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MDCR to document resident experiences with GRPD in GR Aug. 8

Aug6
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Agustin Arbulu, MDCR

Thursday, August 8, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) will host a listening session at the Hispanic Center. It will include lunch and a presentation from MDCR, but will also serve as a listening session for community members to share their specific law enforcement experiences and interactions with the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) that represent challenges to their civil rights.

Lunch will be available beginning at 11:30 a.m. for the first 65 people who register for the event.  The formal meeting starts at noon with a summary of services presentation by MDCR and Hispanic Center announcements.  Beginning at 12:30, community members are invited to share their stories of personal encounters with GRPD with Dr. Agustin Arbulu, MDCR Executive Director, and other department representatives. Testimony or comments cannot be hearsay, but should be the person’s own experience, and not what others have told him or her.  MDCR is collecting these statements as part of their ongoing investigation of the GRPD.
 
Spanish interpretation will be provided, and stories can be submitted in writing the day of the event, or by contacting Gwen Moffit, MDCR Community Engagement Liaison at MoffittG@michigan.gov.  Written submissions will also be accepted in Spanish.

 

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights investigates complaints, enforces civil rights and fair housing laws, and works to prevent discrimination through educational programs that promote voluntary compliance with civil rights laws. More information at their website.

The MDCR was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1963 to carry out the guarantees against discrimination articulated in Article I, Section 2. As further stated in Article V, Section 29, the state constitution directs the Commission to investigate alleged discrimination against any person because of religion, race, color or national origin and to “secure the equal protection of such civil rights without such discrimination”. Public Acts 453 and 220 of 1976 and subsequent amendments have added sex, age, marital status, height, weight, arrest record, and physical and mental disabilities to the original four protected categories.

RSVP via Eventbrite today. Please encourage friends, clients, and others in your network to attend and participate in this important opportunity.  

Shop the Farmers’ Market, then stop by OKT’s table before the Movie in the Park Saturday!

Jul19

moviesFriends of Grand Rapids Parks in collaboration with the Grand Rapids Police Department, Urban League of West Michigan, and City of Grand Rapids Parks & Recreation Department, will be hosting free family friendly movies in our neighborhood parks this summer. On Saturday July 20, the event takes place at MLK Jr. Park, the site of the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market!

Come to the farmers’ market between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and then spend the rest of the afternoon at the Urban League Park Party. At 7 p.m., community partners will host yard games, music and dance, entertainment, and recreation activities for all ages. The movie will start at 9 p.m.. Friends of Grand Rapids Park will serve water and popcorn, provided by Celebration Cinema, Bring along lawn chairs, blankets and snacks, but please no alcoholic beverages.

Kent County Food Policy Council seeking community input

Jul18

unnamed (3)Southeast Area Farmers’ Market
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday July 20
MLK Jr. Park 900 Fuller Ave. SE 49506

The new Kent County Food Policy Council will have representatives at the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market this Saturday, July 20.  They will share information and invite market patrons to take part in a community survey. The Council is supported by the Kent County Essential Needs Task Force staff and includes persons from the Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan State University, New City Neighbors, Access of West Michigan, and Our Kitchen Table.

Unlike water, air, and land, there is currently no local department of food. Greater public awareness is needed to understand the impact the local food system has on the area’s environmental, social, and economic health and what policies are necessary to ensure future sustainability of the region. The Kent County Food Policy Council hopes to represent the diversity of the food system and of the local community to then act as a centralized body and as a clear voice that can inform local policy and decision makers on the current and future issues that will impact local food production, consumption, and access.

Its mission is to advocate for and promote a Good Food system in Kent County (as defined by the Michigan Good Food Charter). Its vision is for everyone in Kent County to enjoy a thriving Good Food system. Its values include equity, sustainability, and thriving economies .

GRAAHI & Urban Core Collective 5K Rhythm Run/walk and Resource Fair Aug. 17

Jul16

RythmSoul5KLOGO_OLVisit the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market after the Rhythm Run!

Be ready to run the streets in the heat of August as GRAAHI celebrates health and fitness in the Grand Rapids African American Community. This year’s GRAAHI & Urban Core Collective 5K Rhythm Run/walk and Resource Fair will focus on healthy living, getting fit and enjoying the Michigan summer heat with the overall goal of raising awareness of the benefits of making the right healthy choices. This fun, rhythm filled and lighthearted event starts at 8:00 a.m., August 17th, 2019, beginning at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 800 Fuller Ave. SE. Activities will run from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and will include a Kid’s Fun Run, food, refreshment, entertainment, games and more.

