We would like to welcome Church Women United (CWU) to the ISAAC Family! CWU is a nationally known organization with a local chapter in Kalamazoo Michigan dedicated to Economic Justice, Justice, Environmental Care and Health. Under the leadership of Dora Mann, President; Terri Benton-Ollie and Adele Paxson, Membership Co-Chairs; Janet Nichols, Secretary; and Catharine Sturdivant, […]
You’re invited to our Racial Healing Retreat for Clergy, Leadership Board members, Task Force members, Congregations & Organizations’ future or potential representatives to ISAAC, and everyone who feels part of ISAAC! It’s on Thursday, July 13, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, at one of our ISAAC member congregations. It will be led by experienced facilitators from the Center for Courage […]
Learn About Overcoming Childhood Trauma and Building Resilience – July 12 [su_vimeo url=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/137282528″] We are excited to invite you to a screening and discussion of the award-winning documentary: RESILIENCE: THE BIOLOGY OF STRESS AND THE SCIENCE OF HOPE, on Wednesday, July 12 from 9am to noon at the KRESA Auditorium, 1819 Milham Road in Portage. […]
You are invited to this Health Equity Workshop whether you’re a health professional or a community member. This one-day training is designed to help develop the common language necessary to explore how discrimination and social identities impact health outcomes. It will address how racism, sexism, ableism, and other oppressions lead to negative health outcomes, and […]
This is fun but very important—listening to community residents’ thoughts about the strengths of their neighborhoods and what changes they’d like to see. You don’t need to know anything about ISAAC to help. You get a partner, a clipboard with the questions to ask, a map of the part of the neighborhood that’s yours to […]
Oh what a night! I would like to thank the Kalamazoo Community for your support of the 2017 ISAAC banquet. It was an awesome night and the turnout was amazing. I want to include a portion of my opening statement that was read at the banquet: “Tonight, I stand! Tonight, we stand in the power […]
Huge thanks to everyone who made the May 6, 2017 Banquet such a success—by being there yourself or donating tickets for others, by encouraging your congregation or organization to come, by donating or bidding on silent auction items, by speaking on stage or working behind the scenes, by ushering or working at the VIP or […]
Do you make purchases on Amazon.com? If so, you can purchase items while giving to ISAAC! There is no additional cost to you! How: AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. When you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile […]
Whether you hear Dr. David Ansell speak on June 6 or not, you’ll want to hear this interview with him by Earlene McMichael on WMUK: WSW: Inequality in America Kills, Expert Says Never once did one of Dr. David Ansell’s patients receive a transplant in his 27 years at one public Chicago hospital, yet patients […]
Congratulations to the Youth Violence Prevention Task Force Co-Chair Venessa Collins-Smith for her Leader of the Year award! Venessa was honored at the ISAAC Banquet on May 6. We thank Venessa for her leadership and creativity in developing the Future Leaders for Peace curriculum. Our Future Leaders for Peace (FLFP) also presented at the Banquet, […]
The Anti-Racism Task Force continues the work of becoming an antiracist community by offering a 1-day Health Equity Workshop on July 29th from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The health disparities in Kalamazoo County affect birth outcomes, life expectancy, disease and illness that parallels what is happening across the United States. Join both health care providers and […]
Help us support Cradle Kalamazoo and reduce infant mortality in our County! Connect expectant mothers and families to community resources through 269-888-KIDS (5437) Help keep all babies safe by sharing safe sleep practices with parents, children, caregivers, and friends (see http://cradlekalamazoo.com/) Host a Safe Sleep Presentation with Cradle Kalamazoo For more information, contact Whitney at […]
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.
ISAAC
