KALAMAZOO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | SPRING 2021
HOW WE HEAL KALAMAZOO COUNTY LOOKING BACK ON FIVE YEARS OF NATIONAL DAY OF RACIAL HEALING CELEBRATIONS PAGE 4
Allowing strategies to emerge My colleagues Elena Mireles-Hill and Sholanna Lewis shared these thoughts in a recent article1 about transforming philanthropy: Maintaining flexibility and organically allowing new strategies to emerge is critical ... Building in consistent reflection processes that elevate community voice and learning lead to a recognition of when these shifts are happening so we can better follow the community’s lead. Activist adrienne maree brown highlights this concept in her book Emergent Strategy: “We will adapt to change or
Carrie Pickett-Erway President/CEO
become irrelevant.” As a philanthropic entity, we have to be with community in the unknown, in the non-linear path of growth, validating diverse cultural norms of doing work, and in transformation that is not easily quantifiable in numbers. This means we must often challenge our socialized notion of “risk” and invest our resources creatively to test and allow new spaces for innovation to take shape ... Navigating these shifts and movements requires skilled leadership to bring everyone along and to uphold focus on the larger vision for a world that would be absent of the need for our philanthropy. The idea of emergent strategy is especially apparent in the work done by Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Kalamazoo (TRHT). The TRHT team makes room in their long-term strategy to shift their work in real time to respond to community needs. Our National Day of Racial Healing is also a powerful example of emergent strategy; read our reflection of the last five years of the celebration in Kalamazoo County to see how our event has evolved. If you’re interested in being an active participant in our community’s healing now and in the years to come, follow @TRHTKalamazoo on social media to engage with us year-round. 1 T his article originally appeared in Candid’s GrantCraft blog: http://bit.ly/PhilanthropyTransformation
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support
• Give online at kalfound.org/give-now
• Kalamazoo County 501(C)(3) nonprofits
• Mail a check directly to KZCF
• Scholarships for college
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UPDATE is a newsletter published three times a year by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS TEAM Sarah Lee, Director Jordan Duckens, Communications Officer Tim Smolenski, Marketing & Events Officer CROSS-FUNCTIONAL EDITORIAL TEAM Sandy Barry-Loken Sue Bos Beth Gregory-Wallis Kururama Masomere Sharayl Moore Emily Olivares LAYOUT & DESIGN Eric Schmidt, Frogsplash LLC QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? Please email Sarah Lee at slee@kalfound.org.
connect KALFOUND
Scholarship Profile: Following where opportunity leads On a sunny Monday
He also says learning English was a challenge. “It’s so
afternoon in early March,
difficult to learn another language. I’m still learning. My
eighteen-year-old Leonel
English is not perfect, but I hope it will be one day.”
Aguila-Martinez was busy doing his homework just like most college students. Leonel is working through his prerequisite classes
Despite the language barrier, he started high school September 2019 and completed all the courses he needed for his diploma by June 2020. “It usually takes four years to finish,” he laughs.
at Kalamazoo Valley
In addition to navigating a new language and pushing
Community College
through school, Leonel has been learning to play a
and will start taking
variety of instruments for fun. “I love music,” he says. “I
nursing classes soon.
play violin, guitar and I’m starting piano.” He received a
“My grandmother inspired me to be a nurse because she was a nurse in our country,” Leonel says. Their country is El Salvador. Leonel moved to the United States alone as a teenager three years ago to pursue a “better life and an education.” His grandmother was also the one who inspired him to come to the United States. “I did volunteer work with my grandmother in our country, and I really started to love everything about medicine.” In 2020, Leonel was the first student to earn the Jerry A. and M. Christine Walker Scholarship, a new scholarship fund at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. The scholarship will help him pursue a degree in nursing. When he finishes nursing school, he hopes to work as a
scholarship from Crescendo Academy of Music, a local music school, to take violin and guitar lessons.
“I was thankful when Kalamazoo Community Foundation helped me because I got a scholarship for school and the money leftover covered my housing.” Leonel Aguila-Martinez Jerry A. and M. Christine Walker Scholarship Recipient In the future, he wants to provide free violin and guitar lessons for boys who’ve come to America alone.
medical assistant. His ultimate goal is to be a pediatrician.
He encourages students to work hard and take
He is taking his dreams one step at a time, but achieving
advantages of opportunities. “In my country, there are
them has come with some challenges.
thousands of students who want to go to a university,
“I was thankful when Kalamazoo Community Foundation helped me because I got a scholarship for school and the money leftover covered my housing,” Leonel says. Because he’s not able get a job permit, he couldn’t work .
but they don’t have the opportunity to go because they don’t have the money, or they have to work to help their family.” Want to learn more about starting a scholarship fund? Call 269.381.4416 and get connected to a Donor Relations Officer.
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January 17, 2017: “Stories that Unite Us” The first NDORH in Kalamazoo County explored the inequality in America with the screening of the docu-series “America Divided.” The event was a launching point for the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) work moving forward.
January 22, 2019: Celebrating How We Heal
HOW WE HEAL KALAMAZOO COUNTY
Event postponed to March 5, 2019 due to inclement weather.