Click here to sign up!

Program for Growth workshop emphasizes eating to prevent lead poisoning

Jun19
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Tracy Booth, RD, leads Program for Growth workshop on foods that address lead poisoning

OKT’s Program for Growth at Martin Luther King Leadership Academy is growing more than food in the gardens out front of the school. Workshops continuing with Tracy Booth RD are inspiring participants to grow, purchase, and prepare healthier foods for their families. Because the MLK school neighborhood is in one of Grand Rapids’ lead poisoning hot-spots, last Monday’s workshop focused on three key nutrients that help rid the body of lead: calcium, iron and Vitamin C.

june1Lead poisoning especially impacts infants and children’s growing bodies and brains, causing developmental delays and behavioral problems, including aggression. Lead comes to the 49503 and 49507 neighborhoods via the soil, housing with lead paint, and possibly via the water supply, when old lead pipes are still in service. Here’s a breakdown of foods that can help:

  • Iron-rich foods: Deep green leafy vegetables like collards, mustard greens, kale, spinach; legumes (pinto, navy, black, and adzuki beans etc. and red lentils); raisins and dried prunes; meat.
  • Calcium rich foods: In addition to dairy, tuna, salmon, seeds (poppy, celery, chia and sesame), almonds, beans and lentils (legumes), and dark leafy greens (see above).
  • Vitamin C-rich foods: Citrus fruits, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, strawberries, kiwi fruit, kale, and mustard greens.

june2.jpgCooking in an iron skillet and eating a vitamin C food along with an iron rich food helps the body absorb even more iron.

Miss Tracy also emphasized that we all need to eat more fruit and vegetables, especially fresh ones like those growing in the Program for Growth garden. “Make meat your side dish not your main dish,” she says.

Forum with three Chief of GRPD finalists Thursday June 12

Jun12
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Lansing Police Chief Michael Yankowski (l), retired Pittsburgh Assistant Police Chief Larry Scirotto (c) and Grand Rapids Deputy Police Chief Eric Payne (r). Image from City of Grand Rapids

Your voice is important in our community! Make it heard! City Manager, Mark Washington will be holding a forum with the three finalists that are in the running to be the next Chief of the Grand Rapids Police Department at Cesar Chavez Elementary, 1205 Grandville Ave SW, from 6:30pm–8:30pm on Thursday June 12th.

Use your voice to help ensure that the final choice for Police Chief will increase transparency,  make changes to increase police accountability, further implement opportunities for civilian oversight, and foster a culture within the GRPD that understands the needs and concerns of ALL members of our community.
Please come out tomorrow and make your voice and concerns heard.

Women of Color Convening Series: May 16, wsg Remi Harrington

May8

WOC May 16 2019 Twitter Image“Building collective consciousness about what local foods can mean to us as a people”

 OKT and co-sponsor, Access of West Michigan, are excited to bring activist, farmer and educator, Remi Harrington, to Grand Rapids as part of OKT’s 2019 Women of Color Convening series. The FREE event takes place May 16  at Sherman Street Church, lower level, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will kick-off with a food demo and sampling featuring bulk whole foods from OKT’s Collective Whole Foods Purchasing Group.

In Kalamazoo, Harrington grows food at her own urban community farm, “Tegan’s Hopeful Storybook Garden,” and empowers others to plant their own urban food gardens through her work as community farms coordinator for Kalamazoo Valley Community College Food Innovation Center. She has a vision for local urban farmers becoming a mainstay in Kalamazoo’s local food economy. At the convening, Harrington will lead the dialogue about “Building collective consciousness about what local foods can mean to us as a people.”

“If we can create a collective consciousness about what local foods can mean to us as a people … being really intentional about what we want to put in our bodies, biodynamic agriculture, eating seasonally and locally, that would create wellness, that would create health, that would create community, that would rebuild us as a people group,” stated Harrington in a December 2018 Second Wave Media feature. “That would bring peace and love and trust and that whole granola stuff. The case is good for business all around, not just for black folks, but for all of us.”

The work of Access of West Michigan’s Good Food Systems Initiative aims to address food access, health, and justice in our local food system. We believe that the values of a Good Food system create a thriving community for all. The collaborative solutions and programs that Access facilitates equip community partners, invest in our local food economy, grow health, and convene food and faith conversations.