Congratulations to ISAAC Family member Rabbi Matt Zerwekh, Rabbi of Temple B’nai Israel and member of the ISAAC Executive Committee, for being recommended as the faith sector representative on the inaugural board of the Foundation of Excellence. He is one of ten people chosen, out of 150 applicants, to represent specific issues, causes and neighborhoods. […]
There won’t be an ISAAC Banquet this year, BUT stay tuned for more information! Coming in June of 2018 will be the ISAAC Beloved Community Walk/Run: Moving Towards Justice. The Beloved Community is an inclusive, democratic reality that while not devoid of conflict, is free of violence. It is a place in which our deepest values of abundance, equity, […]
Would you like to be part of the ISAAC process of listening to people with expertise and discerning new ways to create an equitable community? You’re invited to join one of our new task forces: Anti-Racism– 3rd Tuesdays, 6:30 – 8 pm, at St. Luke’s (but will attend National Day of Racial Healing event on January 16) […]
THANK YOU to everyone who turned out so early for the December 12 Breakfast –in a snowstorm! And to all the wonderful speakers who shared their stories about deciding to be a GEM (Give Every Month donor)—Paula Willson, Jo Brown, Emily Hazel, Jeremy Sabella, Steve Barber, and Venessa Collins-Smith. Thanks to Wendy Flora for leading […]
Our first ever “Above & Beyond Award” was presented at the Family & Friends Breakfast to Amy Peterson: For designing every year’s ISAAC banquet book since 2006, And usually the poster and flyers as well, For taking photos at every ISAAC event since 2005 And making wonderful slide shows of them for the banquets, For […]
If you weren’t at the ISAAC Family & Friends Breakfast on that snowy morning, December 12, you might not have heard this great news. We have an ISAAC Endowment Fund “under development”! That means we’re well on our way to creating a fund that will generate income for ISAAC every year! Can you help? Your gift will […]
“ISAAC shows the willingness to do what has never been done and to embrace the unpopular to address issues that have not been meaningfully addressed before. ISAAC has an unwavering commitment to build a better community.” – Addis Moore, Northside Ministerial Alliance President and Mt. Zion Baptist Church “In the scriptures we read that a […]
If you are reading this, you are part of the ISAAC Family! We hope you can join the 50 people already signed up for the ISAAC Breakfast on Tuesday, December 12, 7:30-9:00 am in the Dining Room of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. RSVP by Dec. 8 to isaackalamazoo@gmail.com or at 269-341-4213, so we have enough coffee […]
Would you like to be part of the ISAAC process of partnering with others and discerning ways to create an equitable community? Join one of the new task forces and come to the next meeting: Racism – Tuesday, December 19, 6:30pm-8pm at St. Luke’s Poverty – Tuesday, January 23, 6:30pm-8pm at St. Luke’s Housing – Usually the 1st […]
Save the Date: January 16th – Day of Racial Healing. Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation is a comprehensive, national and community-based process to plan for and bring about transformational and sustainable change, and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism. It was launched in January 2016 with a year-long design phase and builds upon and […]
Do you see “Task Forces’ Training & Research” near the top left of this chart? That’s where we are now in the ISAAC Two-Year Cycle. We’re just about to head into 2018 and “One-on-Ones by Task Forces” (near the top right) to develop relationships with partners, choose a focus for policy change and ask public […]
President Elder Doug King, Executive Director Dr. Charlae Davis and the whole ISAAC family want to thank everyone who worked hard on issues presentations and all who attended to vote and support this work of justice. You are awesome! Here’s Mlive’s coverage: “ISAAC chooses poverty, racism, housing as top Kalamazoo issues“ And here’s our media advisory […]
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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