It’s been five years since the first National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) in Kalamazoo County. Held the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day every year, NDORH is a celebration rooted in experiences for truth telling and trust building that lead to racial healing for a more just and equitable future.
The third NDORH event was a celebration with an evening of music, poetry, dance and food. The event focused on respite and joy as community honored centuries of dedication, resistance, struggle, loss, gain and committed collaboration toward healing and equity.
We’re taking a look back on how the celebration has evolved, the important role community plays in healing and just how this day of celebration has made an impact.
2017
2018
2019 January 2019
December 2016 The idea for NDORH is developed at the TRHT Summit in Carlsbad, CA. Local organizations that attended the Summit included: SHARE; Fair Housing Center SWMI; ISAAC; Michigan Immigrants Rights Center; ERACCE; Legal Aid; Charlie’s Place; Black Arts & Cultural Center; and Welcoming Michigan.
55
Number of attendees for the 2021 NDORH Virtual Healing experience
January 16, 2018: Heal Our Communities The Douglass Community Center held a neighborhood breakfast to provide safe space for residents to tell their stories related to racism. Rootead Enrichment Center held a Hip Hop and Yoga class for youth ages 10 - 18. Youth were guided on how to use movement to heal from the impacts of racism; calm nerves and emotions; and increase body awareness through yoga.
Our THRT Kalamazoo Racial Healing Design Team is listed on page 6.
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Proclamation signed by the City of Portage in recognition of NDORH. The City of Kalamazoo signed on in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
“It’s really going to take some long-term effort in organizing to really address the illness of race and racism. But to see folks come out, to be in solidarity, to communicate and converse with each other about the topic.... it felt like a spark for me. “On a basic level [we] tell the truth about the history, and build relationships with folks, and then go down deeper and really do some unpacking ... See what’s really going on at the national level, and specifically, on the local level.” Jacob Pinney-Johnson, TRHT Leadership Team Member From Second Wave Media coverage of the first NDORH
3,000+ “We are a strong Kalamazoo County community. When things are not going well and we are faced with adversity, we don’t shrink, we don’t shut our eyes, we roll up our sleeves and we come together and we say we’re going to get through this together... we are going to work through this together.” Dr. Charlae Davis, ISAAC on the Lori Moore Show
Views (and counting) for the 2021 livestream
January 19, 2021: Resistance & Healing Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of virtual events were held throughout the month of January. The livestream celebration included a panel of community leaders and change makers, and performances by local artists, musicians and dancers were woven throughout the event.
January 2020 Proclamation signed by the State of Michigan in recognition of NDORH.
2020
2021
What are Racial Healing Circles?
January 21, 2020: Truth-Telling
“Healing Circles are spaces for sharing individual truths and stories in order to reaffirm humanity and increase consciousness, awareness and empathy. Trained healing practitioners facilitate Racial Healing Circle experiences.”
Year four featured youth and community voices, local artists, and an opportunity to learn more about TRHT Kalamazoo’s work connecting racial healing and systemic change. This was the first time public healing circles were included in the NDORH celebration.
“The work can be so heavy. Racial Healing is deep. It’s peeling back the layers of a lot of trauma. To continue to work, we need to be healthy and part of being healthy is letting loose sometimes.”
Ed Genesis on WMUK
“It’s not about being taught something, we’re teaching each other. It’s about building relationships and having a dialogue.”
Sholanna Lewis on WMUK
TRHT put out a call to Kalamazoo County to help design the official TRHT t-shirt. The community voted online, and Joaquin Fisher’s design was the winner!
“We believe the TRHT process can serve to rebuild a stronger community with a voice for truth, a passion for healing, and a racial equity lens for justice and transformation.” Michigan Department of Civil Rights (2018) SPRING 2021
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New investments make positive impact In the first quarter of 2021,
“We look forward to the positive impacts they will make
the Kalamazoo Community
in Kalamazoo with the expansion of entrepreneurship
Foundation Impact Investment
opportunities for people of color and housing access for
Committee approved its first
our homeless population, two key priorities in making
loan to the LIFT Foundation
Kalamazoo County a more equitable place to live,”
(LIFT), a community resource
said Susan Springgate, Vice President of Finance and
for building, preserving,
Administration at KZCF.
operating, and maintaining homes for people with low incomes in west Michigan. With their loan, LIFT plans to repurpose the Knights Inn motel in the Vine neighborhood to provide shelter for community members experiencing homelessness. The need for immediate shelter has increased as
Impact Investment Loans are a special financing option for projects that support community growth in three goal areas:
• Increase access to housing
• Support and expand BIPOC wealth-building opportunities
the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the access of day shelters and prompted people to seek shelter in encampments, where health and safety concerns and lack of access to bathrooms, running water and food put individuals and families at risk. In the long term, LIFT plans to convert immediate shelter into affordable studio apartments for community members with low income.
• Develop nonprofit infrastructure
The Creamery, an affordable housing complex with quality child are center, was supported by an Impact Investment loan from KZCF. Construction was completed in February, and the building opened in March. To learn more about Impact Investments, visit kalfound.org/impactinvestment.
