Bankole's Nation

This week on  Bankole’s Nation , journalist Bankole Thompson sits down with Jordan Mottley, a young Detroit entrepreneur whose journey offers insight into the city's future. Jordan is the founder of LoveProject Detroit, a new streetwear clothing line rooted in creativity, community, and Detroit's enduring spirit. At a time when too many young people are told to wait for opportunity, Jordan...

This week, Bankole Thompson interviews Tom Leonard, a prominent Republican and the former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, about the 2026gubernatorial race. Leonard was one of several GOP candidates running for governor this year, but recently dropped out of the race.  The discussion centers on why Leonarddropped out, his refusal to imitate President Donald Trump on the campaign t...

This week, Bankole Thompson interviews Cindy Pasky, a prominent Detroit business leader and founder and CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions, on the first 100 days of Mayor Mary Sheffield’s administration. Pasky was the first business leader to publicly support Sheffield’s mayoral bid, long before many believed Sheffield could become the city’s first female mayor. Their discussion centers on Sheffi...

This week, Bankole Thompson sits down with former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, who led the city during the height of theglobal water crisis that brought national attention to Flint. Weaver reflects on her historic election in 2015 as Flint’s first female mayor and weighs in on Michigan’s 2026 gubernatorial race. She explains her decision to support former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, now running as an...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompson interviews Attorney Tina M. Patterson, Esq., a nationally recognized legal authority and the Principal Attorney at the Patterson Justice Council, PLLC, about economic equity as a 21st-century business strategy in line with the vision of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Patterson, whose previous cases have been cited in the Georgetown L...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalistBankole Thompson interviews Chicago Congressman Jonathan Jackson, one of the sons of the late Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr., the renowned civil rights leader and global statesman who passed away last month.  Congressman Jackson, in the interview,revealed that his father told him three years ago he wanted him to deliver the eulogy at his funeral as the civil...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompson interviews James Tate, the new president of the Detroit City Council, about the legislative agenda for 2026 and key issues he plans to address as leader of the city’s legislative body.  Tate reiterated his earlier comments in the interview, stating that the legislative body would not serve as a rubber-stamp institution and would work with...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompson talks with Mary Waters, one of the most outspoken members of the Detroit City Council, about the agenda for the legislative body in 2026 and her expectations for the new mayor, Mary Sheffield.  Waters, a former Lansing legislator and the highest vote-getter in the last election, discusses several issues facing the city that the City Counci...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompson discusses the road ahead for Detroit's incoming mayor, Mary Sheffield, who is set to take office in January 2026. Sheffield faces a series of challenges in the city, including how to address the stark poverty crisis highlighted by the 2024U.S. Census report. The Census data show that Detroit has the highest poverty concentration among...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompson discusses the October 15 debate between Detroit mayoral candidates Solomon Kinloch Jr., the senior pastor of Triumph Church, and Mary Sheffield, the president of the Detroit City Council.   Thompson believes that Kinloch, the anti-establishment candidate, has a chance to seal the deal in the debate by presenting an inclusive economic visio...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompsoninterviews Democratic State Sen. Stephanie Chang about the $81 billion spending plan that Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law, and what is in the budget for urban cities like Detroit that are struggling with the crisis of poverty. Chang was a holdout during budget negotiations over a proposed increase in the marijuana tax, but...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompsoninterviews Lindsey McAdory, the campaign manager for Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.’s bid to become the next mayor of Detroit.   McAdory, a national campaign strategist who has led 87 successful political and issue-based campaigns and was most recently behind the victory of Randall Woodfin, the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, discusses the path tov...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist BankoleThompson interviews Robin Kinloch, the first lady of Triumph Church, about her husband, Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.’s campaign to become the next mayor of Detroit. Robin Kinloch, who has a law degree, discusses herbackground in her first media interview about the 2025 Detroit mayor’s race. She discusses growing up in Detroit and how she and her sibling...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompson provides an analysis of what seems to be a calculated effort by the media to undermine the mayoral campaign of Solomon Kinloch, the senior pastor of Triumph Church, whois running against Mary Sheffield, the president of the Detroit City Council.  Thompson, who has had a front-row seat to Detroit’s issues for a long time and is an authority...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompson offers an analysis of what is missing in the Detroit mayor’s race between Mary Sheffield, the president of the Detroit City Council, and Solomon Kinloch, the senior pastor of Triumph Church. Thompson, who has had a front-row seat to Detroit’s issues for a long time, discusses what Detroiters are missing in the race for the next leader of o...

