His funeral was held on Saturday.

In 2020, the Dream Storytelling oral history project interviewed Ahmad. He told the archive he moved from Virginia to Detroit to study Islam at the Wayne County Community College as part of the Muslim World Studies Program in 1980.  Ahmad taught at the Clara Muhammad School in Detroit, later serving as assistant principal and then principal. Ahmad founded the Islamic school Al-Ikhlas Training Academy in Detroit in 1991.

Community members and current and former students posted several comments on Facebook, sharing memories and commemorating the educational leader as someone who defined an era in Detroit. Ahmad was also a U.S. military veteran.  

ProsperUs Detroit hosts training program

ProsperUs Detroit is hosting an Entrepreneur Training Program for the Spring of 2026. The 12-week program provides one-on-one support for businesses to learn how to register their business, create budgets and systems for bookkeeping. The group will also learn how to write a business plan.

Participants will also study business models, target markets, and finances. Applications are due by Feb. 1. 

Outlier and Detroit-ography host trivia

The Outlier Collective is hosting a trivia event next month. Test your knowledge of Detroit with Outlier Media’s Civic Life Reporter Briana Rice and Detroit-ography’s Alex B. Hill.

Editor’s note: Corrected Al-Ikhals Director Nadir Ahmad’s title, from Dr. to Imam 1/27/26. We apologize for the error.

Tickets are $5 a person. The event is being hosted by Outlier Media and Detroit-ography at the Brewery Faisan on Feb. 4 from 6:30-9 p.m. Register at outliermedia.org/our-events/.   

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tiana Lashae is a doula and birth photographer based out of Ann Arbor. Her business is called Motherhood Portraits by Tiana Lashae. 

She created an initiative to help empower Black mothers and their health through art.

“I’ve been a birth photographer, a newborn photographer for about a decade now, capturing families as they’re welcoming their babies, going through their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journeys,” she says.

Lashae created the “Black Birth Joy” project in 2024 to amplify positive Black maternal health stories and help families to be seen and heard through photography.

She was inspired by a birthing photography session where she witnessed a Black mom giving birth in Ann Arbor with a supportive team.

“It was just so beautiful and just to see everyone working together to facilitate such a beautiful birth really, you know, restored faith in me and the health care system… We can have these safe births and those stories need to be shared more,” she shares. 

The project was originally funded by the Region 9 Perinatal Quality Collaborative in Washtenaw County to support the birth journeys of five families. 

Lashae says she wanted to capture different birthing spaces: home, the hospital, and birth centers. After photographing the families’ journeys, she wrote blogs and distributed the stories.

“I am a woman of color. I think because I’ve been through the system, I’ve lived through the experience to be able to use my talents, to use my voice, to empower families that look like me, that don’t always usually feel seen or feel heard, especially in birth spaces,” she explains.

She says the project also highlights birth workers in metro Detroit.

Creating more opportunities for joy

Lashae says the application for Black Birth Joy project for this year will roll out in April or early spring. In the meantime, she hopes to raise $50,000 to support 10 families for birth photography packages, as state funding is no longer available.

“Hopefully by then there’s been some funding or some, you know, a blessing of some sort so that I can still do this work. And I want to say I want to double the impact,” she shares.

Families will receive birth photography and newborn photography, along with an album. Lashae says the photos will also be shared in art spaces and caregiving spaces across Wayne and Washtenaw County in hopes to spread the impact.

“Just to have a statement piece that says you’re welcome here, you’re safe here, our establishment is a champion for Black maternal health,” she says.

Lashae hopes the work inspires families and creates safe spaces for patients when receiving services from caregivers.

“Photographs do invoke conversations, and then conversations create change,” she states.

She says it’s important to create positive stories to negate stereotypes and bias for Black birth experiences. 

“Walking in and seeing a beautiful portrait of a birthing woman smiling and in joy… it combats what the statistics say,” she expresses, adding that she hopes the photography inspires families and helps combat bias by medical professionals. 

In September-December 2026, Lashae will host a mini show for Black Birth Joy at the University of Michigan’s Lane Hall, as part of the Women’s and Gender Studies for the fall semester. 

A Hamtramck-based artist residency program has received a $175,000 innovation award for three years.

Entry Points is a program that offers housing and studio space for returning citizens who were formerly incarcerated juvenile lifers. The program began through the work of Hamtramck Free School, an alternative educational organization that facilitates creative writing and art workshops in Michigan prisons, working with juveniles who were sentenced to life without parole. 

Entry Points Artistic Director Jonathan Rajewski and Director of Transitions, Kyle Daniel-Bey, are working together to help returning citizens reintegrate into public life, including presenting their work publicly.

Rajewski says art is a way for people to express themselves. 