TRHT Racial Healing Practitioner Cohort The TRHT Racial Healing Practitioner Cohort is a team of community members focused on recognizing our shared humanity and how racism has harmed us all collectively in different ways. This team of skilled racial healing practitioners has been trained to facilitate healing circle experiences that are generative, confidential, safe spaces for truthful conversation. Learn more about TRHT’s racial healing work at trhtkzoo.org. Ed Genesis
LaSonda Wells
Patrese Griffin
Jacob Pinney-Johnson
Adrian Vazquez
Shari Weber
Kerria Randolph
Kathy Purnell
Elizabeth Garcia
Elisheva Johnson
Charlae Davis
Rev. Joslyn Mason
JaRay Reese
Tom Beech
Juliana Hafner
Caren Dybek
Samantha Weaver
Dale Mitchell
Ragan Savara
Gabriel Giron
Elena Mireles-Hill
Casey Coker
Sholanna Lewis
Kama Mitchell
Emily Olivares
Fanny Fernandez
Denise Evans
Joan Hawxhurst
Judi Ranbow
Cheree Thomas
Stacey Randolph Ledbetter Xiaoan Li
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Grantmaking highlights Kalamazoo Community Foundation awards grants to Kalamazoo County nonprofits throughout the year. In the second round of 2020 grantmaking, 50 nonprofit programs received $1.85 million in grants. For more details on the programs funded, visit kalfound.org/Grants/GrantsAwarded. • A GW Dance Angel Network
• F riends With Disabilities
• P archment School District
• A lzheimers Association
• G ryphon Place
• P ortage Community Center
• A merican Heart Association
• G uardian Finance and Advocacy Services
• P revention Works, Inc.
• H elping Other People Exceed (HOPE) thru Navigation
• Q ueer Theatre, Inc.
• J ustice For Our Neighbors Kalamazoo
• R ootead Enrichment Center
• B angtown Studio On The Go • B lack Arts and Cultural Center • B lack Wall Street Kalamazoo • C hanges and Beyond • C ommunity Healing Centers, Inc.
• P ublic Media Network • R esidential Opportunities, Inc. • S peak it Forward
• C ommunity Living Options
• K alamazoo County Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Council Inc.
• C ommunity Promise Federal Credit Union
• K alamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center
• C onfident SOLE
• K alamazoo Institute of Arts
• S t. Luke’s Episcopal Church
• C ount MI Vote Education Fund
• K alamazoo Poetry Festival
• T he Arc Community Advocates
• Eastside Youth Strong
• K alamazoo Public Library
• U rban Alliance Inc.
• E cumenical Senior Center
• K alamazoo RESA
• W est Michigan Cancer Center
• E RACCE
• K ids International Home (Pre K International)
• W estern Michigan University Foundation
• M ichigan Center for Youth Justice
• Y oung Kings and Queens, Inc.
• O utFront Kalamazoo
• Y WCA Kalamazoo
• F air Housing Center of Southwest Michigan • F ire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative
• S ociety for History and Racial Equity (SHARE) • S t. Barnabas Episcopal Church
Donors create new funds at KZCF DESIGNATED FUNDS
ADVISED FUNDS
These funds benefit a specific nonprofit, educational
These funds are for donors who want to be
institution or faith-based organization. Individual donors
actively involved with their fund.
or the organization themselves may establish these funds.
• SophieStrong Memorial Fund
• Kalamazoo County Ready 4s/Sandra Standish Endowment Fund SCHOLARSHIP Invested primarily in post-high school education and training for traditional and non-traditional students. • Amanda Green Scholarship Fund
LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE (UNRESTRICTED) FUNDS These funds have been established with gifts totaling $5,000 or more and can be established over time. • Anonymous Fund • Tom and Donna Lambert Community Fund • James and Georgia Vavra Fund
For a complete list of KZCF funds visit kalfound.org/howtogive/listoffunds. Contact a Donor Relations Officer at 269.381.4416 to learn more on how to open a fund. SPRING 2021
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Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage paid Kalamazoo, MI Permit Number 66
402 East Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49007 269.381.4416 kalfound.org
Youth Advisory Council Member Spotlight The Kalamazoo Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is empowering youth to inform and lead grantmaking and philanthropic activities to advance equity in Kalamazoo County. We are honored to work alongside and learn from youth leaders, like Fayyaz Razi, throughout Kalamazoo County in this new capacity. Fayyaz is a student at Portage Central High School and
What does philanthropy mean to you? Philanthropy is the action of helping and assisting others in a variety of ways, whether it be through money or with actual labor. What has been your favorite grant or project you’ve worked on with YAC?
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center. He
My favorite activity that I have done with the YAC is
has been a member of the YAC since October of 2020.
the meetings with TRHT (Truth, Racial Healing, and
What inspired you to become a member of the YAC?
Transformation) Kalamazoo. I really enjoy the discussions that take place with the organization and I feel like I am
I joined the YAC to make a difference in my community.
making a positive difference in the community around
Joining the YAC was my way in trying to push for change
me through the meetings.
in the world around me.
Visit kalfound.org/YAC to learn more about the YAC grantmaking.