The team at FIRST & 42 struggles to find the right inspiration for you today, during this period of adversity and pain abound in our community and the world at large. We are at a crossroads where the options presented to us are either to continue down the comfortable path of accepting social and economic injustices or forge a new one towards love and acceptance. As a community, we must find a way to move the ball forward to love one another—our future is too important not to do so. What we do today will define how our community looks tomorrow. The time has come to dig deep. What will you do?

Resources on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism

Our neighbors, friends, and family need all of us to intentionally dedicate our time and resources to support the cause for equity. Suggested practices and educational materials are available through local organizations including the Society for History and Racial Equity (SHARE), Kalamazoo Community Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) project, and Eliminating Racism Claiming/Celebrating Equality (ERRAC/CE) among others. All three organizations, TRHT, SHARE, and ERRAC/CE have provided our community with educational resources and opportunities to foster connections and conversations for many years. One of the many vital resources that these organizations have to offer is SHARE’s Civil Rights Oral History Project. The collection of oral histories, a joint effort between SHARE and Kalamazoo College, documents the history of African Americans in Southwest Michigan while also fostering racial equity through community programming. More resources are available from TRHT here, SHARE here, and ERRAC/CE here.