In 2010 ISAAC brought to us “Be the Beloved Community” under the leadership of Executive Director Rachael Tanner and Community Organizers Jomil Wells and Rev. Nathan Dannison. I thank them for this powerful foundation and their awesome work! The year 2017 has brought fear and concern of the unknown, as well as divisiveness as a […]
How can we help adults react positively to behavior of chronically stressed children? A first step is raising awareness that there is such a thing as chronic stress, and that it affects children’s behavior. The ISAAC Early Childhood and Education Task Force has organized screenings of the Raising of America videos on chronic trauma, Wounded […]
Do you know any 8 th-12th graders who’d like to learn to do youth-led advocacy and community organizing? They are invited to the Future Leaders for Peace Kick-Off on Saturday March 18, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (where the ISAAC office is), 247 West Lovell St. in downtown Kalamazoo. Over the next year, Future Leaders […]
On Sunday, February 19th at 4:00 PM there will be a Service of Remembrance and Action at Second Baptist Church located at 609 North Rose St, across from Metro Transit in downtown Kalamazoo, to remember those in our area who have died by firearms. If your family has experienced the tragedy and grief of a […]
I emailed the Kalamazoo Alamo Drafthouse Movie Theater to ask if and when the James Baldwin film I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO will be showing there. The Alamo replied, “We finally got a confirmed date for I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO on February 24.
RSVP at storiesunite.eventbrite.com or call Lanna Lewis at (269) 381-4416. According to Lanna Lewis, community investment manager at Kalamazoo Community Foundation, “We’ll be showing segments in a film festival format, with opportunities to interact, discuss, and reflect, as well as build relationships with community members.” Area partners planning this event include ISAAC (Interfaith Strategy for […]
ISAAC will start taking applications for its youth advocacy program “Future Leaders For Peace” in February. Youth in 8th-12th grade will be eligible.
ISAAC’s primary goal for its youth is to ensure that their voice is present in both their community and school settings, as well as local, state, and national policy arenas.
DVD’s of the sold-out ISAAC Banquet in June 2016 are finally ready! If you missed it, you will want to see the keynote address by Dr. J. Louis Felton, former Senior Pastor at Galilee Baptist Church and co-founder of ISAAC 15 years ago. If you were there, you know you want to hear it again! […]
What am I going to do now? Why did this happen this way? How could this have happened? I’m excited for the future. It’s not that bad! Finally there will be some needed change. I’m going to move. Can you believe what just happened? OMG! The country has truly shown it colors. Social Justice is […]
Beautiful new ISAAC bumper stickers are about to arrive! Your stickers will spread the word about our work, and help fund it at the same time! ($5 each) Thanks to Rabbi Matt Zerwekh for the wording on the sticker, Amy Peterson for great design work, Tobi Hanna-Davies for organizing and Steve Barber for inspiring and initiating the whole idea.
Michigan Senate Bill 442 would allow hidden, loaded handguns to be carried into schools, college classrooms and bars. It was voted out of Committee and will be voted on by the full Michigan Senate sometime SOON. Please call your State Senator. It is easy and takes less than a minute. When you get connected to your senator or their […]
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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