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Opinion

 

Grand Rapids, time to get in formation

Submitted 02-16-2016 under OPINION

After the Superbowl, none of us are talking about a game reminiscent of flag football. We are talking about a video that dropped a day before the game. We are talking about the powerful performance that reinforced that existence of that video. We...

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Land, labor, capital: Looking at root causes of our diseased food system

Submitted 02-09-2016 under OPINION

I’m convinced that the ideology of capitalism is the ultimate root cause of the dysfunction of our diseased food system. Addressing food system work without this acknowledgement will only lead to shallow short term solutions. Capitalism has...

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Catalyst Radio: faith, LGBTQ+ communities, and spiritual violence

Submitted 02-05-2016 under OPINION

Don't have time to listen now? Download the mp3 and listen at your leisure.   INTERVIEW In this episode of Catalyst Radio, we talk with Scott Burden, Graduate Assistant of the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center at Grand Valley...

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What cities lose when plagued by low voter turnout

Submitted 02-02-2016 under OPINION

Voters in the Grand Rapids area decided vital issues close to home in the last local election election, which included ballot proposals for millions of dollars to improve the quality of public schools as well as new candidates for local office. That...

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Catalyst Radio: personal and societal transformation through a plant-based diet

Submitted 01-29-2016 under OPINION

INTERVIEW In this episode of Catalyst Radio, Michele Fife sits down with Kim Enochs, executive director of Veg Fest Grand Rapids and co-founder Plant Based Solutions, a Grand Rapids nonprofit dedicated to advocating for personal and societal...

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New community council seeks stronger civil discourse with, accountability for police

Submitted 01-26-2016 under OPINION

On December 15, 2015, the City Commissioners of Grand Rapids voted 5-2 in favor of allowing the purchase of 65 assault rifles for the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD). If you weren’t aware of this, then stop and take a moment to process...

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State of the State: Public Act 4 Must Go

Submitted 01-24-2016 under OPINION

I’m parched – but it’s not because I’m living in a place like Flint where I must pay for polluted water while also purchasing clean water for consumption – it’s because I read the Governor’s State of the...

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New Experience GR video misses mark in representing real neighborhood diversity

Submitted 01-22-2016 under OPINION

As a proud resident of Grand Rapids, I'd like to comment on the recent video called "Grand Rapids Destination Neighborhoods" released by Experience GR. Grand Rapids has been a city of opportunity for me and for my family in...

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Annual Abrahamic Dinner at local mosque to encourage interfaith dialogue

Submitted 01-19-2016 under OPINION

By Meghan Bogema, Interfaith Intern at Calvin College Have you ever been to one of our local mosques in Grand Rapids? January 21 is the perfect chance to do so. This Thursday, the Niagara Foundation and Kaufman Interfaith Institute are...

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Conversations with young people about race must go beyond respectability

Submitted 01-19-2016 under OPINION

I’m tired of writing about race. The idea that I have to continuously educate the world on a socialized and institutionalized structure that impacts my existence pains me; the fact that I have to find a nice way to make people care about it...

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