Faith Leaders to Hold Press Conference Urging Governor DeWine to Intervene on the Detention and Possible Deportation of Imam Ayman Soliman
On Monday, August 25, faith leaders along with Undivided, CAIR-Ohio (Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton), Young United Souls for Revolutionary Action (YUSRA), Ohio Immigrant Alliance, and other community advocates will hold a press conference in the Ladies Gallery of the Ohio Statehouse urging Governor DeWine to use the authority of his office to secure Imam Ayman Soliman’s release from detention, and ensure the restoration of his asylum status.
WHEN: Monday, August 25, 2025, at 11:00am ET
WHERE: Ladies Gallery, inside the Ohio Statehouse
After persecution and threats to his life in Egypt, Imam Ayman Soliman found his way to the US where he sought and was granted asylum. Imam Ayman, known as the "interfaith Imam," has since served and touched the lives of countless people and families, of all backgrounds and faiths. As a chaplain at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, he was locally renowned for his support of grieving families as he guided them through their children’s illnesses and, in some cases, passings.
Columbus Arborfest
Saturday, August 23, 12noon-5pm, Whetstone Park, 3901 N. High St.
Come celebrate the nature of Columbus!
Food trucks, music, vendors, guided nature tours, art, a children’s area, plants for sale, and non-profits from all over the city! Visit columbusarborfest.com to learn more.
Hosted by Columbus ArborFest and Green Columbus.
Oppose SB 172-Protect Due Process
The bill would specify that persons who are unlawfully present in the United States are not “privileged” from arrest. This bill has already passed the Ohio Senate (6/18/2025). It was introduced in the House (6/23/25), but has not yet been referred to a committee. More information in this OCJ article and this analysis.
What can you do now?
Urge your state representative to say NO if this bill comes to the floor.
Sample call script:
Hi. My name is __________, and I live [full address if leaving a message].
Is Ethical Journalism Dead? How Western Media has Failed the People of Palestine
An ethical journalist acts with integrity. As I sat in my first ever journalism class, staring at the sentence scrawled on the chalkboard, my heart soared with the conviction that I was entering a field defined by truth.
But just two months later, as Israeli bombs reduced the streets of Gaza to rubble, I watched Western media justify the countless Palestinian lives stolen, as though my people’s suffering was disposable. Each death fractured my heart, while media organizations played a cruel game of linguistic gymnastics to avoid recognizing the depravity of genocide. Stories were told without context, headlines stripped of humanity, and the integrity I had been promised felt like an illusion. My faith in journalism collapsed, reduced to rubble alongside the buildings of my homeland.
Now, in the first journalism class of my junior year, I find myself staring at the same words again. Only this time, it doesn’t feel inspirational, it feels empty.
August Green Drinks hosted by Green Columbus
Wednesday, August 20, 6-8pm
Seventh Son Brewing Co., 1101 N. Fourth St.
Mark your calendars for August 20 from 6pm to 8pm for “August Green Drinks” at Seventh Son Brewing Co. At this “Green Drinks,” speakers from SWACO and Circular Thrift will discuss their new textile recycling pilot program. Attendees are encouraged to bring end-of-life clothing to this event to recycle. Please use this link to check what clothing items qualify as end of life. Hope to see you all there.
Hosted by Green Columbus.
JVP Member Meeting – Anduril Campaign
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 7:00 PM
On January 17, 2025, Anduril Industries in partnership with the state of Ohio announced their Arsenal-1 AI/drone warfare complex, set to be built outside the Rickenbacker Air base in Pickaway County, Ohio.
Please join us for a discussion on the negative impact this drone warfare plant will have on Ohioans and how we can fight to prevent the plant from ever being built. Although this plant promises Ohioans thousands of new jobs those jobs come at a cost: expanding the drone warfare program for the US military and around the world (these drones have been used in Gaza and the West Bank), a drain on Ohio's natural resources, farmland stolen from local farmers, a strain on worker health, and an expanded surveillance state.
Register here.
“Learn About Ranked Choice Voting,” hosted by Upper Arlington Progressive Action
Monday, August 18, 6pm, Upper Arlington Public Library [Meeting Rm. B], 2800 Tremont Rd.
Come on Monday, August 18 from 6pm to 7pm to Meeting Room B of the Upper Arlington Public Library, 2800 Tremont Rd., to learn all about Ranked Choice Voting.
Lifelong Ohio resident and “Rank the Vote Ohio” speaker, Chris Anderson will discuss the benefits of ranked choice voting and how it can improve Ohio’s elections if implemented. Learn about how ranked choice voting can empower voters, expand voter choice, promote greater diversity of political candidates, and hold politicians accountable by ensuring that majority-backed candidates are elected to office.
Hosted by Upper Arlington Progressive Action.
Smedley Butler presentation
Sunday, August 17, 2025, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Columbus Metropolitan Library: Hilliard Branch, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026.
Piketon: America’s Appalachian Nightmare documentary
Saturday, August 16, 3:30-5pm
Columbus Metropolitan Library [Main Branch], 96 S. Grant Ave.
Join us for a chilling exploration of Piketon’s nuclear history and its haunting impact on the Appalachian community.
Join us for the screening and discussion panel. This in-person event will take place at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Dive into the dark history and ongoing concerns surrounding nuclear activities in the region. Hear from experts, engage in discussions, and gain insights into this pressing issue. Don’t miss this eye-opening event!
For over 70 years, the small, tight-knit community of Pike County, Ohio, has paid the ultimate price for America’s nuclear ambitions. With the highest cancer rates in the state and a legacy of contamination, this rural town bears the scars of decades-long radioactive exposure. In 2019, the crisis hit a devastating milestone when a local school was permanently shut down after radioactive isotopes were discovered inside its walls.
This film takes you inside the heart of the Piketon Atomic Plant story, exposing the human cost of nuclear power and the fight for truth in a radiated community.