race
Navigating through pride and prejudice
by (kwesirobertson)
Submitted 06-16-2017 under OPINION
Some of my gay friends and I see Pride month differently. Very differently. According to them, I get two months: February, for Black History month, and June, for Pride. I should feel honored, right? I have inherited the powerful but not as...
Local First aims to help businesses create community change with upcoming equity workshop
by (Local First)
Submitted 06-13-2017 under NONPROFITS
Change doesn’t come from individuals alone. At Local First, we believe that business can instigate positive change within a community. Not only does local business help create and stabilize communities, it has a major role in creating a...
Recent police actions prompt citizens to press City officials to declare 'state of emergency'
by (Russell Olmsted)
Submitted 05-10-2017 under NEWS
During the final public comment period of Tuesday night’s City Commission meeting, forty people stood and spoke in solidarity about the need to declare a “state of emergency” around the racialized outcomes and systemic inequities...
Support 'A Day Without Immigrants' on May 1, 2017
by (arcarpenter)
Submitted 04-25-2017 under OPINION
On Thursday, April 20, at 12 p.m. I joined a group of immigrants and allies in the Calder Plaza for a peaceful demonstration organized by Movimiento Cosecha GR. Together we marched north to face the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE...
Black motorists twice as likely to be pulled over, searched by Grand Rapids police
by (Russell Olmsted)
Submitted 04-20-2017 under NEWS
According to the City’s Traffic Stop Data Analysis study, Black drivers in the city of Grand Rapids are twice as likely to be pulled over by police as white drivers. The discussion of these results and the study's recommendations brought...
Elevating Voices: Community Media Center showcases locally produced videos exploring identity, race, disability at Wealthy Theatre
by (George)
Submitted 04-18-2017 under PLACE-MATTERS
On Wednesday night, Grand Rapids Community Media Center (GRCMC) will present a special showcase of video productions created during the Elevating Voices project. Elevating Voices is a multi-year project of GRCMC created to raise the visibility of...
UICA hosts founder of Jim Crow Museum to discuss race, art
by (KCAD)
Submitted 04-18-2017 under NONPROFITS
The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts features gallery exhibitions of work from regional, national and international artists throughout the year and hosts a range of events including concerts, performance art, artist receptions and gallery talks...
Outcry over police stop, housing funds packs City Commission
by (Elizabeth Roger...)
Submitted 04-12-2017 under NEWS
On Tuesday, April 11, 2017, the Grand Rapids City Commission meeting at 7 p.m. was packed to overflowing with people sitting in the aisles, standing in the corners and spilling out into the hallway. Concerns over cuts to housing funding and a recent...
Mothers of boys stopped at gunpoint by police, 'trying to make change'
by (arcarpenter)
Submitted 04-06-2017 under NEWS
It’s been over a week since five African-American boys, age 12 to 14 years, were stopped at gunpoint by a police officer as they walked home from playing basketball at the Kroc Center on Division in Grand Rapids. IKeshia Quinn, a mother of two...
When grown men point loaded weapons at 12-year-old boys, none of us should sleep well at night
by (arcarpenter)
Submitted 03-29-2017 under OPINION
Last night, I couldn't sleep. It was 2 a.m., but my mind was still at the City Commission meeting, where three mothers told the story of their sons - 12 to 14 years in age - being stopped at gunpoint by police. (Their comments are at about 31:...