We are blessed to announce that on Tuesday August 13th, ISAAC’s Leadership Board Representatives voted unanimously “Yes” on the recommendation from our Executive Committee to continue the ISAAC Housing Task Force with TRHT (Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation) for the next 2 years without a 2019 Issues Convention vote. ISAAC will be contracted to do this […]
The ISAAC Family wants to extend a sincere welcome to Ed Genesis who will be serving in the capacity of a Contractor for the remainder of 2019 to assist ISAAC with Community Healing, Listening, Engagement and Mobilizing. Ed is no stranger to ISAAC and has worked collaboratively with us through Kalamazoo’s Truth, Racial Healing and […]
Hold Fast to Love and Justice! Did you miss the ISAAC Banquet or want to relive that wonderful evening? Place your order today!
The Anti-Poverty Task Force is offering a class on poverty on October 3 and 10, 2 pm – 4 pm at Western Michigan University’s College of Health and Human Services, Room 2073. You can register for the class through the Osher Life Learning Institute at this web site – https://wmich.edu/olli/courses. In this 2-session class, you will […]
All of our lives were enriched by hearing Ms. Saheeda’s story. She came to the U.S. to join her children’s father and make a better future for her children. She has suffered many losses: the loss of her marriage, her daughter’s tragic death in a car accident after graduating from college, and now she has lost her […]
We’ll need YOUR presence at Kalamazoo City Commission when the dates are set for Public Comment on our Fair Housing proposals! Watch for news about the dates! Save the 1st & 3rd Mondays at 7:00 pm on your calendar, if you can. Plan to wear your ISAAC T-shirt and come early to get a seat! […]
After more than 40 years of strategic lobbying and candidate support, the gun lobby has managed to repeal most every law in state legislatures (and weaken Federal legislation) that had anything at all to do with access to firearms and where they can be carried. In Michigan if you decide to purchase a handgun, not […]
100 clergy, congregants and community members accepted the call to action from the Anti-Racism Task Force to explore the link between racism and the 4-fold disparity between black and white infant deaths in Kalamazoo. Most alarming, we saw that the 4-fold impact of race holds true regardless of the income and education level of the […]
I’m excited and pleased that it looks very do-able for us to reach our $50,000 Endowment Fund goal by the end of 2019—a whole year earlier than expected! This means we’ll be able to begin receiving interest income a whole year early! If you can help, the time to do it is between now and […]
Part of cultivating the Beloved Community that Dr. Martin Luther King preached about means learning the importance of self-transformation within our equity work. That way we may work more effectively to transform systems and institutions. We wanted to send a heartfelt thank you to Rabbi Simone Schicker for an awesome 2-part series: Intro to Judaism for our ISAAC Family. […]
Put Tuesday evening, October 29 on your calendar for the ISAAC 2019 Issues Convention–when everyone present votes on which issues we’ll work on for the next two years! Thanks to the generous hospitality of Revs. Jerry & Janet Duggins and the Westminster Family, this year’s Issues Convention will be at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1515 Helen […]
“Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are.” – James W. Frick On July 22, ISAAC hosted a forum with Senator Sean McCann and Representative Jon Hoadley to share information on how state budget decisions are made. They explained how we can […]
Ed Genesis is an artist, poet, musician, organizer, entrepreneur, and community leader. Born and raised in Gary, Indiana and moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan permanently in his early 20’s, his love of art/music, his passion for his people and community, and his gift of creativity are evident in all areas of his work. In October 2018 Ed Genesis released a song to accompany the campaign he was working on around school push out, entitled Junior High, which was distributed nationwide including on his own iHeart radio station, Spotify, and iTunes.
In 2017 Ed Genesis created Poetic Justice, a monthly open-mic that was hosted/led by 5 local poets. He has performed as well as hosted several events such as the Black Arts Festival, the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival, and the National Day of Racial Healing.
Ed Genesis is Lead Mentor and head of community relations at Speak It Forward where he teaches youth at Lakeside Academy, Starr-Commonwealth, and the Kalamazoo County Juvenile home healing through music and art. In 2017, he started WE ACTIVE! a community organization aimed at fighting against mass incarceration and the school to prison pipeline. The organization was recognized by the State of Michigan and presented with a Special Tribute by Representative Jon Hoadley for its work on Criminal Justice Reform and Mass Incarceration in the Kalamazoo Community. Ed Genesis has been a panelist and featured speaker in Washington D.C., Chicago, and Milwaukee. He has and continues to collaborate with artists local to Kalamazoo, youth included, to create music to address social justice issues. In 2018 Ed Genesis joined Truth Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT). He leads the Racial Healing design team with a focus on healing justice and is also part of the Law Design Team.
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