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Recent Posts
- New Interview for the GRPS Uncovered podcast
- New GRPS Uncovered podcast for 7/7/2025
- Radical Grand Rapids: Places, Dates, Actions and People
- New book by long time community activist Paul Mayhue: Another Brother in The Struggle
- New Grand Rapids podcast sheds light on the history of the Grand Rapids Public Schools
Author Archives: Jeff Smith (GRIID)
Archival photo of Anti-Apartheid Protest in Grand Rapids
Thanks to Barb Lester, we wanted to post this picture from the early 1980s. The South African Anti-Apartheid Working Group of the Institute for Global Education organized a protest outside a local company that was selling South African coins known … Continue reading
More White Lies: Grand Rapids and Settler Colonialism
Last week, we began a new section for the Grand Rapids People’s History Project, entitled Lies Across Grand Rapids. The purpose behind this part of the larger project is to provide a critical look at historical landmarks and how they … Continue reading
Lies Across Grand Rapids: Confronting Visible Local History
This is the beginning of a new section to the Grand Rapids People’s History Project, where we will examine public and visible examples of how the narrative of Grand Rapids history perpetuates the values and perspectives of the dominant culture … Continue reading
Posted in Lies Across Grand Rapids
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It’s not important that we win every battle. What’s important is that we fight. Interview with Cole Dorsey on the History of Animal Rights Organizing in West Michigan
We recently interviewed Cole Dorsey, who was an active member of West Michigan for Animals in the 1990s in Grand Rapids. How old were you when you joined West MI for Animals? What motivated you or inspired you to get … Continue reading
West Michigan Nuclear Resisters took part in campaigns throughout the state in the 1980s through the early 1990s – Part II
(In Part I, we looked at campaigns against nuclear weapons production and deployment in Michigan.) Grand Rapids also had nuclear connections to the Military Industrial Complex. The Defense Logistics Agency had (and still has) a branch location in the office … Continue reading
Anti-Fur campaigns were part of West Michigan for Animals Direct Action efforts in the 1990s
In the past week we have posted stories about the anti-vivisection work of West Michigan for Animals (WMFA) and their campaign to fight animal abuse at area rodeos in the 1980s and 90s. WMFA was also deeply committed to … Continue reading
West Michigan for Animals and Anti-Vivisection organizing in the early 90s
A few days ago we posted a story on the birth of the group, West Michigan for Animals (WMFA). Beginning in 1992, WMFA began organizing around Animal Rights/Animal Liberation, with some of the earliest campaigns around challenging various rodeos that … Continue reading
The Birth of West Michigan for Animals and their Anti-Rodeo Campaign
Last winter, we posted an introductory article about one of the earliest known Animal Rights/Animal Liberation groups in the Grand Rapids area, known as West Michigan for animals. In that initial posting we made the point that the current efforts … Continue reading
1991 GRTV Show provides a window into past organizing in Grand Rapids by the LGBTQ Community
In 1991, the Lesbian and Gay Network of West Michigan had begun its campaign to get the City of Grand Rapids to pass an ordinance that would provide anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community. The ordinance did not pass until … Continue reading
Grand Rapids People's History Project 