Page 284 – Second Wave

Kzoo News in Brief: People and paintbrushes

By Al Jones

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March 23, 2023

On the Ground Project Editor Al Jones shares what's moving and shaking in Kalamazoo: After a nine-month search, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation announced its new president and chief executive officer -- and it's a name many will recognize as a person who has had positive, long-reaching impacts on our community. And a vital community center on the Northside is getting a makeover, thanks to sponsors and a nonprofit partner whose middle name is 'for' -- and that's your only clue!

A photograph of Judith Heumann. She is sitting in her power chair behind table covered with a white table cloth. There is a microphone and a name placard in the foreground.

How the godmother of the disability rights movement changed my life

By Lucia Rios

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Diversity & Equity

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March 22, 2023

Judith Heumann was a mentor I never met. Her life’s work reminds us that our voices and persistence can make a difference.

In July, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced its first bill of rights for travelers with disabilities.

How a new DOT bill of rights will make flying better for those with disabilities

By Paul R. Kopenkoskey

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General

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March 22, 2023

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s first bill of rights for travelers with disabilities applies to all flights in the United States, and is designed to be a summary meant to help travelers understand and assert their rights under the Air Carrier Access Act, passed in 1986.

Check-in area of St. Clair Community Mental Health in Port Huron.

Michigan community mental health agencies recognize families’ role in treatment

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

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Health

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March 21, 2023

Michigan's CMHs rely on families to help recovery and ensure that people function at their highest level.

Harvard University lifts up economic work of Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi

By Jane Parikh

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General

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March 16, 2023

Waséyabek Development Company, established in 2017 by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi of Calhoun County, has become a poster child for the Harvard Project on American Indian Development. Waséyabek is on pace to become a $1 billion company by 2040, and in recognition of its success, President and CEO Deidra Mitchell has been invited to serve as a guest lecturer at the prestigious Harvard-Kennedy School on March 24.

OutFront’s Faith Alliance: An allyship sailing in Kalamazoo for 15 years

By Theresa Coty O'Neil

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General

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March 16, 2023

As part of our series, Faith in Action, sponsored by the Fetzer Institute, Southwest Michigan Second Wave speaks with local religious leaders and OutFront Program Manager Dell Darnell about the 15-year-old Faith Alliance, a group comprised of 14 local religious leaders devoted to allyship. Faith Alliance is currently focused on OutFront's upcoming celebration, Trans Day of Visibility, and Host Homes, a volunteer-based housing program for LGBTQ+ youth aged 13 to 18.

Kalamazoo Earth Day 2023 Festival on the horizon

By Al Jones

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General

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March 16, 2023

What better way to celebrate spring than planting flowers and trees with your neighbors? The first truly post-pandemic Kalamazoo Earth Day may be the biggest yet. In a move to bring together the environmental and beautification efforts of three Kalamazoo neighborhood (Vine, Edison, and Oakwood), the Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival takes place April 22, 2023.

Battle Creek Pulse receives childcare investment grant

By Jane Parikh

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General

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March 16, 2023

In Michigan, the average pay for a Child Care Worker is $30,047 a year and $14 an hour and the average salary range for a Child Care Worker is between $23,406 and $34,343. “Childcare itself is not a money-making venture. Many of our childcare providers live in poverty and often without benefits,” says Kathy Szenda Wilson, co-director of Battle Creek's Pulse, which will use the grant money to help support childcare providers.

Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom, founder of the Women-Inspired Neighborhood Network: Detroit.

Detroit initiatives combat high Black infant mortality rate with dignity and compassion

By Brooke Marshall

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Health

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March 16, 2023

Black infant mortality rates in Michigan are consistently two and sometimes even three times higher than in white communities.

Kalamazoo Kinetics: Senior synchro-skaters glide in formation all the way to nationals

By Andy Robins

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General

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March 16, 2023

Falling in line is both an art and an avoidance for these 25-54-year-old synchronized figure skaters from Kalamazoo. Their passion has propelled them to pursue adult synchronized skating at a competitive level as part of the Kinetic Masters Team, which recently placed an impressive tenth in the 2023 U.S. Synchronized Skating Competition this March.