“We work within the prison system are artists and, you know, art has and continues to be an important conduit of self-expression. It’s a rejection of censorship. It’s an articulation of resistance. It’s an acknowledgement of, you know, the social structures that dictate our livelihoods,” he explains. 

Second chances

Daniel-Bey was a juvenile lifer after being incarcerated at 17. He was released from prison due to the Miller v. Alabama 2012 ruling by the U.S. Supreme court.

The ruling says, “No juvenile defendant may face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, no matter how serious the crime,” according to Justia. 

Daniel-Bey says he got a second chance.

“When the Miller ruling came out in 2012, it was finally a door opening because I was never supposed to come home. And art was a way to sustain myself in prison, not only financially, but spiritually and emotionally,” Daniel-Bey shares.

Daniel-Bey says he met Jonathan in 2013 at the Macomb Correctional Facility through a creative writing workshop. He says they became friends.

“I came home in 2018. Since then, we’ve continued our creative exploits through what was created,” he says. 

Supporting returning artists

Entry Points gives people an entry point back into society and a chance to make art. The first resident moved in October 2022, when a former juvenile lifer needed a place to live once he was released.

Rajewski says the artists can use the space for studio visits, visits from curators, and exhibition opportunities. 

“Our first resident was a writer and almost strictly in the literary realm. And so those relationships tend to be focused more in the literary realm,” he shares.

Daniel-Bey says former juvenile lifers often come home often without resources, family, or support. 

“As an adult that goes to prison and spends 20 years and comes back out, they at least have an experiential understanding of having to have paid a bill or navigating as an adult, get a job and all those types of things. We had none of that. And so what we do is we are helping to cushion that landing,” he explains. 

Paying it forward

The grant allows at least three artists to use the space over the period of three years, allowing additional staff to be hired. Meanwhile, the program is run by volunteers.

The award is given by the JM Kaplan Fund to 10 awardees for their work in tackling social justice, environmental conservation, and heritage preservation.

Rajewski says he’s grateful for this opportunity to give back.

“This amplifies the work that we’re doing… in the free school, we are largely made up of volunteers. There are no paid employees. There really aren’t any specific kinds of leadership. It’s a sort of shared kind of democratically organized discursive project,” he exclaims. 

Daniel-Bey says that besides supporting the resident artists, the funding will support other artists.

“We also do microgrants to other artists. We have other juvenile lifers that have home support and family support, but they may not be have the material support to get their art supplies,” he explains.

Healing power

Daniel-Bey says art is a universal language that can heal people.

“Their art is trying to speak to the soul and the spirit of people and bring them into community, bring them into unity and into a more humanistic understanding of what drives not only the children that do these things, but the society that produced them,” he says.

Rajewski says the funding supports the work they’ve been doing for years.

“When I met Kyle, he was never coming home, and now here we are working outside on this project together. And it is just an endlessly powerful experience to support this work together,” he says.

Hundreds of people across Michigan protested against Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the weekend after an ICE agent shot a woman to death in Minnesota last week. 

Joshua Medina joined demonstrators at Detroit’s Clark Park on Friday night. He says Americans need to fight back against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. 

“Force only understands force, right? And by no means I mean that in a violent way, but I mean that in a show of people power, right?”

There were protests across the nation over the weekend.  

– Reporting by Steve Carmody 

Additional headlines for Monday, Jan. 12, 2026

Auto Show

Detroit’s car companies are gearing up for the city’s annual Auto Show this week. 

Executive Director Sam Klemet says the event features immersive hands-on displays promoting both vehicle technology and the Motor City itself. 

“It’s a chance for everyone to come under one roof and see kind of what the auto industry is about…where it’s going…and what the city of Detroit is about. I mean you’ll see a lot of that as well. So I think that this is evolving into a content show.” 

Klemet adds that the event also celebrates those who love Michigan’s outdoor areas by showcasing vehicles and equipment designed for rugged terrain. 

The auto show opens to the public on Jan. 17.  

– Reporting by Quinn Klinefelter

Dinner with your Muslim Neighbor 

The City of Dearborn and Chef Amanda Saab are hosting a “Dinner with Your Muslim Neighbor” event this week at the Lincoln Ballroom at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center. The event takes place Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m.  

The event hopes to give non-Muslim neighbors a chance to join Muslim neighbors to sit down and have deeper conversations together.  

Future Docs

The Wayne State University School of Medicine is hosting its Future Docs program in March. The event is hosted by the Medical Alumni Association to expose kids to hands-on science and medicine.

Future Docs is for children between the age of 6-12 years old. Children will experience 18 hands-on science workshops, such as Brain Blast, Wind Your Way Through DNA, and Heart Rocks. Kids receive a t-shirt, a backpack, and souvenirs. The event takes place on March 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 540 Canfield in Detroit.  

Tickets are $20 for adults and $35 for children. Tickets for WSU Medical Alumni Association members are $15 for adults, $30 for children.  

