Jackie Zeidan.

DEARBORN — Representing a community in the state legislature is no easy task, especially when it’s a city like Dearborn that’s constantly in the spotlight for its complex and diverse history and culture.

It takes someone who knows the community’s “heart and soul” to give it a voice in government, said Jacklin Zeidan, an Arab American small business owner in metro Detroit, community liaison for more than 20 years and candidate for the 15th House District.

Zeidan, a Christian and Dearborn native, recalled a moment that sparked her interest in public service while enrolling her son in Kindergarten. Thinking back to her immigrant family’s hardships, she asked herself what she could do to make sure she instilled the best things in his life so he didn’t encounter what she went through.

Her involvement in his education led to her being the president of his K-12 school’s PTA since 1994.

She was also among the first to bring halal meat to the district’s school cafeterias.

As the district has expanded, Zeidan has encouraged residents to support building and renovating the schools.

Zeidan’s grassroots activism includes being involved with many millages and proposals and in numerous task force committees that have benefited the school district.

Regarding her campaign, she said the smartest thing people can do is send an Arab American woman to represent the community.

She added that someone who deeply understands the community has yet to be elected.

Zeidan also pointed out that she’s been doing the work of a state representative for years, as that position mirrors that of a community liaison.

“Maybe we need to stop looking at the titles and start focusing on who’s doing the actual work,” she said. “Who’s the activist that’s doing the actual change and who’s going to say [to lawmakers] ‘you’re gonna listen’?”

With the xenophobic narrative in this country, the community needs the best representation, she added.

Her goals include addressing student debt relief. She said education has become a profit, which she described as a destruction of education.

Zeidan also seeks to find a positive way to get parents involved in the Dearborn schools, implementing a program where they’re educated and held accountable for their children’s success.

She also wants to tackle challenges many students and families face. She has noticed a nagging language barrier in many households, where all kids are unfairly expected to perform at the same level on standardized exams.

The candidate, whose many family members are in the military, also wants to take better care of veterans.

Zeidan doesn’t take women’s empowerment lightly, either. She said women are still not treated fairly; they endure unequal pay and (mostly male) politicians dictating what they do with their bodies. She said that’s crazy and doesn’t make sense.

She also wants to make it easier for small businesses to thrive. She views business as Dearborn’s lifeline, but said several barriers keep many owners from prospering.

But mostly, Zeidan wants to be the necessary voice in Lansing who will bring up the issues that concern people.

She will hold a campaign fundraiser on April 14 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Byblos Banquet Hall in Dearborn.