Suprise unveiling: Kalamazoo’s Cooney Cultivation Center at Farmer’s Market moving tribute to veteran activist

KALAMAZOO, MI — Don Cooney has attended hundreds of community events during his decades as an activist, professor, and 11-term Kalamazoo city commissioner. But the moment he walked up to the Kalamazoo Farmers Bank Street Market for the ribbon cutting of the new building on Monday, he realized this one was different.

Earlier in the week, someone had mentioned his name was on the building, but he assumed all of the city commissioners’ names were on it, he says. And he had toyed with not going, even at his wife’s persistence that he drop everything to attend the dedication.

“I told her I was really busy, but she insisted. I went over there and saw all of my friends… I think I was the only person who didn’t know what was going to happen,” says Cooney. “It was quite a surprise — I had no idea at all, really.” 

What happened was the unveiling of the Cooney Cultivation Center, the new multipurpose building currently under construction at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market. The 8,900-square-foot building will serve as a hub for youth programs, after-school activities, Camp Kzoo, cooking classes, community events, and future winter farmers markets.

For Cooney, the naming was more than a personal honor. It reflected the values he has worked to advance for more than six decades.

“I’m so glad they built it. It’ll be great for people in the neighborhood — the kids especially,” he says. “Between that and the new Boys and Girls Club being rebuilt, it means a lot for this community.”

Cooney says he especially loves the symbolism behind the name.

 “It’s a tremendous honor,” he says. “I like the idea of ‘cultivation’ because it’s about cultivating community, cultivating kids — helping young people advance, grow, and succeed. And to have my name associated with that means so much to me.”

A Lifetime of Activism

Cooney first came to public life as a Catholic priest in the 1960s, working in Brooklyn’s poorest Bushwick neighborhood at the height of the civil rights and anti-war movements.

“I’ve been an activist all my life — 61 years now,” he says. “When I came out here, I got very involved in social justice — South Africa divestment, the living-wage campaign. Then I looked at government and thought, ‘Wow, this could be a vehicle.’ And it has been. It helped me raise consciousness, mobilize people, and put issues in front of the community.”

Cooney notes that he doesn’t use social media. “I don’t do Facebook and those things,” he says. “I find they take too much of my time, and I have too much to do.”

That, he jokes, may be why he was the only one at the ceremony genuinely surprised.

Winter Market to open Dec. 6

The new enclosed Cooney Cultivation Center features a full commercial kitchen and flexible event space. It will be available for private rentals, host Kalamazoo’s Winter Markets, and serve as the primary Kzoo Parks after-school site during the school year.

The first Winter Market in the new building opens Saturday, December 6, and will run every Saturday through April 25. Hosted by People’s Food Co-op, the market will showcase a wide assortment of local goods — including fresh produce, meats, fish, poultry, eggs, baked items, pastas, coffee, jams, jellies, and more.

“We’re thrilled to have a permanent home for the winter farmers market, a great new space for our youth programs, and a place the community can come together,” says Kzoo Parks Director Patrick McVerry in a press release. “Thank you to everyone for your patience during construction. We can’t wait to welcome the community into this new space and kick off many more market seasons!”

This facility marks the second phase of the Kalamazoo Farmers Market improvements, following the 2021 upgrades that brought new restrooms, expanded parking, refreshed pavilions, and added vendor space.

Construction was completed by Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. with funding from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the State of Michigan, Federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars, and City Capital Improvement funds.

For Cooney, having his own legacy of activism so interwoven with this community-empowering project is a deep honor.

“We were poor when I grew up,” says Cooney. “My mother and father always taught me to stand with the underdog. So to have this center in a neighborhood that’s striving and struggling — that means a lot.”