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Detroit Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero hopes to ban or limit Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE agents access in the city.  This follows an incident in Minneapolis in which an ICE agent fatally shot a legal observer. Renee Good was a 37-year old mother of three.  

Bridge Detroit reports Santiago-Romero sent the council’s Legislative Policy Division a memo during a committee hearing yesterday to define the city’s ability to keep agents out of clinics, schools, and places of worship or city property.  

Santiago-Romero said, “We need to ensure that does not happen here in Detroit.” She says there have been recent reports of people getting picked up by ICE agents during school pick ups and entering mosques.  

She further inquired about the Detroit Police Departments relation to the federal agency. As of now, Mayor Mary Sheffield says she does not support the police department’s resources being allocated to immigration efforts.

A report by The Trace says ICE has been responsible for 59 shootings and 23 deaths between 2015-2021. None of the agents were charged.  

Tonight there will be a vigil and rally at Clark Park in Detroit at 6 p.m.  

Additional headlines for Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

Bike giveaway 

Bikes 4 Kidz Detroit is giving out free bikes this weekend. The event takes place Saturday, Jan. 10 from 6-9 p.m. at the FB4K Warehouse. That’s located at 4015 Michigan Ave., Detroit, MI.  

Sign up for the event in advance.

New honorary street sign in Hamtramck

The City of Hamtramck is naming a street sign after former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. She served three terms.

The honorary street name will be given to Carpenter Street between Jos. Campau and Conant. Carpenter also borders Detroit where the “Bangladesh: Coming to America” mural is painted on a school building, honoring the Bangladeshi community.  

Hamtramck is home to a significant population of Bangladeshis in Michigan. Khaleda Zia passed away on Dec. 30 from health complications. She was 80 years old.  

Dearborn Heights man passes away 

A 30-year-old man with autism from Dearborn Heights, Yousif Hassan Naim went missing Wednesday, prompting a city wide and multi-jurisdiction search in the city with 200 volunteers. His body was found yesterday in the Rouge River near Hines Park. 

Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun said in a statement: “Despite the incredible outpouring of help and the rapid response from police and fire, the outcome was not what we prayed for.”  

The Dearborn Heights Police Department hasn’t formally identified they body; however, they say it matches Hassan’s description. All search efforts have been called off while they await a confirmation from the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office. The investigation is ongoing.   

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Abbas Alawieh is running for state senator in District 2. The newly drawn district includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and parts of Allen Park and Detroit. 

“I think in this really difficult moment, this divisive moment in our politics, I want to run to represent every single person in District 2 like they’re my own family,” he says.

Experience

Alawieh previously worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Representatives Andy Levin and Rashida Tlaib. He also served as chief of staff to Congresswoman Cori Bush. 

He co-founded the Uncommitted National Movement, which aimed to pressure then presidential candidate Kamala Harris to address U.S. policy on the war in Gaza. 

“My specific experience is at the intersection of being on the inside of government and knowing how it works, and then mobilizing people, voters, reaching folks who our party, our system has lost touch with,” he shares. 

Prioritizing local needs

Alawieh says the Democratic party focusing on war takes away from local issues.

“What that actually does is it deprioritizes the needs of working families here at home,” he says.

He’s focused on caring for people like family.

“My priority is going to be representing every single person like they’re family to me. And so I have to enter this next period of my service really listening and learning,” he explains.

Alawieh says he grew up in a family that values service. 

“Service of community is something that is deeply entrenched in my own family’s experience,” he says.

He hopes to bring in as many resources as possible to District 2. 

“I want to become a state senator that wields the power of a movement of people that will come together around this campaign to say, ‘hey, District 2 is here to play. ’ We’re going to show up with our values, with our leverage, with our people power.” 

The election for State Senator takes place on November 3. 

The Muslim Mavericks is a new children’s nonfiction biography book series highlighting the contributions of Muslims across the world.

The first book features actress, comedian and disability advocate, “Maysoon Zayid The Girl Who Can Can.”

Pulitzer Prize–nominated Muslim reporter and author Dr. Seema Yasmin says the series hopes to dispel stereotypes of Muslims, while creating positive representation in stories. 

“What I’m trying to do with this series is show that Muslims are not a monolith…  there’s nearly two billion of us on the planet,” she says.

Muslims in media

Yasmin says she was inspired to create the series when she realized there were few children’s chapter book series about Muslims.

“Throughout history, Muslims have contributed so much to the fields of science and exploration, mathematics, comedy, film, Hollywood, all of the things,” she explains.

She says people’s first impression of Muslims is on TV or film, usually as someone scary.

“It explains the kind of sentiments and misunderstandings that people have about Muslims and what better way to dispel that than by introducing young readers to Muslim characters early on,” she shares.

She wants readers to connect with people like Maysoon Zayid, a girl who grew up in New Jersey in a Palestinian American home, as a disabled person with big dreams.

