In Burton Heights and Garfield Park, church leaders are helping to craft evolutionary spaces to educate, empower and advocate for immigration and police reform and safe and affordable housing.
Jobs in the tech industry have been growing exponentially over the past two decades. Despite the availability of jobs in this sector, it continues to fail at employing people of color. Teachers and creatives in Grand Rapids are making efforts to ensure the younger generation gains access to these spaces and are dramatically transforming what the industry will look like.
Faced by systems of oppression, many residents of Burton Heights are denied access to affordable health care resources due to lack of documentation, employment and availability of services. To address this, health care workers are giving their all to providing options for residents in marginalized areas.
Despite being responsible for the success of the businesses along South Division, the working class is faced with little room to advocate for financial freedom and equitable access to opportunities.
The Garfield Park Neighborhoods Association functions as the second largest neighborhood association in the city of Grand Rapids. As the organization makes the effort to build community, including searching for a new executive director, it becomes increasingly challenging, and important, to engage the residents of the area while addressing issues of job availability and displacement.
Rapid Growth's new On The Ground series focuses on the community found along South Division Avenue, touching on the Garfield Park and Burton Heights neighborhoods. This series will highlight the stories of the neighbors and community members who make this area what it is today. The project begins with a celebration of the strong spirit of entrepreneurship and hospitality in the area.
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