Author Archives: Jeff Smith (GRIID)
New Print demonstrates the hypocrisy of GVSU and LGBTQ Equality
A new print by GVSU student Ciara Pink, beautifully depicts not on the historical struggle to win domestic partner benefits at GVSU, but the hypocrisy of the university, which claims to embrace, equity, inclusion and social justice. Grand Valley State … Continue reading
Grand Rapids participated in the 2001 FTAA protests in Quebec City
In the first major hemispheric action against anti-globalization action since the 1999 Seattle WTO protest, at least 15 people from Grand Rapids traveled to Quebec City, Canada to participate in the protest against the Free Trade Area of the Americas … Continue reading
New artwork looks at the 1967 Riot in Grand Rapids
We have made nearly a dozen posts about the 1967 riot in Grand Rapids in the past several years. Some of these posts have focused on media coverage of the riot, some on internal documents and some of the posts … Continue reading
New Artwork exposes Settler Colonialism as part of the founding of Grand Rapids
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 … Continue reading
2006 Immigration March was the largest in Grand Rapids History
(On March 26, 2006, I was writing for Media Mouse and reported on an immigrant-led march that was a response to proposed anti-Immigration legislation that year. What follows is what I wrote and a brief analysis of the Grand Rapids … Continue reading
Farmworker Solidarity action in Grand Rapids – 1983
Last week we posted a piece on efforts in Grand Rapids in the late 1970’s to provide support and solidarity with migrant farmworkers across the country. These efforts were organized through the group, Western Michigan Friends of the Farm Workers. … Continue reading
Solidarity with Migrant Farm Workers event in Grand Rapids – 1978
Recently, we were able to find some archival documents from the Walter Reuther Library at Wayne State University, documents that are specific to Grand Rapids, particularly the Farm Worker Movement. The image below is taken from a newsletter in April … Continue reading
Anti-Globalization Movement in Grand Rapids began in the Spring of 2000
The US anti-sweatshop organizing in the 1990s focused a great deal of individual corporations and their exploitation of workers in countries around the world. Organizers around the world however, didn’t just challenge the practices of individual corporations, instead they saw … Continue reading
Anti-sweatshop Action in Grand Rapids – 1996
As part of the growing anti-globalization/anti-free trade movement that was growing in the US, especially after the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, organizers with the Institute for Global Education held an action at the Woodland Mall to … Continue reading
Grand Rapids People's History Project 