Four years ago we wrote two pieces that looked at the foundation of the oppressive politics which led to the creation of Grand Rapids.

The first piece was entitled More White Lies: Grand Rapids and Settler Colonialism. In that piece we provided a framework for the function of settler colonialism, along with how it was practiced by white settlers, who through legal means, appropriated the land that once belong to the Anishinaabe people.

The second post from four years ago looked at the role that the government and early christian communities played in settler colonialism along the Grand River. The second article is entitled, The Role of the Church & State in Native Displacement in West MI: Settler Colonialism in Grand Rapids Part II.

Using this history and frame, GVSU student Larry Chavez created this print, which is a fabulous visual compliment to the narrative on how Grand Rapids was founded.