LEDA legacy lives on in museum exhibit curated by interns

The Holland Museum is helping the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance to pass the torch.

The longtime West Michigan nonprofit closed its doors earlier this year, but in a statement released to the public, LEDA leaders expressed their hope that the legacy would live on in people.

“LEDA has made an indelible impression on lakeshore communities and beyond,” the statement says. “The board and staff hope others will carry on the work that LEDA pursued for nearly three decades.”

The museum is leveraging the next generation to push that legacy forward.

The Following LEDA’s Footsteps: Access and Advocacy in Action exhibition, curated by the museum’s 2024 summer intern council, will celebrate LEDA’s work and the progress through recently acquired newspaper articles, organizational programs, photographs, and even puppets from the Talking to Kids about Race program. Through interactive activities, the exhibition will encourage the attendees to carry on the precedents established by LEDA, says Holland Museum Exhibits Curator Maddalena Frissora who worked with some of the museum’s summer interns on the project.

“We want to inspire people to keep moving forward to share everybody’s diversity, everybody’s story,” she says. 

Courtesy Holland MuseumInterns at the Holland Museum are wrapping up their work on the Following LEDA’s Footsteps: Access and Advocacy in Action exhibition.

Founding

LEDA was founded in 1996 after a local Black family experienced a racial hate incident. Area residents organized to form the North Ottawa Ethnic Diversity Alliance, later renamed LEDA. Over the years, LEDA became a leader in West Michigan, promoting equitable access and opportunities for all.

Each year, the museum hosts a cohort of summer interns who work both on individual projects and a group-curated exhibit. 

“They instantly recognized how powerful this organization was and they wanted to share the legacy,” Frissora says.

Courtesy Holland MuseumA newspaper article about the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance's forming in 1996.

Celebration

During a celebration of the exhibit, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, at the museum, 31 W. 10th St.. the museum’s 2024 summer interns will share what they have learned and what they accomplished this year at an event. Registration is not required, but it is recommended.

The free event is a part of the Cultural Lens Series, which is sponsored by Corewell Health and Warner Norcross and Judd.

"It's humbling. It's a good recognition of the work it has done, the lives it has touched with programs to set the stage of inclusiveness for our state," says Francisco Ramirez, chairperson of the LEDA board of directors. "It sends a strong message when our youth is recognizing the important work of an organization that is impactful on diversity, equity, and inclusion in West Michigan."

After viewing the group exhibition in the lobby gallery, attendees will adjourn to Spark!Lab Smithsonian to hear more about the interns’ experiences with the Holland Museum. Interns will talk about the process of creating the exhibit and their own individual projects that include renovating galleries, social media promotion, creating SparkLab! Activities, and creating more interactivity in the Cappon House. A representative from LEDA will also speak.

“Sharing LEDA’s legacy is going to leave a mark on them, and they’re very proud,” Frissora says.

Courtesy Holland MuseumThe Following LEDA’s Footsteps: Access and Advocacy in Action exhibition will include artifacts from the nonprofit's 28-year history.

The exhibit, which is aimed at families with something for every age group to learn, opens to the public. Aug. 9 and will include an interactive activity where people can sign their name “Are you committed to following LEDA’s example?”

“Even that is a small act, but it gets you to think ‘what can I do to impact my community?’” Frissora says. 

It asks museum visitors to ask of themselves “What can I do to be an ally?” “What can I do to fight against racial bias?”

“This exhibit is really a call to action,” Frissora says. “Even though LEDA is gone now, we can all put our best foot forward and strengthen the community through Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Inclusion initiatives.”