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- Our book club, and a rally for Haitian immigrants!
Our book club, and a rally for Haitian immigrants!
Read with us and rally with us!
GRAARPR Staff
August 19, 2026
Hi, everyone,
 | We’re reading A City within a City: The Black Freedom Struggle in Grand Rapids, Michigan and we invite you to join us. We met Thursday, August 13 at Fountain Street Church to decide the course of the bookclub. We had good conversations about the racial topography of Grand Rapids. We discussed the necessity of reading texts like A City within a City to help propel our local justice movement. We ate cake and got to know each other better. We’ve decided as a group to meet on the 2nd Thursday of every month and to read a chapter each month. |
For expediency, we’ll hold our next meeting in Room 109 of Fountain Street Church (24 Fountain St NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503), but we think it would be beneficial to diversify our meeting place. We’ll have the full list of meeting locations before the next meeting, though we’ll continue to offer virtual options. As we know the holiday season is a busy time, we won’t meet in December.
Date | Chapter | Location |
September 10, 2026 | Chapter 1: “Rowing, Not Drifting”: Black Organizational Reform Before World War II | In person: Fountain Street Church Virtual: Zoom link |
October 8, 2026 | Chapter 2: Citizens’ Action: Managerial Racism and Reform Politics | In person: TBD Virtual: Zoom link |
November 12 | Chapter 3: The Suburban Oasis: The Origins of Segregated Space | In person: TBD Virtual: Zoom link |
January 14, 2027 | Chapter 4: The Mustache Saga: The Rise of Black Youth Protest | In person: TBD Virtual: Zoom link |
February 11, 2027 | Chapter 5: A Black Child’s Burden: Busing to Achieve Racial Balance | In person: TBD Virtual: Zoom link |
March 11, 2027 | Chapter 6: Where do we go from here? Setting the Course for Racial Reconciliation | In person: TBD Virtual: Zoom link |
April 8, 2027 | Conclusion: Secondary Cities and the Black Experience | In person: TBD Virtual: Zoom link |
Please email us if you need assistance getting the book. We have a PDF and can also get you a hard copy.
Stop the mass deportation of Haitians!
GRAARPR is part of the Coalition Against Trump, which seeks to build a mass movement against the Trump administration in the Grand Rapids area. We believe if our alliance is to stand against political and racial repression, we must stand against Trump. A recent heinous act is the removal of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in the United States, affecting more than 300,000 people. Those who’ve had TPS taken from them are now subject to fines and deportation. They can be taken by ICE without recourse. Trump has taken their safety, and they have no place to go. We say NO! Stop the mass deportation of Haitians! ICE off our streets! |  |
Rally with us on Aug 23 at 3pm at Richmond Park (963 Richmond St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504). Bring a sign. Bring your outrage. Protest in solidarity with our Haitian neighbors!
Weekly meetings
We meet weekly on Wednesdays at 7pm in the basement of Fountain Street Church (24 Fountain St NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503). Any participation is welcome. We hope to see you there!
In solidarity,
The Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
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