Racism against our Asian American and Pacific Islander family members is nothing new. History and present day offers painful stories of racism, dehumanization, internment camps, violence and other incidents of covert and overt racism. White Supremacy has painted the false narrative of the Model Minority Myth to create false hierarchies and dissension among People of […]

ISAAC Tribute to Eileen Scamehorn 2/9/21 The laughs we had and the ways we were inspired are captured in this video of ISAAC leaders remembering Eileen Scamehorn. Don’t miss this lovely tribute to her and the impact she had on ISAAC and on Westwood United Methodist Church’s important role in ISAAC: Words in Remembrance of […]

ISAAC GEM Testimonies – Listen as ISAAC Family Members share their stories and why they are ISAAC GEMs!

The Anti-Racism Task Force has responded to voting rights opportunities and threats by mobilizing community members in support of HR 1/S 1, the For the People Act, and HR 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and against the 39 voter suppression bills introduced into the Michigan Senate (SB 273-311). Stop Voter Suppression Federal […]

“me and white supremacy” by Layla F. Saad. 10 white members of the ISAAC Leadership Committee are meeting monthly to do the necessary work to better understand our white privilege and take ownership of our participation in the oppressive system of white supremacy. We practice “ubuntu”. In his book, No Future Without Forgiveness, Desmond Tutu […]

“I love this ordinance! I’m a big fan!” said Sara Jacobs, Director of the Kalamazoo Continuum of Care (COC), at the Housing Equity Ordinance Workshop we gave in March to explain Kalamazoo’s new ordinance for officials from municipalities surrounding the City. Sara Jacobs and Heather Morgan presented “RentAble”, the COC’s new initiative to support both […]

Pastor Nathan Dannison has been passionate about justice and mercy in his eight years as Senior Pastor of First Congregational Church, one of the founding members of ISAAC. And all of us in ISAAC already knew he would be, before he even went to seminary, because he was an ISAAC Community Organizer! He worked closely […]

On May 8th the Walk a Mile in My Shoes event to uplift Women in Kalamazoo County was held at Ferrell Park. Black Women have been trailblazing & doing the work, specifically the Black Women & also Black Mothers who sadly make up the largest population of homeless people in Kalamazoo County.  This event lifted […]

Numbers and statistics do not tell the whole story of what continual gun violence does to families and the community as a whole. Too many dreams have been permanently deferred due to gun violence. Hopes are being crushed by gun violence. Living with persistent gun violence is the equivalent of living in a war zone. […]

We continue to be thankful for our Elected Officials, Candidates and Law Enforcement Officials who participated in our October 22, 2020 Public Meeting to build this partnership with us, while committing to take actions to work toward racial justice and building the Beloved Community. We recognize and honor the anti-racism work that has already been […]

On Wednesday, January 6th, a terrible atrocity occurred in our Nation’s capital. The Capitol building was breached and an insurrection occurred against the democracy of the United States. As a black man, I had mixed feelings about the events that took place, and how the response seemed vastly different than the response to Black Lives […]

We invite you to listen to Scholar and Clergy, The Rev. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. His sermon offers an imagined letter from the Apostle Paul to America in a time of crisis. In this sermon, Dr. Dyson discusses racism, bigotry, white supremacy, democracy, US Presidents, exceptionalism, the White Christian Evangelical Church, and the Insurrection at […]