“It was really important to me to introduce young readers to these themes of imagining their future, dreaming big, conquering the impossible, and what to do when people tell you that you’re not good enough,” she says.

Islamophobia

Yasmin says Islamophobia, the fear of Islam and Muslims, is rampant.

“The Islamophobia just feels like it is on steroids right now. For many of us old enough to remember September 11, 2001 and the aftermath of that, what Muslims and just generally brown people lived through, the environment right now is feeling like that,” she shares.

She says people are getting “steeped in these misconceptions of an entire community,” she further explains.

She hopes the series will introduce readers to a range of Muslims to help tackle Islamophobia. 

Yasmin has a background as a medical doctor and a former journalist.

She says the next book in the series will come out later this year. 

Over the holidays, we’re sharing some of the stories Detroit Evening Report hosts produced for the radio this year. Today we hear a story from Sascha Raiyn.  

Terees Western is an artisan perfumer and owner of the business FragranTed. Sascha Raiyn spoke to her about her work and about one title she uses, “scent docent.”

Western says she explains the experience of scent the way a docent at the DIA might explain a work of art. 

Additional headlines for Monday, Dec. 29

Holiday events at Detroit Public Library

Detroit Public Library branches are hosting holiday break events throughout this week.

Offerings include card-making and Kwanzaa craft sessions, video and board gaming and storytimes. The Sherwood Forest Branch will host a family New Year’s Party Tuesday from 4-5pm at 7117 West Seven Mile Road.

Find Detroit Public Library events at detroitpubliclibrary.org/events. 

Broomball in Detroit

Come Play Detroit is bringing Broomball to Downtown Detroit in early January and tomorrow is the last day to register to play.

The co-ed league hits the ice at Campus Martius Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Teams can register for $1100 dollars with a $100 deposit. Individuals can play for $120. The Broomball leagues runs through January and February. For more information visit comeplaydetroit.com. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dearborn’s Department of Public Health has been awarded a $101,000 grant to advance firearm safety. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services funding supports collaborative efforts to educate gun owners on safe handling and storage. 

Dearborn Mayor Abdulllah Hammoud says firearm injury prevention is a public health and safety priority. 

The city’s health department will distribute firearm safety kits, including gun locks, lockboxes, and educational materials.  Dearborn Chief Public Health Officer Ali Abazeed says the grant supports evidence-based education and access to safety tools. 

Additional headlines for Monday, Dec. 22, 2025

Michigan Chief Medical Executive makes Standing Recommendation regarding children’s vaccines 

Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, made a Standing Recommendation to continue issuing vaccinations on schedule based on recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). 

Bagdasarian shared that public health experts are not in agreement with new federal vaccine recommendations, prompting the announcement. One of the recent changes was dropping the Hepatitis B vaccine at birth and removing the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women. 

Bagdasarian’s Standing Recommendation was made with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Immunization. 

She says the recommendation does not supersede clinical judgment. She also asks health care providers to make vaccines accessible by removing barriers for patients. 

Bagdasarian says vaccines keep people safe and potentially save lives. 

EGLE renews license for hazardous waste facility 

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has renewed the license for a hazardous waste treatment and storage facility in Detroit for the next 10 years.

Hazardous Waste Management Facility Operating License to EQ Detroit Inc., which does business as US Ecology Detroit South, was issued the license after regulatory review and a public comment process. Several people strongly opposed the facility because it emits strong odors leading to health concerns like asthma. The facility also has a history of clean air violations. 

EGLE renewed the license, adding new requirements, such as expanding air and groundwater monitoring. The facility must replace six tanks beginning in January 2026 and install odor control equipment by the end of Dec 2027.

Tunnel in southwest Detroit 

The Great Lakes Water Authority has started building a sewage relief system near the Rouge River in Southwest Detroit. Crews will spend at least two years digging a tunnel to carry excess stormwater to an underused retention and treatment center. Chief Operating Officer Navid Mehram says the $87 million project should reduce the risk of flooding and sewage backups during heavy rain. 

“So this is an example where we’re making an investment in our existing system by rerouting some flows, so that we can leverage an existing facility that wasn’t receiving all the flow it can treat.”

Mehram says the project will not increase customers’ sewage bills. He says state and federal funding will help pay for the tunnel. 

New tech firm in town 

Detroit is getting a new high-tech security and AI solution firm, Eccalon. The defense tech company will create 800 new jobs ranging from $25-100 per hour. 

The facility will have manufacturing operations, training programs and an innovation center. 

The company’s headquarters is moving from Maryland to become a part of the tech innovation in Detroit. Eccalon will be located at the Bedrock-owned Icon building at 200 Walker Street. 

Eccalon Chairman and CEO André Gudger says the new headquarters will develop cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing and automation. 

The company hopes to open early next year. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.