BRAVO to Vice Mayor Patrese Griffin! THANK YOU for bringing Housing Equity to our community! People with housing vouchers, or an eviction or past conviction, can no longer be automatically rejected when they apply for a place to call home. They will now get a fair chance for housing, with consideration for their individual situations. […]
KC Ready 4s is celebrating their 10th anniversary! Their website describes their origin in ISAAC’s social justice organizing process: The goal of Kalamazoo County Ready 4s is to advance fully accessible, high-quality pre-kindergarten education for every 3 and 4-year-old in Kalamazoo County through collaborative leadership with public and private providers. KC Ready 4s is a […]
The Kalamazoo Branch NAACP needs your help in getting this message out! Please watch this video, then share it! The truth is anyone in Michigan with a felony on their record can vote as long as they are not serving a sentence. Yes, they can vote if they are on parole or probation! Click on […]
ISAAC invites you to join a Virtual Journey to DC for Racial Justice! This “event” lasts August 15th– September 20th , it includes walking, running, rolling or however you choose to move, it’s on your own or with your own household, and it takes place wherever you choose! To REGISTER, and see all the details, […]
Such a powerful year we had in 2019! And so much appreciation for the way we gave the 2019 Annual Report virtually! Annual Meeting Opening: Reading of our ISAAC Covenant Dr. Pat Stromsta: We enter into a covenant agreement. We enter into a deep promise We promise to love justice and pursue it. As congregations […]
Can you help spread the word and invite others you know? SAVE the DATE! ISAAC 2020 Public Meeting Building the Beloved Community Thursday evening, OCTOBER 22, 2020 Virtual! Engaging presentations on new policy changes needed, in line with our faith values – Anti-Racism, Affordable Housing, Gun Violence Prevention – and commitments of support from our […]
The City Commission’s Public Hearing and vote on the Housing Equity Ordinance are finally happening–on Tuesday evening September 8th, the day after Labor Day! We are very hopeful that the Housing Equity ordinance will pass, if the ISAAC Family turns out as usual to support what’s good and right. Here is the excellent schedule of […]
On average, 1342 school-aged children experienced homelessness in Kalamazoo County each school year from 2014–2017. Such good news! The County Commission voted overwhelmingly August 5, to put the “Housing for All” millage on the countywide ballot on November 3! See the Millage Plan here, thoughtfully crafted by our Kalamazoo County Public Housing Commission and an […]
Message from our ISAAC President Moving Forward in Love… I, like most black and brown people, are going through a flood of emotions right now. I don’t really know how to act or what to do, even though I have been engaged in this work of social justice for quite some time. This just feels […]
Dear ISAAC Family, we pray this email finds you and yours well in the midst of all that is going on locally and nationwide. To all our Black, African American, African, Caribbean, Afro-Latino Brothers, Sisters and Family Members, we see you, we value you, we value your life, we love you and we thank God […]
I am unapologetically black Every day of my life And my blackness is not a weapon Every time I blink my eyes you shouldn’t see triggers But yet to you I’m still just another Target Behind these masked walls of lies and deception that y’all have presented to us as a gift for our undying […]
Through this Pandemic, May We Be Encouraged. Click to hear ISAAC Clergy and Community Leaders share what passages encourage them during difficult times. Juliana Hafner Joan Hawxhurst Dr. Regena Nelson Miriam Epskamp Apostle Valarie Cunningham Deacon Karen McDonald Maryam Khan Dr. Carolyn Heineman Sofia Ovalle-Lopez
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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