Kalamazoo’s name is so distinctive strangers around the world have been known to break into song at hearing the name. With such a recognizable moniker you’d think Kalamazoo wouldn’t need nicknames, but through the years changing names have reflected the city’s refusal to stand still. The Zoo, Celery City and the Mall City are a few. The innovative thinking that brought downtown K’zoo the nation’s first pedestrian mall in 1959 continues to work today. Innovators have developed thriving life sciences, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. They build on the expertise of Kalamazoo’s universities. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Davenport College all are centers of research, development and technology. They surround a downtown vibrating with condos, apartments and homegrown, top-notch restaurants. The universities are woven into the city’s social fabric and contribute to a cultural scene that Kalamazooans love to boast about. The Kalamazoo Symphony, Kalamazoo Institute of Art and a vibrant local theater community are a few of the offerings. Locals also love their festivals that fill the air with music and the scents of ethnic foods wafting over the Arcadia Festival grounds and the Kalamazoo River. Outdoor activities from biking on the Kal-Haven trail to disc golf and standard golf on a nationally-acclaimed course in Milham Park are the start of the city’s leisure side. Sports fans have competitive college teams, minor league baseball and hockey to follow. And it all comes with a Promise. All high school graduates who live in Kalamazoo qualify for a scholarship that pays 100 percent of their tuition at any public university or community college.
Social media plays a powerful role in the lives of teens, shaping their self-image, communication habits, and daily routines. While students recognize both the positive and negative impacts, many admit that constant exposure to online content affects how they see themselves and interact with the world.
The recent death of Sam Nordquist, a transgender 24-year-old, has called attention to a rise in violence and discrimination against transgender youth. Many are addressing this issue, but also say much still needs to be done to protect trans youth.
For 100 years, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra has been making music for the community. Its sold-out June 2 concert featuring renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma was a triumph.
At the Institute of Public Scholarship’s “Remembering the Block” talk on the Kalamazoo Boxing Academy, stories of bruises, brotherhood, and Black pride reminded listeners that real strength is learned both in and outside the ring. And Carlean Gill revisits the glory days of Idlewild.
A Voices of Youth writer delves into how teens can best help comfort friends in crisis. Experts stress the importance of sincere support, open dialogue, and knowing when to guide someone toward professionals.
Voices of Youth's Braylon Youker gets a firsthand look inside KRESA's $100 million state-of-the-art Career Connect Campus. "I can’t wait to see [the students’] eyes light up," says Eric Stewart, Asst. Superintendent. "We’ve built this for them.”
Lalonie Willhite founded Dream of Kalamazoo Foundation to make sure kids growing up in foster homes didn’t encounter struggles with self esteem that comes with foster and adoptive parents not knowing how to care for all textures of hair. The Dream of Kalamazoo Foundation also is an example of how a nonprofit contributes to economic growth right here in the community while fulfilling its core mission of giving back.
This Voices of Youth commentary looks at how social media is fueling divides within the Democratic Party and argues that progressives can find strength in their differences by focusing on shared values and community-based action.
This Voices of Youth story focuses on teenagers' experiences with racism in their schools, describing the casual use of slurs and stereotypes as both painful and normalized among peers trying to fit in. While some youth express hope for change, others feel racism has become more insidious and less overt.
The Kalamazoo College Singers present the Michigan premiere of Hymnody of Earth, a choral work by Malcolm Dalglish inspired by Wendell Berry’s writings, on Tuesday, May 20, at Stetson Chapel.
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