This week on Bankole’s Nation, journalist Bankole Thompson offers an analysis of the Detroit Council of Baptist Pastors & Vicinity’s endorsement of Mary Sheffield for mayor ofDetroit, over Solomon Kinloch, the senior pastor of Triumph Church. Thompson, who has in-depth knowledge of Detroit's clergy group, discusses what the endorsement signifies, given thegroup’s inaction on various issues...

This week on Bankole’s Nation Extra, journalist BankoleThompson speaks with veteran campaign strategist Sam Riddle, widely regarded as the dean of political consulting in Detroit, about Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s endorsement of Mary Sheffield to succeed him as the city’s next mayor. Sheffield, the president of the Detroit City Council,is facing Rev. Solomon Kinloch, the senior pastor of Triumph C...

This week on the show, journalist Bankole Thompson interviews Detroit City Councilmember At-Large Mary Waters, the top vote-getter in the recent primary, to discuss a wide range of issues affecting Detroit's present and future. From the troubled Detroit Land Bank Authority, to the crises of homelessness, job creation for the city’s youth, the I-375 project in Detroit’s Black Bottom, and the de...

This week on Bankole’s Nation Extra, journalist Bankole Thompson offers an in-depth commentary and analysis about who the establishment is supporting in the ongoing Detroit mayor’s race between Mary Sheffield, the president of the Detroit City Council, and Solomon Kinloch, the senior pastor of Triumph Church.  Thompson explains how Sheffield is clearly the establishment favorite and why top busine...

This week on the show, journalist Bankole Thompson sits down with Detroiter Dr. Nefertari Nkenge, a veteran public school educator, activist, and daughter of the late Detroit City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, to discuss the November mayoral race between Mary Sheffield, the president of the Detroit City Council, and Solomon Kinloch, the senior pastor of Triumph Church.  Nkenge says both candidates ne...

This week on the show, journalist Bankole Thompson sits down with veteran campaign strategist Sam Riddle—widelyregarded as the dean of political consulting in Detroit—to discuss the high-stakes November mayoral race between Mary Sheffield and Solomon Kinloch. Sheffield, president of the Detroit City Council, and Kinloch, senior pastor of Triumph Church, advanced from a crowdedprimary field of nine...

In this week’s episode, journalist Bankole Thompson, an authority on the media and a prominent voice of conscience and courage, breaks down the media and establishment campaign against Rev. Solomon Kinloch, one of the leadingcandidates for mayor of Detroit. Kinloch, the senior pastor of Triumph Church, the largest church in Michigan with about 40,000 members and one of the biggest Black churches i...

In this week’s episode, journalist Bankole Thompson speaks with Sam Riddle, a veteran of local and national campaigns, about the current race for the mayorship of Detroit. Riddle offers his candid assessment of the 2025 race to succeed outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan and discusses where the campaign stands in relation to the two main contenders likely to face each other in the general election: Mary Sh...

In this week’s episode, journalist Bankole Thompson talks to Elnora Gavin, a member of the Benton Harbor Area Board of Education and a racial and economic justice advocate, about how one of the smallest Black cities in Michigan’s urban core is responding to the Donald Trump presidency. Gavin discusses the socioeconomic challenges facing the City of Benton, the need to support its struggling public...

In this week’s episode, journalist Bankole Thompson talks to Jerry Norcia, the Chairman and CEO of DTE Energy in Detroit, a Fortune 500 company, about the transcending and inclusive legacy and impact of the late Pope Francis. Norcia, a trained engineer and the former Chairman of the American Gas Association, is one of the nation’s leading figures in the energy industry. He is also a board member o...