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Anti-Racism Update

Kalamazoo area residents may wonder why our neighborhoods are so highly segregated by race. The vast majority of people of color in the city and county, live in just three neighborhoods—Northside, Eastside and Edison. Matt Smith of the Kalamazoo Public Library provided the Anti-Racism Task Force with an answer: federal government policy. During the end […]

Update on the State Budget From Representative Jon Hoadley

The Anti-Poverty Task Force has been working with State Representative Jon Hoadley to develop a plan to decrease poverty in our community. At the ISAAC Public Meeting in October 2018, Rep. Hoadley and the other candidates in districts 60, 61, 63 and 66 agreed to start a process to change state policies to extend benefits […]

Affordable Housing Update

Our workshop on “Healing Through Exploring Local History of Segregation & Racism” was so effective, that the ISAAC Housing Task Force and TRHT (Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation) are planning on repeating it! We’re looking for an evening date for municipal leaders who were not at the February workshop, especially officials from Portage, Texas, Oshtemo, […]

Welcome to Two New ISAAC Leaders

A very warm welcome to the new NAACP President Wendy Fields and the new Lutheran Church of the Savior Pastor Nikki Smith! We are very pleased to have each of you leading parts of our ISAAC family! We look forward to the insights you’ll bring to our work together, building the Beloved Community. Thank you […]

Great Endowment Growth!

We are well on our way to reaching our $50,000 goal to create an Endowment Fund for ISAAC! Huge thanks to all our awesome donors. As soon as we reach $50,000, ISAAC will begin to receive annual interest income! If you can help—with any size gift—just put “ISAAC Endowment Fund” in the memo space of […]

President & Executive Director’s Message

Dear ISAAC Family, During this time when we are experiencing and witnessing anger, barriers, fear, uncertainty, isolation, oppression, disparity, segregation, trauma, hatred, exhaustion, bigotry, mourning, silencing, loss of hope and violence, “May we lift up our eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh our help. Our help cometh from the LORD.” – Psalm 121:1-2 May our anger be productive and never destructive. […]

Banquet on May 18 – Shared Tables!

“Yes, our ‘Table of 8’ would be happy to sit at two neighboring tables that we share with another congregation or organization, to help build the ‘Beloved Community.’” This is a new choice you have when you buy your Banquet tickets!  Whether you purchase your tickets online or get them in your own congregation or organization, […]

Food Assistance is at Risk

The Anti-Poverty Task Force is committed to working with state and federal legislators to continue to provide much needed benefits, such as food assistance, to low-income people as they become self-sufficient so they will no longer need benefits. Thus we need to maintain the current level of assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) […]

Healing Through Exploring Local History of Segregation & Racism Workshop

The history was very painful to hear, but attendees said the workshop that the ISAAC Housing Task Force and TRHT gave on February 28 was powerful and informative. Over eighty people participated, including local municipal officials, clergy, housing agency leaders, housing advocates, leaders from a variety of congregations and municipalities, and the very impressive number […]

Why We Support ISAAC

By Rochelle Habeck and Allan Hunt [su_quote]We support ISAAC because we need ISAAC to survive.[/su_quote] That is more than a statement about injustice in our current environment and the importance of ISAAC as a medium for social change. As the hymn says that we often sing together at ISAAC events, “I need you to survive”. […]

Prayer for Racial Healing

God of justice, in your wisdom you create all people in your image, without exception. Through your goodness, open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty, and worth of every human being. Open our minds to understand that all your children are brothers and sisters in the same human family. Open our hearts to repent […]

May We Commit

ISAAC Family, as we enter Black History Month may we continue to commit to truth telling & acknowledgement of past & present harms that impact us ALL! May we commit: to our journey; to our faith; to love; to hope; to peace, to equity; to change; to justice; to unity; to one another and to building the […]