Reshaping gentrification: How community engagement can make development more equitable
How can communities and developers work together to change the way gentrification shapes Grand Rapids?
By Anna Gustafson, Managing Editor's Latest Articles
As more children are poisoned by lead in Grand Rapids, community advocates work for change
For the first time since the year 2000, the number of children poisoned by lead has increased in Grand Rapids. Now, nonprofits, elected officials and other community leaders are joining forces to put an end to a devastating health issue that disproportionately affects families of color.
Embracing creativity: How one designer is changing Grand Rapids – and the world
David Kelley, routinely called one of the most innovative thinkers of our time, has done everything from build a school system in Peru to redesign the way we die. To celebrate his contributions to the world, including to Grand Rapids, the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology will honor him next week.
Race & the LGBT community: Grand Rapids filmmaker advocates for equity & inclusion
Grand Rapids filmmaker Gregory Mason is set to debut his documentary that delves into the need for multiracial and multicultural inclusion in the country's LGBT community.
Affordable housing, development & more: Commissioner Joe Jones spells out his vision for 2nd Ward
From increasing affordable housing and addressing concerns about development to tackling racial disparities and strengthening LGBTQ protections, Grand Rapids’ newest city commissioner and the first black commissioner to represent the Second Ward, Joe Jones, has big plans to work for a more inclusive and equitable city that treats all of its residents with dignity.
Grand Rapids entrepreneurs link arms with nonprofits to fight sex trafficking
When Heidi VanderWal and Danielle DeSmit learned that thousands of people — women, children and men — are victims of human trafficking in West Michigan every year, they knew they needed to do something to combat an epidemic that ensnares millions of individuals across the globe, including in Grand Rapids’ own neighborhoods.
Civil rights and environment: GR conference to tackle what racism means for health
People of color are dying, or sickened, for reasons that are completely preventable by addressing racism and racial disparities. The West Michigan Environmental Action Council’s fifth annual Women and the Environment Symposium will tackle these issues in an attempt to create more environmentally just communities.
11 ways to honor Black History Month in West Michigan
Learn about African American leaders who championed racial justice in Grand Rapids and partake in meaningful discussions regarding today's racism in West Michigan.
From a jungle of metal beams, a sneak peek of the Gerald R. Ford Museum’s $13 million renovation
When the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum reopens this June, following a nine-month renovation process that includes the addition of a learning center for students, it will seem like a whole new place.
