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Opinion

 

'Unity before justice is insulting'

Submitted 07-19-2016 under OPINION

The idyllic portrayal of a nation in racial unity is one of America's most pervasive mythos. But when exactly was America united racially? From slavery, to Jim Crow and segregation in the Reconstruction Era, to the current age of mass...

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For Unity? ...

Submitted 07-18-2016 under OPINION

'UNITY before JUSTICE is INSULTING!'  These were the words on one of the signs held up by a member of Black Lives Matter- Grand Rapids as we protested State Violence at last Saturday's assembly dubbed '#AmINext? #4Unity' The...

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I wish my life mattered

Submitted 07-14-2016 under OPINION

I find myself writing variations of the same idea and telling very different stories that lead to the same theme. The first version of this story is about how I feel like a fish trying to breathe on the sand with those who could choose to throw me...

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Black healing matters

Submitted 07-13-2016 under OPINION

This past week has not been easy to say the least. The murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile have once again galvanized the country to speak out, to activate, to demonstrate, to say "Enough is enough." Black lives matter, Black...

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Movie Review: "Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made" at the UICA

Submitted 07-11-2016 under OPINION

"Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made" tells the story of three childhood friends who set out to create a tribute to their favorite film, "Raiders of the Lost Ark." In the summer of 1982, Chris Strompolos, Eric...

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You'd stop killing us, if you thought we deserved to live

Submitted 07-07-2016 under OPINION

If fear were a form of social control – the world is doing an effective job of making examples of black and brown bodies. When bombs terrorized mosques, Muslim communities and Middle Eastern spaces half way across the world the silence of the...

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Why I'm excited to be a teacher leader, even against the odds

Submitted 07-01-2016 under OPINION

What an exciting time to be a teacher! I know. With dwindling benefits, low salaries, more and more work with less and less time, I sound crazy. But after 21 years of teaching, I can honestly say that I am excited. Never before have I seen such a...

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Reflections in a new community

Submitted 06-30-2016 under OPINION

Last week, our team at The Rapidian and the Grand Rapids Community Center hosted an event designed to welcome me and introduce me to the community. We called it Meet the Editor. The social hour, hosted at Brewery Vivant from 5 to 7 p.m. on June 23,...

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Get transported by the debut video of Grand Rapids band I Believe in Julio

Submitted 06-28-2016 under OPINION

Take a ride with the dudes of I Believe in Julio in their debut music video for Big Trucks, the hit track off their upcoming, and long-awaited album, "An Episodic Memory," to be released this summer by 1980 Records. The official...

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Gentrification or revitalization: Which is it?

Submitted 06-28-2016 under OPINION

“Let’s be clear what we are seeing on the Westside is revitalization, not gentrification." This is how I was corrected by a fellow participant in a roundtable to inform the City of Grand Rapid’s Residential Market Analysis in...

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