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.
What can be done to help change the often cultural and dated mindsets that stop African Americans from exploring better opportunities? “You have to take them out, quite literally,” of their familiar environments, says Dr. Alford Young. “You have to bring them to other spaces and show them what’s going on.”
When you dig into the causes behind the lack of affordable housing in Kalamazoo County it turns out one of the big ones is there are not enough houses to meet the demand.
When it comes to climate change, science appeals to the mind, but art can touch the heart. To create change, we need both. The Westminster Presbyterian Art Festival unites earth care, art, and faith for its annual celebration.
With new bike lanes and lights installed in downtown Kalamazoo, it's time for cyclists to test them out. If you work downtown or nearby, consider joining the Kalamazoo Commuter Challenge taking place from May 17 to 30.
Community is where you are and what you cultivate, according to panel members at the Kalamazoo Lyceum. Writer Mark Wedel was there to be your 'fly on the wall' for a discussion on 'Hope for the Community.'
“We don’t push religion at all. We have magazines, art books, whatever they need. Our job is to serve and to love."
“It’s not a meeting telling people, ‘You need to do this, or you need to do that.’ It’s each one of us looking at ourselves and asking what can we do and then will we do that?”
“One of the reasons I enjoy doing native planting is because it sequesters carbon and helps the ground absorb more water. If we’re taking care of the planet, we need to take care of the soil and the creatures on the planet, and native plantings are one of the most immediate visible ways to do that."
Formerly an arts and culture reviewer for a daily newspaper, SW Second Wave's Mark Wedel revisits his roots to take in The Gilmore International Piano Festival's opening night — a magical 'amusement park ride' that was 'full of surprises.'
"We are praying to open an African restaurant, plant a garden, open a barber shop," says Pastor Johsua Kibezi, director of the African Community Kalamazoo. "Our future goal is to offer 55 jobs for refugees. I cannot give up on this work or my people will suffer. In my heart, I know I must help.”
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